April 30, 2025 by matray

MagMutual Insurance Co. was recently recognized for its leadership in healthcare innovation at the Digital Healthcare Transformation (DHT) Summit, hosted by Kennesaw State University's (KSU) MS in Healthcare Management and Informatics (MSHMI) program.

During the Summit, MagMutual received the Distinguished Leadership in Healthcare Management and Informatics Award for its impactful contributions to innovation, workforce development and economic growth. Brandie Szuda, MagMutual's chief medical informatics data officer and a KSU alumna, was also honored with the 2025 HMI Award of Excellence for her outstanding work.

"MagMutual and Brandie Szuda have been instrumental in advancing our program and the field of healthcare technology," said Dr. Sweta Sneha, executive director of KSU's MSHMI program. "Their continued partnership, insight and mentorship have made a lasting impact on our students and faculty."

"We're proud to be recognized by KSU and to support the development of future healthcare leaders," said Neil Morrell, MagMutual CEO.

The 2025 DHT Summit featured more than 30 speakers from across healthcare, pharma, technology, insurance and finance sectors, and marked the 10th anniversary of KSU's MSHMI program.

April 15, 2025 by matray

AM Best will host an analytical briefing on the state of the U.S. medical professional liability (MPL) insurance sector on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at 11 a.m. (EDT).

The event will feature leading market executives and AM Best analysts examining recent and prospective financial results and underwriting and loss trends, as well as health care regulatory developments. AM Best currently holds a stable market segment outlook on the MPL insurance sector due to a number of factors that include firmer market conditions, higher reinvestment rates and improved operating returns. These topics, among others, will be included in the discussion.

To register for the event, please visit http://www.ambest.com/conference/ABMPLI2025/index.html.

Market experts and analysts joining the event are as follows:

• Eric R. Anderson, interim president and CEO, MPL Association
• Ryan J Crawford, CEO, Curi Insurance
• Chad Karls, principal and consulting actuary, Milliman
• Sharon Marks, director, AM Best
• Vicky Riggs, associate director, AM Best

April 8, 2025 by matray

Below are some headlines and article synopses from the April 2025 issue of Medical Liability Monitor. To read the articles in their entirety, please subscribe today.

JAMA Paper Examines Implications of American Law Institute’s MedMal Restatement
In a landmark 2024 restatement that could alter the future of medical liability litigation, the American Law Institute (ALI) updated its legal measure for evaluating medical negligence. The change shifts it from a standard reliant on customary medical practice toward a more patient-centered concept of reasonable medical care. A new white paper published in JAMA endorses the change and argues it could improve health outcomes, reduce defensive medicine and improve physician-patient communication …

The Doctors Company to Acquire ProAssurance Corp.
The Doctors Company and ProAssurance Corp. announced last month that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which The Doctors Company will acquire ProAssurance for approximately $1.3 billion. The combined company will have assets totaling approximately $12 billion …

U.S. Supreme Court to Rule on State Affidavit Requirements in Federal Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to determine whether state statutes requiring an expert affidavit of merit in medical liability cases should apply in federal court. Under the Erie Doctrine, when state-law cases are filed in or removed to federal court based on diversity jurisdiction, the federal court applies state substantive law but follows federal procedural law. The Supreme Court will reassess the Erie Doctrine and clarify the relationship between state statutes and federal procedural rules …

Montana Increases Medical Malpractice Damage Cap
A bill increasing Montana’s cap on noneconomic damages for medical liability lawsuits and tying it to inflation passed both the state House and Senate last month and is awaiting Gov. Greg Gianforte’s signature …

MPL Year-End 2024 Operating Results Remain Favorable Despite Below Average Underwriting Experience
Despite recording its ninth consecutive year of underwriting loss, with a combined ratio of approximately 106.5%, the MPL industry’s operating margin was 16.6% in 2024. The MPL industry will need to continue working toward improved underwriting results. For now, however, the industry’s underwriting losses remain offset by investment returns …

Utah Passes MedMal Tort Reform Package, Damage Cap Stripped Out
The Utah Legislature passed a bill last month requiring physicians to maintain a medical malpractice insurance policy of at least $1 million. It also protects physicians from having their personal income or assets pursued by plaintiffs if an award exceeds their liability coverage …

Subscribe today to get this issue (as well as the 2024 and 2025 Annual Rate Survey at no additional cost).

April 3, 2025 by matray

MagMutual Insurance Co. announced a major upgrade to its digital resources for PolicyOwners and their insurance agents with a series of enhancements to its popular Learning Center.

"The MagMutual Learning Center has rapidly gained widespread popularity among PolicyOwners as a valuable and proven tool for helping our healthcare providers and leaders understand and reduce their risk," said William S. Kanich, MD, JD, executive chairperson of MagMutual. "We're excited to transform this resource to make it easier, faster and more convenient for PolicyOwners to access the wealth of risk mitigation and regulatory information we offer online."

MagMutual transformed the online resource to make it easier, faster and more convenient for PolicyOwners to access the range of risk mitigation and regulatory information it offers online. Along with a streamlined, redesigned experience that makes it easier and faster for MagMutual PolicyOwners to access timely information and content 24/7, the revitalized Learning Center offers ready access to CME- and discount-eligible content. Healthcare providers can now earn CME credits on a wide range of topics simply by reading articles, as well as taking the courses posted in the Learning Center. In addition, partial credits can be seamlessly combined into a single certificate for easier reporting. Discount-eligible policyholders can also easily filter for qualifying content, ensuring they maximize their benefits with minimal effort.

Insurance agents can view content and assignments for their clients as well as download activity logs and CME credits earned.

MagMutual's Learning Center currently offers more than 400 different resources focused on risk mitigation and risk management across healthcare specialties and practice settings. A study conducted by MagMutual of 35,796 providers found a strong correlation between the number of risk mitigation courses taken and medical malpractice losses. Specifically, for every course taken the reported loss costs decreased by 3.2%, on average.

MagMutual PolicyOwners and their agents can now access the Learning Center through MyMagmutual found at http://www.MagMutual.com.  

April 1, 2025 by matray

Leavitt Select Insurance Services has announced the hiring of Stewart Pierce, a seasoned insurance professional with more than 35 years of experience in the medical professional liability (MPL) insurance segment. Pierce is joining forces with fellow MPL veterans Steve Hammond and Toni Van Ekelenburg, both of whom he previously worked with at UMIA Insurance Inc., formerly known as Utah Medical Insurance Association. Together, their team brings decades of industry-leading experience to serve physicians, medical groups and hospitals throughout the U.S.

“We are thrilled to welcome Pierce to our team, and excited for the work that he, Hammond and Van Ekelenburg will be doing,” said Aaron Cottle, managing partner at Leavitt Select Insurance Services. “Their decades of experience in underwriting and policyholder relations, combined with their commitment to helping healthcare providers manage risk, will be a tremendous asset to our clients.”

April 1, 2025 by matray

EmPRO Insurance Co. has reported for the year ended Dec. 31, 2024, admitted assets of $571.8 million — an increase of 17.3% — with liabilities of $466.4 million, reserves of $349.7 million and a surplus of $105.4 million. EmPRO grew net income to $18.3 million on gross written premium of $190.2 million, while achieving a strong combined ratio of 87.9%.