CAP Physicians Insurance Agency Appointed to The Hanover Insurance Group’s President’s Club
May 10, 2019
by
matray
The Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc. (CAP) today announced that CAP Physicians
Insurance Agency, Inc. (CAP Agency), a wholly owned subsidiary of CAP, has been appointed to The Hanover Insurance Group’s President’s Club, which recognizes elite independent insurance agencies from across the country. Agencies named to the company’s President’s Club are recognized for delivering outstanding value to their customers through insurance expertise and responsive service.
“This is recognition of the value we place on providing specialized and innovative insurance solutions that meet the unique needs of our physician members,” says CAP Agency president and CEO Deidri Hoppe. “Being selected for the Hanover Insurance Group’s President’s Club is proof that we’re creating true value for our members and delivering the sort of outstanding service on which CAP prides itself.”
CAP Agency was formally recognized for its inclusion in the company’s President’s Club at a national business conference in Bluffton, S.C., and is one of only 120 independent agencies recognized with the distinction.
CAP members receive access to CAP Agency, which serves as a dedicated insurance agency offering free advice and consulting on a wide range of insurance products beyond medical malpractice coverage, including life insurance, group disability and cyber risk protection. CAP Agency provides members with competitively priced insurance products for purchase from carriers rated “A” (Excellent) or better by A.M. Best, all through one source.
Hub International Limited Acquires Assets of RIMS Insurance Brokerage Corporation
May 9, 2019
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matray
Hub International Limited (Hub) has acquired the assets of RIMS Insurance Brokerage Corp. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Located in Providence, R.I., RIMS Insurance Brokerage Corp., has offered medical professional liability insurance as well as life, health, disability, worker’s compensation, business owner’s insurance and other coverages since 1988. Its focus on the healthcare industry supports Hub’s Specialty practices by complementing and strengthening Hub’s existing capabilities.
Robert Anderson, president of RIMS Insurance Brokerage Corp., will join Hub New England and will report to Daniel Nissi, president, Healthcare Specialty Practice, Hub New England.
“We are thrilled to have Bob of RIMS Insurance Brokerage Corporation join the Hub Healthcare team, and expand our expertise and services to medical practices and healthcare facilities in Rhode Island,” said Shawn McLaughlin, Hub’s national healthcare specialty practice leader.
The Doctors Company, UCSF Launch Novel Collaboration to Advance Patient Safety in the Digital Era
May 7, 2019
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matray
The Doctors Company and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a top-ranked health system and medical school, today launched a new partnership at the intersection of
digital medicine and patient safety. The Doctors Company’s commitment to advancing the practice of good medicine will be expanded through a $1 million collaboration that will enable leading UCSF researchers in evidence-based patient safety practices, safety and information technology–related policy, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) to pursue cutting-edge questions.
Widespread digitization of the healthcare system over the past decade — including electronic health records (EHRs), apps and sensors — offers new ways to study and address traditional patient safety challenges such as diagnostic and medication errors. There also are new challenges that stem directly from these emerging digital capabilities, including how to integrate AI tools into front-line care, mitigate alert fatigue, share data with patients, preserve the physician-patient relationship with increasing use of technology in the exam room and asynchronous communication tools, avoid physician burnout related to suboptimal EHR usability and performance and ensure cybersecurity.
The Doctors Company–UCSF collaboration will maximize the strengths of both organizations to make substantive advances in patient safety and digital health through novel research and engagement — with the goal of safer care. According to Richard E. Anderson, MD, FACP, chairman and chief executive officer of The Doctors Company, ”We are proud to partner with a world-class institution like UCSF in a mission-based collaboration that has the power to improve medical outcomes in the transformative sphere of digital healthcare.”
The UCSF team is led by two accomplished researchers — Julia Adler-Milstein, PhD, associate professor of medicine, and Urmimala Sarkar, MD, associate professor of medicine — who bring complementary expertise to the partnership.
“The primary goal of the partnership is to discover and disseminate new insights into risk mitigation strategies and patient safety by connecting top-tier UCSF researchers and unique resources and expertise from The Doctors Company,” Adler-Milstein said. “It is a rare and exciting opportunity to have two such organizations come together to jointly advance such an important area.”
Sarkar is specifically excited about “the valuable opportunity to learn more about errors in diagnosis for outpatient physicians across a range of practice settings, and to find creative ways to improve medical practice.”
Robert Wachter, MD, chair of UCSF’s Department of Medicine and a member of The Doctors Company’s Board of Governors, has championed this collaboration.
“The Doctors Company insures 82,000 physicians in the U.S. and has a rare window into the causes of medical errors and strategies to mitigate them,” Wachter said. “By leveraging UCSF’s world-class research community, we believe that we can develop new insights into safety hazards and strategies to keep patients safe.”
Oklahoma Supreme Court Overturns $350k Damage Cap
May 6, 2019
by
matray
In a 5-3 opinion released on April 23, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the state’s $350,000 cap on recoverable non-economic damages is unconstitutional.
According to the majority opinion in Beason v. I.E. Miller Services, Inc., the Court found the noneconomic damage cap to be an unconstitutional “special law” because it limited damages for only those who survive an accident and bring a civil lawsuit. The law did not limit damages for wrongful death lawsuits brought on behalf of the estates of persons killed in accidents. A statute is a “special law” when part of an entire class of similarly affected persons is segregated and targeted for different treatment and is prohibited by Article 5, Section 46 of the Oklahoma Constitution.
“The failing of the statute is that it purports to limit recovery for pain and suffering in cases where the plaintiff survives the injury-causing event, while persons who die from the injury-causing event face no such limitation,” Justice John Reif wrote in the majority opinion.
The Justices noted that the Oklahoma Constitution explicitly forbids any limitation on the amount of recoverable damages for injuries resulting in death.
“By forbidding limits on recovery for injuries resulting in death, the people have left it to juries to determine the amount of compensation for pain and suffering in such cases, and no good reason exists for the Legislature to provide a different rule for the same detriment simply because the victim survives the harm-causing event,” according to the opinion. “And the people have demonstrated their intent that the Legislature not discriminate in this way by expressly prohibiting the Legislature from enacting special laws.”
The decision involved a lawsuit filed by a worker whose left arm was amputated following an accident at an oil well. An Oklahoma County jury awarded James Beason and his wife a total of $15 million, including $6 million for pain and suffering. A judge reduced the jury award on noneconomic damages to $700,000 — $350,000 for each of the Beasons — in order to comply with the law.
Upon striking down the damage cap law, the Supreme Court remanded the case back to the trial judge with instructions to enter judgment in the full amount of the jury’s verdict.
World Insurance Associates Acquires MPLI Agency the Joseph A. Britton Agency
May 2, 2019
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matray
World Insurance Associates LLC, an independent insurance agency headquartered in Tinton Falls, N.J., acquired the Joseph A. Britton Agency, Inc. of Mountainside, N.J., on April 1, 2019.
The Joseph A. Britton Agency is a healthcare and professional liability insurance agency that services the needs of healthcare practices in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Since 1968, the agency has helped physicians, medical groups and healthcare facilities easily compare medical malpractice or business insurance quotes to get the coverage that meets their exact needs, even as those needs change.
“We’re thrilled to continue to grow our offerings for the healthcare industry,” said Rich Eknoian, CEO and co-founder of World Insurance Associates LLC. “The Joseph A. Britton Agency brings valuable knowledge and expertise to our organization.”
“It is a great honor and privilege for the Joseph A. Britton Agency to become an integral part of World Insurance Associates,” said Craig Skerpac, president of the Joseph A. Britton Agency. “World Insurance Associates provides our clients with a broad array of commercial and personal lines solutions. We look forward to a long alliance, protecting individuals, families and businesses."
World Insurance Associates LLC is an independent insurance agency headquartered in Tinton Falls, N.J. It offers personal and business insurance solutions in 50 states. The company specializes in transportation, hospitality, self-storage facilities, construction (surety), manufacturers and law firms.
American Association for Physician Leadership Acquires Greenbranch Publishing
May 2, 2019
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matray
The American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL), an organization dedicated to lifelong professional growth and support of physicians in healthcare leadership and
management, announced today the acquisition of Greenbranch Publishing, based in Baltimore County, Md. Among the Greenbranch assets that AAPL will acquire as part of the acquisition include the publisher’s flagship publication, The Journal of Medical Practice Management, eBooks, audio books, podcasts and 30 authors.
“The acquisition of Greenbranch Publishing represents a powerful opportunity to significantly expand our educational content for physicians and healthcare leaders,” said Peter Angood, MD, president and CEO of the AAPL. “Building on the success of our own PLJ-Physician Leadership Journal, and Greenbranch Publishing’s The Journal of Medical Practice Management, today’s announcement is another solid step in our journey to bolster the Association’s content. Greenbranch Publishing is the perfect partner to help us in our goal to empower physicians as leaders, to revolutionize medical practice and better serve the public health.”
Nancy Collins, who founded Greenbranch Publishing in 1999, will join the association’s leadership team as vice president of content procurement and distribution. Collins first entered publishing as an educational sales representative for Appleton-Century-Croft, a division of Prentice-Hall, in 1980. Five years later, Collins joined the Williams & Wilkins (W&W) editorial team, acquiring books in psychiatry and the sub-specialties of internal medicine. In 1987 Collins was recruited to the journal division of W&W as director of marketing. Eventually she became a vice president and publisher, heading up the proprietary unit, which included oversight over periodicals, newsletters and continuing medical education products. Following a merger that resulted in the newly formed company of Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Collins left the organization in 1998 to launch Greenbranch Publishing. In 1999 she acquired the company's flagship publication, The Journal of Medical Practice Management, which served as the foundation for the media company that specialized in the business of medical practice, compliance, patient safety and physician career issues.
“We are thrilled to join forces with the American Association for Physician Leadership,” Collins said. “We are impressed with the society’s commitment to the life-long education of physicians, and they understand that original content is a crucial complement to any educational environment. The AAPL’s focus on quality and serving the information needs of their physician-members is compatible with the tradition of Greenbranch Publishing’s editorial excellence. Leveraging the Association’s technology to add content to their well-rounded platform of member benefits will enormously increase the opportunity for growth in 2019.”
“Nancy is a career medical publisher and an industry leader in developing well-loved brands, both in print and online,” Angood said. “We’re excited to work with Nancy and Greenbranch as we combine our energies to serve a broad range of physicians and healthcare leaders, at all points of their careers, with industry-leading educational content.”
MPL Association Names Recipients of MPL Industry Defender Award
May 1, 2019
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matray
The Medical Professional Liability (MPL) Association announced its intent to award Bertie Leigh, Esq., and Dan McLamb, Esq., with its “MPL Industry Defender Award.” The presentation is being held on Thursday, May 16, at the MPL Association Conference in Portland, Ore. Leigh and McLamb are being recognized for their exceptional support of the medical professional liability industry. The MPL Association is the international association representing a full range of organizations providing professional liability coverage for physicians, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and the wide array of medical clinicians and facilities.
Currently a Consultant Solicitor to Hempsons, a United Kingdom law firm, Leigh has conducted many of the leading cases in clinical negligence and regulatory law in the U.K. during the past 30 years, specializing in clinical negligence, professional regulation and training, National Health Service administration and employment. He served as president of the Medico-Legal Society, 2006-2008, was chair of the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) from 2009-2015 and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health as well as a Fellow ad eundem of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Leigh has contributed to Dewhurst’s Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Rennie and Roberton’s Neonatology, and Hardman et al Consent to Anaesthesia.
McLamb is a founding partner of Yates, McLamb & Weyher, LLP, a North Carolina-based firm. Recognized as one of the top professional liability defense litigators in North Carolina, his practice is focused on commercial litigation and professional liability defense. He represents businesses, physicians, hospitals and attorneys throughout North Carolina, and has spoken at numerous litigation and professionalism seminars as well as to healthcare providers on medical/legal issues. McLamb is a member of the American, North Carolina and Wake County Bar Associations, the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys and the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Society of Barristers, and the International Association of Trial Attorneys. In 2014, McLamb was named “Lawyer of the Year” for Raleigh in the category “Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants” by Best Lawyers and U.S. News & World Report.
“We are honored to recognize the significant achievements of these two legal practitioners,” said Brian K. Atchinson, president and CEO, MPL Association. “We are grateful for the steadfast work of Mr. Leigh and Mr. McLamb for many years representing physicians, other clinicians and institutions that provide patient care and treatment. On behalf of our members and those they insure, the MPL Association is pleased to honor the work of Bertie Leigh and Dan McLamb.”
Quality Health Outcome Leaders to Speak at MPL Association Conference in Portland, Ore. — May 15-17
April 30, 2019
by
matray
The MPL Association, the association representing the medical professional liability (MPL) community, today issued a reminder that its annual Conference will feature two of the leading voices on healthcare quality ratings: Leah Binder, president and chief executive officer, The Leapfrog Group, and Ben Harder, managing editor and chief, health analysis, U.S. News & World Report. They will present an interactive session on the impact of quality measures and will focus on the methods to rate and report on quality, safety, patient satisfaction and cost.
Binder and Harder will discuss the current and future uses of healthcare ratings, the key challenges in selecting the most appropriate metrics and what rating organizations have learned about consumer expectations for healthcare.
“These national thought leaders will provide key insights into the critical issues for those involved with managing risk and patient safety in the healthcare and medical liability community,” said Brian K. Atchinson, MPL Association president and CEO. “We are pleased to invite anyone with an interest in risk management and patient safety to the 2019 MPL Association Conference.”
The Conference, which is open to both MPL Association members and non-members, will be held May 15-17 at the Marriott Portland Waterfront in Portland, Wash.
The keynote speaker for the Conference is Kevin M. Kennedy, principal, ECG Management Consultants, who will explore disruptive forces in healthcare. He Kennedy will share his perspective on what these changes might mean, lessons from other industries, and how physicians and hospitals should respond.
Other topics to be explored during the two-day event include the changing face of enterprise risk management and the tools that drive performance and mitigate risk; the liability and risk implications of precision medicine; the impact of catastrophic cases; and much more.
For more information about the 2019 MPL Association Conference, or to register online, visit the MPL Association website at www.MPLassociation.org.
Register Now for ACI’s 18th Advanced Forum on Obstetric Malpractice Claims
April 25, 2019
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matray
Now in its 18th installment, American Conference Institute’s (ACI) Obstetric Malpractice Claims forum is back.
A fully revamped agenda will include discussions on the latest developments with the cranial compression ischemic encephalopathy argument, the plaintiff and defense’s perspective on mother and child genetic testing, timing of an injury, opioid-related injuries, reducing maternal morbidity/mortality, the defense and plaintiff’s perspective on early settlement of BI cases and more.
Join the faculty of the top plaintiffs and defense attorneys as well as medical and insurance experts as they share their insights on some of the most complex legal and medical challenges in this arena.
Obstetric malpractice claims are among the most expensive within the medical malpractice and health law arena. Jury verdicts can reach hundreds of millions of dollars. Constantly evolving advances in medical technology lead to new standards of care. As a result, it is essential that all those who are part of the obstetric malpractice continuum — medical professionals, risk managers, insurance professionals, plaintiffs’ and defense attorneys — stay current on the latest developments and claims impacting this area of practice.
Register by May 10th and Save $200!
As a Medical Liability Monitor reader, you are entitled to an additional 10% off registration with discount code: D10-673-673CX01
For more information on, or to register for, the Forum, visit:
https://www.americanconference.com/advanced-forum-obstetric-malpractice-claims/
Gloria Everett to Receive 2019 MPL Association Award of Excellence in Honor of Peter Sweetland
April 25, 2019
by
matray
The Medical Professional Liability (MPL) Association will recognize Gloria Everett, president and CEO of The Mutual, as the recipient of the 2019 Award of Excellence in Honor of Peter
Sweetland. The award will be presented on Thursday, May 16, at the 2019 MPL Association Conference in Portland, Ore. Everett is being honored for her singular contributions and longtime dedication to the MPL insurance community, the MPL Association and healthcare professionals. The MPL Association is the international organization representing the medical professional liability insurance community.
Everett, president and CEO of The Mutual, is an insurance executive who has spent more than 30 years representing the interests of the medical professional liability community through her leadership in the industry. She attended her first MPL Association (formerly, PIAA) meeting in 1987, where she had the honor and privilege of meeting Peter Sweetland. For decades she has championed the heart and soul of the industry to advocate, educate and defend physicians and the healthcare team to improve access to quality healthcare across the country.
In 2017 Everett completed a nine-year term on the MPL Association Board of Directors, as a member and also as its first chairwoman. She served on the CEO & COO Section, Leadership Camp Section and the Strategic Planning Committees.
As the president and CEO of The Mutual for the past 17 years, she has also served on numerous boards, including Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation; National Risk Retention Association; and the University of California, Berkeley Equity & Inclusion Advisory Board. Everett currently serves on the Pacific University Board of Trustees.
“Gloria Everett is a tenacious pathfinder. She was the first woman chair of the then PIAA, she initiated a Board Assessment which masterfully guided the association to expanding its value proposition across the industry, she brought consensus about our future while still honoring the history of our mission. Her seminal work laid the platform for long-term success of the now MPL Association,” said Mary-Lou Misrahy, ARM, chair of the MPL Association, and president and CEO of Physicians Insurance A Mutual Company. “Her work in support of physicians, other healthcare professionals and the MPL community has been exceptional. We are honored to present her with our highest award and thank her for her dedication and commitment.”
“We are extremely pleased to honor Gloria for her extraordinary dedication and commitment to the physician community and this Association,” said Brian K. Atchinson, president and CEO of the MPL Association. “We commend Gloria for her remarkable commitment of time and energy for many years in support of this organization and its members.”
The MPL Association Award of Excellence in Honor of Peter Sweetland, established in 1993 by MPL Association’s Board of Directors, was created in honor of the late Peter Sweetland, one of the MPL Association’s (then, PIAA) chief architects and most fervent supporters. The award recognizes an individual who has provided exemplary service to the industry and to the MPL Association, and who epitomizes the high ideals and ethics for which Peter Sweetland stood.