June 15, 2026 by matray

The Iowa Supreme Court reversed dismissal of a medical malpractice lawsuit alleging failure to communicate a suspected kidney mass, holding that the plaintiff could rely on Iowa’s savings statute after voluntarily dismissing an earlier action with defective certificates of merit. 

Case: Trask v. Ahmed, No. 25-0671, 05/29/2026, published. 

Facts: A patient sought treatment at a hospital for abdominal pain in January 2018. Multiple medical professionals reviewed a CT scan that showed a suspected kidney mass, but none documented or communicated the finding to the patient or other medical staff. 

The patient was discharged without being informed of the mass. 

Several years later, an MRI revealed a kidney mass that was later confirmed to be cancer. The patient’s right kidney was removed. 

Procedural history: The plaintiff filed a medical malpractice action in September 2023 and submitted certificates of merit. 

After the Iowa Supreme Court clarified certificate-of-merit requirements in another case, the defendants moved for summary judgment, arguing the plaintiff’s certificates were defective. 

The plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the case without prejudice and filed a new lawsuit within six months, relying on Iowa’s savings statute. 

A district judge dismissed the second suit, finding the savings statute did not apply because the failure of the first action was not compelled and resulted from the plaintiff’s own negligence in prosecuting the case. 

Analysis: The Iowa Supreme Court said the savings statute applied. 

The court said the plaintiff’s failure to provide compliant certificates of merit was not due to negligence because the legal requirements were unsettled before the court’s later clarification. 

The court also said the plaintiff was not required to resist summary judgment with futile arguments before voluntarily dismissing and refiling. 

Accordingly, the court said the second action should not have been dismissed. 

Disposition: Reversed and remanded. 

To read the court’s decision, click here. 

June 8, 2026 by matray

June 4, 2026 by matray

The Doctors Company has been named to the 2026 Fortune Best Workplaces in the Bay Area list, earning recognition among the top employers headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Napa, Calif.-based insurer, the received the designation from Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work based on employee survey results. According to Great Place to Work, the rankings were compiled using more than 70,000 confidential employee survey responses from eligible companies representing approximately 7.3 million workers across the United States. Companies were evaluated on their ability to provide consistently positive workplace experiences and foster trust among employees and leadership.

"We're proud to be recognized on the 2026 Fortune Best Workplaces in the Bay Area list, especially because this honor is based entirely on direct employee feedback," said Rachel Nelson, MBA, CCP, senior vice president of human resources for The Doctors Company. "It reflects the strength of our culture and the consistency of the employee experience across our organization."

To qualify for consideration, organizations were required to be Great Place to Work Certified and headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Best Workplaces in the Bay Area rankings recognize companies that provide positive employee experiences regardless of role or status within the organization.

"What makes this placement especially meaningful is the culture our employees help create every day and the shared sense of purpose that connects our teams across the Bay Area and our other locations throughout the U.S.," said Deepika Srivastava, chief operating officer for The Doctors Company. "We're proud to foster an environment where employees feel supported, engaged, and connected to our mission of advancing, protecting, and rewarding the practice of good medicine."

June 1, 2026 by matray

Hudson Insurance Group (Hudson) announced the appointment of Beth Diamond as senior vice president and chief claims officer.

Diamond has more than two decades of specialty claims experience and most recently served as group chief claims and litigation officer at Beazley. During her tenure, she led high-performing, industry-renowned teams across multiple lines of business and held global leadership positions across complex claims and cyber & technology.

“I am extremely excited to have Beth join Hudson,” said Hudson president and CEO Christopher Gallagher. “More than a manager, Beth is an inspiring claims leader. She brings a wealth of experience building and leading teams and has been on the ground floor of how specialty insurance claims are managed. Her energy and ability to innovate exemplifies the values and ambition of our organization.”

Diamond will be based in New York. She holds a J.D. from Cornell Law School and a B.A. from Wellesley College.

May 29, 2026 by matray

At its Annual Meeting of Members on May 15, the Medical Professional Liability Association — the international organization representing the MPL insurance community — elected Natasha Anning, Mike Beckett and Edward G. Marley to serve three-year terms on the association’s board of directors.

Natasha Anning is the chief executive officer of the Medical Indemnity Protection Society, Ltd. (MIPS), where she leads strategy, governance and organizational performance across the medical indemnity and member services lifecycle. Anning brings more than a decade of executive leadership across insurance, medical indemnity and member-based organizations, with prior senior roles at TAL Australia, Suncorp and Ernst & Young. In 2025, she led the convening of the MPL Association International Conference - Thrive25 Adaptive Leadership in Medical Indemnity in Melbourne, Australia, on behalf of Australia's four medical defense organizations for the first time since 2011.

Mike Beckett is the president and CEO of MACM. With a background in healthcare liability insurance and extensive experience and leadership in the industry, Beckett is committed to providing sound, stable insurance products and quality related services to healthcare providers. Prior to joining MACM, Beckett has served in influential roles at State Farm, AIG, Nationwide and MagMutual.

Edward G. Marley is the president and CEO of the Mutual Insurance Company of Arizona (MICA), where he has served since 2011. Before being named CEO in 2022, he was MICA’s senior vice president and chief financial officer. Marley serves as vice chair of the Committee on Rating Agency Relations and on the Membership & Bylaws Committee for the MPL Association. Prior to joining MICA, Marley held financial leadership positions with The Doctors Company Group, SCPIE Holdings Inc. and CAMICO.

"We are pleased to add these leaders to the MPL Association Board of Directors. Each of them has demonstrated the ability to drive success in their respective organizations, and I have no doubt that same commitment will translate into positive results for the members and partners we serve,” said MPL Association president and CEO Eric R. Anderson. “I'm excited to work alongside them as we continue to build on the association’s strong foundation and position it for the future."

Also at the meeting, MPL Association members approved Lisa A. Calder, MD, CMPA; Andrew F.J. Firth, MIEC; Edward L. Rand, Jr., ProAssurance Corp.; and Gerald Zarlengo, MD, COPIC, to each serve an additional three-year term.

J. Michael Conerly, MD, LAMMICO, will continue to serve as the association’s board chair while Joseph G. Murphy, Coverys, will serve as vice chair, Rand will serve as secretary and Cheryl F. Matricciani, Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society of Maryland, will serve as treasurer.

May 26, 2026 by matray

The Doctors Company appointed emergency physician and healthcare innovation executive Akhil Saklecha, MD, and clinical research leader Owen Garrick, MD, to its Board of Governors.

The medical liability insurer said the appointments bring additional expertise in healthcare innovation, diagnostics, clinical research and executive leadership to the board as the company continues expanding its support for physicians and healthcare organizations.

“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Saklecha and Dr. Garrick to our Board of Governors,” said Richard E. Anderson, MD, chairman and CEO of The Doctors Company and TDC Group. “Their combined expertise across medicine, healthcare innovation, clinical research and executive leadership will strengthen our ability to deliver best imaginable service to the clinicians and healthcare institutions we serve, as we continue to advance, protect and reward the practice of good medicine.”

Saklecha is an emergency physician and healthcare executive with more than 30 years of experience spanning clinical care, diagnostics and healthcare investment. He currently serves as a managing director on WittKieffer’s Global Investor-Backed Markets team, advising healthcare and life sciences organizations.

Previously, Saklecha served as chief scientific officer for acute care at Danaher, overseeing science and technology strategy across its diagnostics businesses, and as managing director of Cleveland Clinic Ventures. He continues to practice part-time emergency medicine at Cleveland Clinic.

Garrick most recently served as dean of clinical trials at Mayo Clinic, where he led efforts to expand patient access to clinical trials. His prior executive roles included leadership positions at CVS Health, McKesson, Novartis and Merck, with responsibilities involving clinical development, regulatory science and healthcare operations.

Earlier in his career, Garrick also held positions at MetLife and Goldman Sachs.

The Doctors Company said its Board of Governors includes physicians, healthcare leaders and executives from health systems, technology companies, financial advisory firms and property and casualty insurers.

May 26, 2026 by matray

Eighteen attorneys at Saxton & Stump were recognized on the 2026 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists in Pennsylvania and South Carolina, with several honorees focused on healthcare and medical liability-related practices, according to a firm announcement.

Among the attorneys recognized for work tied to healthcare and medical liability defense was James W. Saxton, who was named to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list for the 16th year in Civil Litigation: Defense. Saxton is a member of the firm’s healthcare, healthcare litigation, medical device and technology, and risk management and quality assurance groups.

Steven D. Costello also was recognized on the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list in the category of Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense. Costello, a shareholder in the firm’s Malvern, Pa., office, previously was named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in America for Medical Malpractice – Defendants.

On the Rising Stars list, Amoreena L. Bua was recognized in the Health Care practice. Bua is an associate in the firm’s healthcare and senior care groups in Lancaster, Pa.

Coulter D. Ebbert was named to the Pennsylvania Rising Stars list for a third consecutive year in Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense. Ebbert also recently was named to Best Lawyers in America’s “Ones to Watch” list for Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants.

Harlan W. Glasser earned recognition on the Pennsylvania Rising Stars list in Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense. Based in Harrisburg, Pa., Glasser is part of the firm’s healthcare litigation group.

Lauren A. Green also was named a Pennsylvania Rising Star in Personal Injury Medical Malpractice: Defense. Green is part of the firm’s healthcare litigation and risk management and quality assurance groups and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America’s “Ones to Watch” list for Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants.

May 22, 2026 by matray

AM Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a” (Excellent) from “a-” (Excellent) of Healthcare Providers Insurance Co. and its reinsured affiliate, HPIC Risk Retention Group. Both companies are domiciled in Charleston, SC, and are members of Healthcare Providers Insurance Group. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) has been revised to stable from positive.

The ratings reflect HPIC’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

The rating upgrades reflect HPIC’s improved balance sheet strength fundamentals, driven by a stable investment portfolio that is driving consistent returns and consistently favorable reserve development. HPIC’s balance sheet strength is supported by the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). HPIC has generated solid surplus growth despite significant capital returns to members.

The stable outlooks reflect AM Best's expectation that the group will maintain its balance sheet assessment in the very strong range over the intermediate term with strong operating results contributing to surplus growth.

May 8, 2026 by matray

May 7, 2026 by matray

The board of directors of KAMMCO announced today a long-term leadership succession plan that will transition the medical professional liability insurer’s top leadership over the next several years.

Under the plan, president and chief executive officer Kurt Scott announced he intends to retire at the end of 2028 after nearly 40 years with the organization. The board unanimously selected Tucker Poling as Scott’s successor.

Effective immediately, Poling has been promoted to executive vice president and general counsel as part of the transition process.

Scott joined KAMMCO in 1989 and has helped lead the organization’s growth and mission over the past 36 years. In announcing the succession plan, he said the transition was designed to ensure continuity for the organization and the healthcare professionals it serves.

“This transition represents a positive and thoughtful step forward,” Scott said in a statement. “It will help ensure that KAMMCO continues to fulfill its mission for the next generation of healthcare professionals.”

Scott also said he plans to remain with KAMMCO in an advisory role for several years following his retirement.

Poling, who has been part of KAMMCO’s senior leadership team, will continue to work with the insurer’s claims department while taking on expanded executive responsibilities during the multi-year transition.

As part of the leadership changes, Courtney Cyzman joined the organization as vice president of claims, succeeding Poling in that role.

Before joining KAMMCO, Cyzman served in several positions with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, including general counsel. Most recently, she practiced with Logan, Logan & Watson, LC, where she focused on defending healthcare professionals and medical facilities in medical malpractice litigation and licensure matters, including representing KAMMCO insureds.

KAMMCO said the transition plan is intended to provide continuity and organizational stability for its members, staff and the healthcare professionals and organizations it serves across Kansas.