NJ-A.M.-BEST http://www.earthtimes.org/ OLDWICK, N.J. – (Business Wire) A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating to A- (Excellent) from B++ (Good) and issuer credit ratings to “a-â€? from “bbb+â€? of Physicians Insurance Mutual Group, which consists of Physicians Insurance A Mutual Company and its reinsured subsidiary, Western Professional Insurance Company. The outlook for the […]

By Charles Bankhead http://www.medpagetoday.com/ SEATTLE, April 22 — The general surgery workforce shrank by more than 25% between 1981 and 2005, potentially setting the stage for a severe shortage in the specialty, investigators here reported. The decline was steeper in urban areas (27%), but rural areas already had fewer general surgeons before a 21% decrease, Dana […]

By Halimah Abdullah http://www.macon.com/ Macon physician Harvey Jones makes less than $60,000 a year, drives a 14-year-old Cadillac and says continued cuts to Medicare reimbursements to physicians mean he is unable to afford medical insurance for himself or his employees. “All I do is pray. I try to take care of myself. I buy my […]

by The Times-Picayune http://www.nola.com/  The Louisiana Medical Mutual Insurance Company, a medical malpractice insurer, will pay a $10.5 million dividend to qualifying policyholders during the second quarter of 2008, LAMMICO President/CEO Thomas H. Grimstad, M.D. announced. This is the first time in LAMMICO’s 26-year history that the company will return a dividend to its policyholders. […]

Business Wire A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of ‘a-‘ of Ironshore Insurance Ltd. (Ironshore) and Ironshore Reinsurance Ltd (both of Bermuda). Concurrently, A.M. Best has affirmed the ICR of ‘bbb-‘ of Ironshore’s holding company, Ironshore Inc. (Cayman Islands). The outlook for these […]

By John Gardner http://www.postindependent.com/ GARFIELD COUNTY — The nursing shortage around the nation is a very real thing, according to Daniel Biggs, administrative director of human resources at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs. But the hospitals in Garfield County are better off than many. “I believe that the nursing shortage is a matter of […]

By Rianne Pangelinan-Brown http://www.saipantribune.com Medical malpractice insurance from reputable U.S.-based insurance companies is not readily available to the CNMI because the islands’ risk pool is too small, according to the Commonwealth Health Center’s litigation counsel, David Lochabay. “There aren’t enough doctors [on the islands] to spread the risk of malpractice claims for an insurance company […]

By Patty Pensa http://www.sun-sentinel.com/ It’s been nine years since Rita Wax’s son died on the operating room table, yet the lawsuit alleging malpractice continues. Wax hasn’t lost any resolve. She’s as convinced as she was on Day 1: Gary Wax shouldn’t have died. At age 37, he was healthy and the procedure, a hernia repair, […]

Civility Mutual http://www.earthtimes.org SANTA FE, N.M., April 15 /PRNewswire/ — Civility Mutual, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, launches today as the first and only membership organization to offer education, training and CMEs for physician – patient communication effectiveness, and provides residency directors with the educational tools and assessments their residents need to fulfill the […]