Dr. Samuel Smith, a psychiatrist in California, contacted me on a recent Monday in a bit of a rush. He was joining a new medical group the following week and they were trying to add him to their group’s medical malpractice insurance policy with their standard carrier. However, the medical malpractice carrier denied him coverage […]

Healthcare professional liability loss costs continue to rise, fueled by increasing claims severity, while claims frequency remains fairly stable, according to a just-released, 14th-annual study by Zurich North America. In the 2019 Benchmark Study of Healthcare Professional Liability Claims, Zurich draws data from the more than $16 billion in losses contained in its claims database […]

There are many reasons you want to work with an agent when seeking malpractice insurance, and some are certainly more important than others. I just worked with a hand surgeon in Miami, Fla., who recently went through a personal trauma. Mired in the trauma’s distraction, he didn’t pay attention to a “missed payment” correspondence from […]

Dr. Randall Floyd called me in a bit of a panic. An addiction medicine specialist in Anchorage, Alaska, he had put off securing a replacement medical malpractice insurance policy for almost a month past the expiration of his previous policy. The medical group he was employed with had changed their corporate structure where they were […]

I just got off the telephone with an Obstetrician/Gynecologist who practices in Philadelphia. I’m helping her shop her malpractice coverage and she — somewhat sheepishly — asked, “What exactly is the difference between claims-made and occurrence coverage, and which is best for me?” On the surface, this sounds like a simple question to answer, but […]

It’s six a.m., and the phone is already ringing. As I put down my coffee and pick-up the telephone, I hear a frantic voice on the other end that is too fast to understand. “Sir, sir,” I interjected, “please slow down as I can’t understand you.” The gentleman took a deep breath before saying, “Sorry, […]

A general surgeon in Savannah, Ga., recently called me in need of help with the high cost of tail coverage she was offered by her employer. She was leaving a group practice and moving out of state to take a new job. When she informed the group she was leaving, they told her she would […]

In July 2019, the Utah Supreme Court declared a portion of the state’s pre-litigation medical malpractice review panel process under the Utah Health Care Malpractice Act unconstitutional because it violates the separation of powers doctrine. The Utah Legislature passed the Health Care Malpractice Act in 1976 to curb the perceived cost increases in malpractice insurance […]

As someone who specializes in medical malpractice insurance, every day can be an exciting day as the worlds of medicine, insurance and the law all smash together — not to mention egos and hurt feelings. A great example is when I helped a company get its medical malpractice insurance in New Jersey. I had a […]