Latest Medical Professional Liability Headlines
All the headlines from our Medical Professional Liability Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Evidence v. Emotion: How Medical Malpractice Screening Panels Work
Oct 12 2007 // Not all medical injuries are malpractice. “It’s not easy to tell a patient, ‘You have a harm but it’s not anybody’s fault,”‘ says Marilyn Ashcroft, a medical injury screening panel...
Maryland Malpractice Insurer Told Its $69 Million Dividend Belongs to State
Oct 9 2007 // Maryland’s largest medical malpractice insurer should return its entire $68.6 million dividend to the state, instead of the $32.5 million it has proposed as part of its exit from a subsidy program designed to lower...
News Currents
Oct 8 2007 // Ky. Gov. Fletcher wiling to compromise on medical tort reform In a blunt assessment, Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher told fellow doctors recently that chances of limiting pain-and-suffering damages in medical malpractice...
Fla. Releases Medical Malpractice Report, Favorable Trend Continues
Oct 3 2007 // A recent state-sponsored report showed a continuing trend of recovery for the Florida medical malpractice industry – an industry that experienced double-digit rate increases and lack of availability prior to the 2003...
Mo. Governor: 2006 Med Mal Report Shows Positive Results
Oct 2 2007 // The medical malpractice insurance market has stabilized following escalating medical malpractice costs that caused a downturn in the market from 1999 – 2003, according to the 2006 Medical Malpractice Report recently...
ISO Data Named Statistical Agent for Med Mal Insurance in Okla.
Sep 27 2007 // Oklahoma Commissioner of Insurance Kim Holland has designated ISO Data Inc. (ISO) as the statistical agent for medical malpractice insurance in her state, according to the commissioner’s amended Bulletin No. PC...
Ky. Gov. Proposes Compromise for Medical Malpractice Cases
Sep 25 2007 // In a blunt assessment to fellow doctors, Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher said Monday that chances of limiting pain-and-suffering damages in medical malpractice cases are bleak because of resistance from some state lawmakers....
Cutting doctors’ hours may not reduce medical errors, studies find
Sep 24 2007 // New 80-hour limit for medical residents may not be the best way to address doctor fatigue Cutting the grueling work hours of doctors-in-training had little effect on reducing patient deaths, according to two large...
La. Supreme Court: Lack of hospital evacuation plan not malpractice
Sep 24 2007 // The case concerned a “civil action against a private hospital for survival and wrongful death damages.” The Louisiana Supreme Court on Sept. 5 ruled that allegations that hospitals’ lack of evacuation...
Texas: 32 workers’ comp carriers high performing
Sep 24 2007 // In its initial assessment of workers’ compensation carriers and providers, the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation found that 32 out of 147 insurance carriers reviewed were high...
Cutting doctors’ hours may not reduce medical errors, studies find
Sep 24 2007 // Cutting the grueling work hours of doctors-in-training had little effect on reducing patient deaths, according to two large studies. Death rates dropped in one group of patients in veterans’ hospitals but not in...
Texas Medical Liability Insurer to Lower Rates Again
Sep 19 2007 // Medical professional liability insurer Medical Protective announced it will reduce its average rates for Texas physicians by another 7.3 percent effective Jan. 1, 2008. The company said the reduction will be the fifth in...
Dirigo Will Save Maine Health System $33 Million, State Estimates
Sep 19 2007 // The state’s Dirigo Health program will save the Maine health care system $32.8 million in its third year of operation, the Maine superintendent of insurance has ruled. In a 23-page report, Bureau of Insurance Acting...
Md. Insurer Says It No Longer Needs Malpractice Premium Subsidy
Sep 19 2007 // Maryland’s largest medical malpractice insurer plans to leave a state premium subsidy program and return some of the money it has received, saying it no longer needs the subsidy to stabilize premiums for doctors...
Texas Assesses Performance of Comp Carriers, Providers
Sep 17 2007 // The Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC) announced the results of the initial review of workers’ compensation insurance carriers and health care providers as part of the...
La. Court: Lack of Hospital Evacuation Plan not Malpractice
Sep 12 2007 // The Louisiana Supreme Court on Sept. 5 ruled that allegations that hospitals’ lack of evacuation plans led to injuries or deaths during Hurricane Katrina are not medical malpractice claims. Instead, such cases should...
OneBeacon Pro, Rockwood Step into E&S Podiatrist Malpractice Market
Sep 12 2007 // OneBeacon Professional Partners will begin offering medical malpractice coverage tailored for podiatric physicians. The product will be offered on an excess and surplus basis, with limits available up to $1 million/$3...
Texas Medical Liability Carrier Announces Rate Cut
Sep 7 2007 // Medical liability insurer Texas Medical Liability Trust (TMLT) recently approved a 6.5 percent rate reduction for all medical specialties and classes effective Jan. 1, 2008, the third straight rate reduction/dividend for...
Cutting Doctors’ Hours May Not Reduce Medical Errors, Studies Find
Sep 6 2007 // Cutting the grueling work hours of doctors-in-training had little effect on reducing patient deaths, according to two large studies. Death rates dropped in one group of patients in veterans’ hospitals but not in...
Ala. Supreme Court Reverses $3.85 Million Malpractice Verdict
Sep 5 2007 // The Alabama Supreme Court pointed to jury instruction error in reversing a $3.85 million award for a Jackson couple in a medical malpractice suit over the death of their 6-year-old son. The ruling allows a retrial in...
