Ohio: 3K Medical Professional Liability Claims Closed in 2011

A total of 3,094 medical professional liability claims were closed in 2011 in Ohio, according to data collected by the Ohio Department of Insurance from entities providing medical professional liability coverage to Ohio health care providers and health care facilities.

The ODI is required to prepare an annual report summarizing the closed claims on a statewide basis. Some key findings in the seventh annual Ohio Medical Professional Liability Closed Claim Report are:

• Total Closed Claims: A total of 3,094 closed claims were reported for 2011 by 101 entities. Authorized insurers reported the majority of the closed claims, 1,708. Self-insured entities reported 1,144 closed claims, surplus lines insurers reported 173 closed claims and risk retention groups reported 69 closed claims.
• Total Claims Reported: During the seven years since reporting started, total annual claims have steadily decreased from approximately 5,000 in 2005 to around 3,000 in each of the last four years.
• Indemnity Payments: A total of 76 percent, or 2,343, of closed claims resulted in no payment to a claimant while 24 percent, or 751, of the claims closed with an indemnity payment. For all seven years during the reporting period, approximately 77 percent of the claims closed without an indemnity payment.
• Closed Claim Expenses: While most medical malpractice claims closed with no payments to claimants, almost all closed claims generated expenses for investigation and defense. These expenses totaled $84,010,910, an average of $33,591 per closed claim.

The full report and past reports are available on the department’s website at www.insurance.ohio.gov/Legal/Reports/Pages/ReportsIndex.aspx.

Topics Claims Ohio Medical Professional Liability