Latest Medical Professional Liability Headlines

All the headlines from our Medical Professional Liability Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Ohio Justices: Doctor’s Apology not Evidence of Malpractice

May 6 2013 // Sympathetic statements by a doctor over a patient’s unexpected medical outcome can’t be admitted as evidence in medical malpractice cases filed after the date a law intended to outlaw their use went into effect...

Florida Lawmakers Approve Medical Malpractice Reform

May 3 2013 // In a victory for medical malpractice insurers and physicians, Florida lawmakers have approved a series of tort reforms that among other things will require expert witnesses testifying against physicians in a malpractice...

Debate Stalls on Missouri Malpractice Liability Limits Legislation

May 2 2013 // An effort to reinstate Missouri’s cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits stumbled on April 30 in the state Senate.Senators discussed the legislation for about eight hours and worked into night but...

Florida Medical Malpractice Bill Fate Uncertain

May 2 2013 // The Florida House this took up a bill that critics say would make it harder to pursue medical malpractice claims.But the bill also had fallen victim to a tactic by Democrats upset that the House Republican leadership...

Highmark Closes $604M Buyout of West Penn Allegheny Bondholders

Apr 29 2013 // Insurer Highmark Inc. on Monday completed a $604.2 million bondholder buyout of troubled West Penn Allegheny Health System at 87.5 cents on the dollar.The buyout, in which Highmark acquired just over 85 percent of the...

CompWest, Phoenix Risk Management to Offer WC for California Healthcare Workers

Apr 26 2013 // The steady rise in employment in the health care industry over the last six years, as jobs in most other fields disappeared, has created an opportunity for expansion for Accident Fund Holdings, Inc. in the health care area...

ACE, Trust Risk Management Launch Small Healthcare Provider Program

Apr 26 2013 // ACE USA’s Medical Risk Group has expanded its relationship with Trust Risk Management Services, Inc. (TRMS) to offer an admitted professional and general liability policy designed to provide insurance protection to a...

Ohio Justices: Doctor’s Apology not Evidence of Malpractice

Apr 25 2013 // Sympathetic statements by a doctor over a patient’s unexpected medical outcome can’t be admitted as evidence in medical malpractice cases filed after the date a law intended to outlaw their use went into effect...

Family Sues Idaho Hospital Over Father’s Death

Apr 23 2013 // James Dorsey led a full and active life, his final years spent helping care for his grandchildren and enjoying big family dinners.The 70-year-old died Sept. 12, 2011 at Complex Care of Idaho in Meridian. His family...

Massive Overhaul of West Virginia Health System Urged

Apr 22 2013 // Few states spend as much on health care as West Virginia, but you wouldn’t know it from the results.That has a new study urging major changes, both for health services generally and the government agency that helps...

Georgia Jury Awards Family $17M for Hospital Malpractice

Apr 19 2013 // A DeKalb County family has been awarded more than $17 million in after a jury found a physician’s assistant liable for causing a man’s brain injury. Sheriod Merritt was hit by a stray bullet in a shooting and...

New York Family Awarded $130M in Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

Apr 19 2013 // A Long Island, N.Y., family has been awarded $130 million in a malpractice lawsuit.The parents of Shannon Reilly of Bayport had sued St. Charles Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Port Jefferson. They claimed her...

Florida Hurricane Cat Fund Reform in Jeopardy

Apr 19 2013 // Plans to reform Florida’s state-backed reinsurance facility with proponents scaling back their proposals.The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund has been the subject of legislative reform efforts for several years as...

Florida Senate Passes Bill on Medical Malpractice Expert Witnesses

Apr 15 2013 // The Florida Senate is making it harder to pursue medical malpractice claims. The Senate last week voted 27-12 for the bill and sent it to the House.The legislation (SB 1792) requires that expert witnesses called against a...

ACE Expands PL Insurance Products to Address Hospital, Physician Integration

Apr 15 2013 // ACE USA’s Medical Risk Group has introduced a range of physician professional liability insurance products and coverage options in support of hospitals and healthcare facilities for their employed physicians, and...

Conn.-Based Medical Liability Insurer CMIC Appoints Director of Claims

Apr 11 2013 // CMIC, a Glastonbury, Conn.-based carrier offering medical professional liability insurance in New England, announced Kevin Bresnahan has joined the company as director of claims. Bresnahan brings 20 years of experience to...

Florida Justices Face Another PIP Conundrum: Medical Fees

Apr 8 2013 // Florida’s high court is poised to decide how much money insurers owe some medical providers in cases where an auto policy does not specifically state that the fees will be based on a fee schedule approved by state...

Tailor-Made Policies Provide Good Options for Medical and Professional Liability Market

Apr 8 2013 // Is coverage “tailor-made” for emerging industries the future of professional liability insurance? Traditional professional liability, which has typically served lawyers, accountants and doctors, isn’t...

How Obamacare Could Affect P/C Insurance

Apr 8 2013 // Key changes in federal health care reform remain months away, but property/casualty actuaries are already trying to determine what impact they will have on their business, particularly workers’ compensation and...

How to Navigate Addiction Rehabilitation Facilities Through Healthcare Reform

Apr 8 2013 // The medical community’s recognition of addiction as a disease has changed the way providers diagnose and treat the condition. As a result, facilities like alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers have had to expand...