Latest Medical Professional Liability Headlines

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

Van Gilder Adds Healthcare Practice

Sep 16 2008 // Denver-based Van Gilder Insurance Corp. has announced the creation of a new business unit to meet the risk management needs of the healthcare industry. The new unit will be called the Healthcare Specialty Business...

Washington Jury Awards $14.8M Dental Malpractice Verdict

Sep 2 2008 // A former cheerleader has been awarded $14.8 million by a Spokane County, Wash., Superior Court jury after a series of dental surgeries left her disabled and disfigured with her jaw fused shut.The jury decided that Dr....

West Virginia Malpractice Cases Rising

Aug 26 2008 // The West Virginia Medical Association says the number of medical malpractice lawsuits against West Virginia doctors and hospitals is going back up.But recent claims are still below the totals reported earlier this decade,...

South Dakota Neurosurgeon Loses 2 Malpractice Appeals

Aug 25 2008 // A Rapid City neurosurgeon who said he had been sued more than 30 times for malpractice lost two appeals on August 21 in the South Dakota Supreme Court.The court upheld a jury verdict awarding a woman nearly $552,000 in...

New York Freezes Malpractice Insurance Rates

Aug 25 2008 // Gov. David Paterson is freezing medical malpractice insurance rates for a year as he seeks a broader solution to high business costs doctors claim are driving them out of New York.The freeze heads off a scheduled surcharge...

Lawsuit Challenges South Dakota’s Malpractice Cap

Aug 25 2008 // A medical malpractice complaint filed this month in Sioux Falls seeks to challenge the constitutionality of South Dakota’s cap on non-economic damages.South Dakota limits the amount of such damages to $500,000. That...

New MPL Endorsements Create Opportunities for Agents

Aug 21 2008 // Miscellaneous Professional Liability Classes• Advertising agencies • Answering services• Audio/visual consultants• Business/management consultants• Communications/media/public...

Widow Awarded $8.5M in California Malpractice Case

Aug 12 2008 // A jury has awarded $8.5 million to the widow of a Modesto, Calif., man who died on the day a surgeon was going to discharge him from the hospital.Because of medical malpractice limits, 38-year-old Holly Stinnett likely...

ProMutual Cuts Malpractice Insurance Rates for Pennsylvania Doctors 6%

Jul 22 2008 // Malpractice insurer ProMutual Group recently announced a rate reduction for individual physicians and surgeons in the state of Pennsylvania. All individual professional liability policyholders will receive a 6 percent...

Judge Reduces Award to West Virginia Surgeon in Malpractice Insurance Case

Jul 14 2008 // A judge in West Virginia reduced by more than half a jury’s multimillion-dollar award to a Charleston surgeon whose hospital privileges were wrongfully revoked.A Kanawha County jury in February awarded Dr. R.E....

Mass. Allows Liquor Liability JUA to Expand as Hospitality Mutual

Jul 8 2008 // Massachusetts lawmakers have approved legislation converting the state’s liquor liability insurer of last resort into a competitive mutual insurance company offering liquor liability insurance to the entire...

West Virginia Mutual Insurance Co. Cuts Remaining Debt in Half

Jun 30 2008 // West Virginia Insurance Commissioner, Jane L. Cline, approved West Virginia Mutual Insurance Co.’s request to repay $8 million on an outstanding balance of the $16 million surplus note it owes the state.The state...

Insurers, Tech Firms, Consumers Agree on Electronic Health Record Rules

Jun 26 2008 // A major consumer group, insurers together with Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday they have agreed to standards intended to speed adoption of personal electronic health records.The electronic medical record...

Arizona Court Overturns Medical Malpractice Law on Expert Witnesses

Jun 20 2008 // An Arizona appellate court ruling says a state law on medical malpractice lawsuits is unconstitutional. At issue is a law that sets qualifications required for expert witnesses in medical malpractice cases. A three-judge...

U.S. Risk Offers In-Store Medical Clinic Coverage

Jun 17 2008 // U.S. Risk Inc., a subsidiary of U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. launched Quick Clinic, a new comprehensive insurance product for in-store medical Clinics.“Quick Clinic is designed to offer comprehensive and turn-key...

South Carolina Medical Association Launches Medical Liability Company

Jun 11 2008 // The South Carolina Medical Association launched its new subsidiary, the South Carolina Physician Assurance Co. The new insurance company will provide medical malpractice coverage to qualifying physicians who are members of...

Montana Doctor Settles Three Malpractice Lawsuits

Jun 11 2008 // A Billings, Mont., physician and anesthesiologist who treated patients with chronic pain has recently settled three medical malpractice lawsuits that claimed the doctor’s negligence resulted in death.Dr. David...

R.I. Heart Patient Wins $2 Million Malpractice Award

Jun 11 2008 // A Warwick man who claimed he suffered brain damage because he didn’t receive proper care during open heart surgery at Rhode Island Hospital has won a $2 million award from a Superior Court jury.With interest, the...

Nebraska Catholic Medical Liability Group Adds Staff

Jun 11 2008 // Preferred Professional Insurance Company (PPIC), an Omaha-based Catholic-owned medical liability insurance firm, recently announced two additions to its staff: Lyda H. Whiteside as account executive, and Lisa M. Wendell as...

Tenn. Restricts Medical Malpractice Suits

Jun 2 2008 // Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen signed into law a bill seeking to limit frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits by requiring experts to vouch for a case’s merits. The law will also require plaintiffs to give 60 days...