Average Medical Professional Liability Claim Payout Is $252.5K in Ohio

The Ohio Medical Professional Liability Closed Claim Report for 2008 shows a total of 3,080 medical professional liability claims were closed in 2008 by 93 insurance entities.

The average payment per closed claim was $252,522, according to the Ohio Insurance Department.

Data used for producing the report came from providers of medical professional liability insurance in Ohio. All entities that provide medical professional liability insurance in Ohio – including authorized insurers, surplus lines insurers, risk retention groups and self-insurers – are required to annually report closed claim data. Specific data is confidential and is not subject to public record requests.

Nearly 74 percent of medical malpractice closed claims resulted in no payment to a claimant. A total of 2,266 closed claims had no indemnity payments while 814, or 26 percent, closed with an indemnity payment. The total amount paid to claimants was $205,553,255.

While most medical malpractice claims closed with no payments to claimants, almost all closed claims generated expenses for investigation and defense. Such expenses totaled $112,678,455, with an average of $42,249 per closed claim.

The full report and reports from past years are available at www.insurance.ohio.gov.