Professional Liability Insurance. Guided by one principle: Doing the right thing.

Transcription

1 Professional Liability Insurance Guided by one principle: Doing the right thing.

2 Our mission revolves around doctors, hospitals and patients. Not board rooms, stock prices and investo

3 Doing the right thing. In the context of a medical malpractice insurance company, we believe that means writing coverage for all specialties not just those that promise profitable returns with little risk. It means working with healthcare providers to ensure the best patient care and in so doing reduce risks in the care environment. Doing the right thing also means providing personal and comprehensive support to physicians in the often troubling, and sometimes devastating, event of a claim. It means providing vigorous defense against non-meritorious claims. Paying fair settlements and showing compassion to all parties involved when claims are deemed to be justified. And, finally, the promise to pay dividends through premium credits when surpluses warrant it. Clear mission, bedrock principle, stabilizing force. Make no mistake about it. Doing the right thing is the kind of bedrock principle that few companies can afford to live by. Certainly not those beholden to investors and financial markets. But Medical Mutual Insurance Company of Maine has been operating successfully by following this principle since its founding in That s because our mission is clear. We re here to serve the physicians, hospitals and specialty care providers of Northern New England year in, year out, regardless of market conditions. Indeed, as a dominant carrier that consistently writes coverage for all medical specialties and is actively involved in legislative initiatives that improve the practice environment, Medical Mutual is recognized as a stabilizing force that serves the entire medical community of the region. In the end, the question is, What s right for you? As a healthcare provider, you have a practice or a facility to run and protect. Which is why you ll want to read on. Because on the following pages you ll discover the advantages of having Medical Mutual serve you, personally, as your professional liability insurance carrier. rs.

4 Sometimes settling makes good business sense. But when the medicine was good, we believe it makes no sense. T here are definitely times when settling a case early figures to be less expensive than fighting it. It may also hold some appeal as a way to make a current and unsettling distraction simply go away. But sometimes settling is a temptation that needs to be resisted. Your reputation is simply too important to allow expediency, or an insurance company s view of good business sense, to dictate whether or not to defend any given claim. With Medical Mutual, you can expect a rigorous defense by local trial attorneys who not only specialize in medical malpractice, but have also developed a consistent track record of success on behalf of the doctors, hospitals and other providers we insure. Most important, if you ve met the standard of care, you can be sure Medical Mutual will be ready to fight to protect your reputation, even in instances where other companies accounting, so to speak, of the case might lead to a recommendation to settle based on economic considerations. The peer review difference. With most medical malpractice insurance companies, you can be sure that decisions related to whether you met the standard of care in a claim situation will be made by professionals insurance professionals, business people. With Medical Mutual, it is your peers, practicing physicians representing a wide range of specialties from all three Northern New England states, who will review any significant claim you may experience. Working on your behalf, their insight and experience will guide the claims team going forward. They understand the care environment. They know the standards of care. And they understand the value of a case when that standard is not met.

5 A record that speaks for itself. So what is the result when a claims committee comprised of practicing physicians directs a team of insurance and legal professionals in medical malpractice claims? For Medical Mutual, the record speaks for itself: 80% of claims close with no indemnity paid 90% success rate at trial It works for your peers. It will work for you, too. Compassion and the claims process. Whether it has merit or not, a malpractice claim can wreak havoc on your personal and professional life. With physicians playing such a critical role in the claims review process, nobody understands that better than Medical Mutual. That s why we provide constant communication with and feedback to you in the case of a claim to keep you informed of progress. And though you may never fully appreciate it unless and until you experience a suit yourself, the personal support you will receive through Medical Mutual s Litigation Support System is remarkable by any standard. Litigation support: It s a personal thing. With other carriers, face-to-face contact with your claims representative is, at best, rare. But should you be accused of malpractice, you ll find your Medical Mutual claims representative to be an engaged advisor and confidant. For instance, unlike most insurance companies, it is routine for Medical Mutual claims representatives to attend depositions and trials. This is just a single example of the level of personal service that clients often say not only demonstrates the Company s commitment to their cause, but also provides perspective and reassurance at a most critical and nerve-wracking time. Incident consultation: What to do when you don t know what to do. Early consultation is your best defense against potential claims. That s why we encourage you to contact us for advice concerning any incident you may experience. Whether it becomes a claim or not, you ll then have practical information and guidance to help you do the right thing going forward for your patient, for your practice, for your personal well-being.

6 To some companies, you re a risk, su With us, y

7 Have a significant claim with some malpractice insurance companies and chances are your policy will not be renewed. Because according to their underwriting rules, you no longer qualify to purchase coverage from them. With other carriers, the axe may fall before you even apply. Given what they sometimes call their risk appetite, certain medical specialties simply aren t on their menu of desirable clients. And history shows example after example of companies simply pulling out of entire markets when shortterm claims results pull profits down. Underwriting peer review: Ensuring coverage, ensuring care. With Medical Mutual, underwriting decisions regarding your practice or facility are made by your peers who look at all factors, including national data, local experience and the venues of any past cases. You will never be declined or dropped based on arbitrary underwriting rules. Slot, prior acts, excess umbrella options highlight innovative hospital, large group offerings. Because the scope and nature of risks associated with hospital care are so different from private physician practices, Medical Mutual offers coverages tailored to each hospital s unique needs. In situations where hospital-employed physicians, nurses or specialty care providers tend to come and go, many Medical Mutual hospital clients and even large groups choose an option that allows them to insure employee slots, rather than the individuals themselves. This eliminates the need to purchase a tail every time a slotted care provider moves on. Similarly, prior acts coverage for new hospital clients also provides significant savings by eliminating the need for costly tails. Plus, in most cases Medical Mutual can provide all the excess coverage a hospital needs whereas with other carriers, hospitals must often source such coverage independently in the excess market. bject to underwriting rules. ou re a partner in need of coverage.

8 You have the medicine part do Medical Mutu perfect the way you A ll too often, it s the operational and procedural details associated with the day-to-day practice of medicine not your diagnoses or recommended care regimens that can put you and your patients most at risk. At Medical Mutual, our philosophy is that best practices in your everyday operations produce the best patient care and reducing risks is the natural by-product of those efforts. To that end, our risk management mission is to provide education and make procedural and other recommendations to improve your system of patient care. Informal consultations: All in a day s work. You can always contact any member of the company s risk management team be it the field staff for the New Hampshire, Vermont or Northern Maine service areas, or the risk managers headquartered at our home office in Portland, Maine for informal consultation on any riskrelated issue. Plus, the Medical Mutual web site, offers a trove of risk management practice tips and related information for your access any time of the day or night. Formal programs: complimentary and comprehensive. To help improve the systems of your facility or practice, Medical Mutual offers the most comprehensive array of risk management programs of any carrier in Northern New England. All are free. And the savings can be significant a life, your reputation, and the anguish of being the subject of a lawsuit. Practice Surveys Office practice surveys focus on office tasks such as appointment management, telephone communications and test tracking, as well as the physical layout of the practice s operations. While these areas of focus have little to do with diagnosing illnesses, they are critical in the delivery of proper care. Indeed, physicians and practice managers often comment with thanks regarding the small, but important operational nuances the Medical Mutual risk managers identify. These areas of concern are all outlined in a written report that details specific recommendations for modifying systems and procedures. Hospital Risk Management: Our way of partnering with you. Risk management within hospital settings is a farreaching, ongoing and round-the-clock issue. Accordingly, Medical Mutual partners with its hospital clients to address risk management practices both proactively and as new issues arise. Hospital surveys typically focus on a specific department or service area and provide recommended actions for improving the patient care system and reducing risks in those areas. In-service Education Sometimes you face a risk management issue that does not warrant a practice or hospital survey, but is significant enough that various care providers or other employees within your operation need specific training. Medical Mutual has developed a number of short, in-service education seminars which can be conducted right in your facility to address such issues so that all who attend get the necessary detail to execute best practices in the area covered. In the final analysis, there s no guarantee against a lawsuit. But Medical Mutual s free risk management services help you and, just as important, the support structure your practice relies on, to minimize the risk of loss.

9 wn. al Risk Management helps you practice it.

10 Beyond insurance: Supporting the medical community through association involvem educational initiatives and political advocacy.

11 If it impacts the medical community, Medical Mutual is actively involved and advocating for even developing solutions that protect, preserve and enhance the practice environment in the states we serve. Association Involvement and Political Advocacy: Providing a voice, steering legislation Talk to the executive directors of the medical and hospital associations of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont and you will find out just how unique our partnership has been in supporting their missions and objectives. ent, Whether it s having a senior manager serve on a New Hampshire Senate subcommittee as the primary resource for educating legislators on the benefits of a pre-litigation panel system, participating in a debate with Vermont s trial attorneys over the need for effective tort reform or supporting the efforts of the Maine Coalition for Healthcare Access and Liability Reform, Medical Mutual is the only carrier whose dedication and support can always be counted on. And at the Federal level, our participation as a member of the Physicians Insurers Association of America helps provide our unified message before Congress. Do the right thing. Call for your membership application today. For more information, or to obtain your professional liability insurance quote from Medical Mutual, visit our web site, or call us toll-free at (800)

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