INDEMNITY AND EXPENSES
Insights From a Decade of Malpractice Claims
A CALL FOR ACTION
Coverys is a leading provider of medical professional liability insurance to help protect healthcare professionals. We are committed to providing data-driven insights to reduce claims and proactive risk management and education services to increase quality patient outcomes. Our services are designed to help clients reduce distractions to improve clinical, operational, and financial outcomes.
Insurance products provided by Medical Professional Mutual Insurance Company and its subsidiaries.
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MEDICAL LIABILTY INSURANCE • BUSINESS ANALYTICS • RISK MANAGEMENT • EDUCATION
WHY HAVEN'T WE MADE MORE progress?
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This review of 10 years of medical malpractice claims makes us ask an obvious question: Why haven’t we made more progress to improve patient safety? We continue to see high numbers of claims in largely the same areas. In some ways, this report is a call for urgency to make a greater—and more effective—investment in a safer healthcare delivery model.
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Despite lower claim rates, average indemnity and expenses are trending upward.
Average Indemnity Paid
Average Expense to Defend Claim
Patients continue to experience high-severity injury outcomes, and clinicians and organizations are seeing increasingly high financial payouts.
INJURY SEVERITY
% of Indemnity Paid
% of Events
Death
High-severity
Medium-severity
Low-severity
N = 11,907 events closed between 2010-2019 involving a physician.
23.8%
8.7%
42.4%
25.1%
37.5%
29.3%
31.1%
2.1%
Surgery/Procedure-Related
Diagnosis-Related
Medical Treatment
Medication-Related
Obstetrics-Related
N = 11,907 events closed between 2010-2019.
Closed with Indemnity Paid
Top 5 Allegation Types
Event Rate
Top 5 Allegation Types
of Indemnity Paid
59%
of Allegations
57%
Surgery/procedure and diagnosis-related allegations combined account for:
TOP ALLEGATIONS
Persistent risks that can lead to poor patient outcomes involve the interweaving of communication, process, and cognitive issues.
TOP RISK MANAGEMENT ISSUES - COMMUNICATION
Some good news!
Anesthesia Trends
Claims Rate per 100 Physicians
Average Indemnity Paid
Indemnity paid and expenses increased, but vary considerably year to year.
A focus on simulation training, human factors engineering, and evidence-based decision-making has resulted in improvements.
Insights From a Decade of Malpractice Claims
A CALL FOR ACTION
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Claims Rate: N = 9,935 physicians between 2010-2019.
Indemnity: N = 586 claims closed with indemnity paid between 2010-2019.
N = 1,413 events closed with a risk management issue between 2010-2019 (events may have more than one risk issue).
N = 20,111 events closed between 2010-2019 involving a physician.