Physicians Insurance/MedChoice is pleased to provide our quarterly enewsletter – The Physicians Report – dedicated to sharing practical insights, lessons learned, and key market trends to our members.

William Cotter, CEO

CEO MESSAGE
Healthcare has never been harder.

We understand that the pressures facing our Members—burnout, staffing shortages, the constant specter of mega-verdicts, the ongoing erosion of tort reform, and the criminalization of healthcare, to name a few—remain as challenging as ever. At Physicians Insurance/MedChoice, our whole focus is on diffusing these pressures and helping you mitigate your risk. 

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
New Challenges and the Erosion of Liability Reform

Legislative advocacy is essential to our purpose to protect, defend, and support our Members. We participate at both the national and state levels as a leading advocate in the judicial, legislative, and regulatory environment to ensure that Members’ concerns are heard by lawmakers on issues that impact medical professional liability. In the process, we fight efforts to remove long-established liability protections that erode the progress made by past reforms. Click through for a summary of our updates.

LIABILITY CONSIDERATIONS
Is Your Organization Ready for AI?

AI offers tantalizing benefits but also substantial risks for medical practices, hospitals, and payers. If your organization is considering adopting AI technology, it’s essential to lay the groundwork for success and reduce the risk of liability. Francisco Rodríguez-Campos, principal project officer for device evaluation at ECRI, recently provided leaders at Physician Insurance/MedChoice with critical insight on this crucial topic. 

TRIAL UPDATES 
Looking Ahead to 2023: Doubling Down on Winning Strategies

The COVID-19 pandemic threw the U.S. court system into disarray for months, but a “new normal” emerged in 2022, with all courts catching up on backlogs—some with remote-only hearings still. Last year, Physicians Insurance/MedChoice tried 10 cases across California, Oregon, and Washington, defending 20 Members. Our successes contributed to a win rate of more than 96% during the last 10 years.

RISK MANAGEMENT
Two Case Studies: Why Risk Assessments Are an Important Resource

As a care provider or facility leader, you want to know you’re doing everything you can to reduce risks and support the best possible outcomes for your patients. At Physicians Insurance/MedChoice, risk assessment is a value-added service that helps Members achieve this objective through an in-depth analysis from a supportive partner and advocate. The following case study features two separate Member facilities that participated in a risk assessment with impactful results. 

SPOTLIGHT ON EXPERTISE 
Anne Flitcroft and Risk Management Team's Personalized Approach

Anne Flitcroft, RN, BSN, Associate Vice President of Risk Management at Physicians Insurance/MedChoice, leads a team of risk consultants and content managers dedicated to helping Members reduce and mitigate risk by identifying and assessing ways to improve processes and implement best practices. The services that the risk-management team provides vary widely, from providing education, guidance, and consultation on daily questions via phone or email to offering proactive, comprehensive services like risk evaluations and more in-depth risk assessments.

UPCOMING EVENT - TRIAL TAKEAWAYS
You Be the Jury: An Inside Look at Preparing a Successful Trial Defense
April 20, 2023  |  12:00–1:30 p.m. PST

REGISTER NOW

Have you ever wondered what a trial looks like? How you and your care delivery would be represented? How your story would be told? Unfortunately, litigation is something that many physicians and healthcare professionals will face at some point in their career. What that means and how that experience may play out is important to understand, as is the support you can expect from Physicians Insurance/MedChoice. 

Join us for our next Trial Takeaways webinar as we work to demystify the litigation process leading up to and during a trial. During this 90-minute event, you will hear a formal statement of the facts surrounding a hypothetical, but common, medical negligence claim. You will hear Jeffrey Street and Tracy Hooper present mock opening arguments from both the plaintiff and defense perspectives, followed by discussion and an in-depth look at the strategies, tools, and preparation that can help ensure a successful trial defense. 

Learn more>

PRESENTERS:

Jeff Street, JD

Jeffrey Street, Co-managing Partner
Hodgkinson Street Mepham, LLC

Tracy Hooper, JD

Tracy A. Hooper, Partner
Hodgkinson Street Mepham, LLC

RESOURCE HUB

Risk Management Enrichment

Check out our newest guidance documents to help mitigate risk:
  • Guidance Document - Artificial Intelligence
  • Guidance Document - Closing or Leaving Your Practice
  • Guidance Document - Closing the Loop on Tests and Referrals

Search Resource Library>

Cyber Center

As a Member of Physicians Insurance/MedChoice, you have access to resources to help prepare, investigate, and respond to the cyber threats you face. Simply create an online account to access policies and procedures, sample forms, staff training, data breach trends, and more. You’ll find resources specific to the healthcare industry, such as: 
  • Healthcare risk assessment - examples of threat events
  • Healthcare risk management framework
  • HIPAA security policies and procedures
  • Data privacy and cybersecurity review
  • Data privacy risk assessment recommendations

Cyber Center Login Instructions>

Course Spotlight

This quarter, we highlight some well-received courses for you to search in our Education Library:
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Healthcare Employee (+CME)
  • Documentation: The Legal Side
  • Implementing a Quality Improvement System
  • Medical Error Prevention (+CME)
  • Minimizing Medical Error
  • Quality Series: Role of Risk Management

To access, simply sign in on our website and search the titles or filter the topics you desire. 

Search Education Library >

Welcome, New Members!

We look forward to sharing all our resources to help support you in the delivery of care. It is an honor to be of service to you. The following are just a few of our newest members:

  • Choice Healthcare Associates Inc. Hospitalist Group
    California
  • Legacy Health Bourbon County Hospital
    Kansas  
  • Kittitas County Public Hospital District #1 
    Washington

View the Full List>

Quarterly Quiz

When COVID-19 became a global pandemic in 2020 and masks were in short supply, what recommendation was made by N95 mask inventor Peter Tsai? 

Answer to last quarter's question>