Archive for December, 2011

Medical Malpractice Premiums: Finance or Pay in Full?

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011 by Administrator

As a physician you may wonder if it is a good idea to finance your medical malpractice insurance premiums.  For some, the benefits of cash flow throughout the year outweigh the finance charges that are applied for monthly or quarterly payments.  Of course, you will want to find out how much it will cost you to spread the premiums out into payments before making a decision.  Also, compare the percentage rate charged by the insurance company to that of your own bank, line of credit, or a finance company specializing in insurance premium financing.   In some areas we are seeing free premium financing through the MedMal insurance companies — so in some cases quarterly and even monthly payments cost no more than paying in full. 

Having said that, it has been our experience that many physicians and groups pay the entire premium for medical malpractice insurance in one lump payment at the end of the year to get the benefit of the tax deduction for that year.  This can be a huge help when tax time rolls around in April.  Make sure you check with your tax accountant and a financial advisor to get in help in making this important decision.

The Keane Insurance Group offers medical professional liability insurance for any state and any specialty.  Contact us for more information.

Missouri Medical Malpractice Insurance Summary

Friday, December 2nd, 2011 by Administrator

The Missouri Department of Insurance has released its 2010 Missouri Medical Malpractice Insurance Report, which is available here.    The MO Dept. of Insurance has collected data on Missouri medical malpractice claims for more than 30 years.  This is important data for physicians, hospitals, and insurance companies because it shows how claim frequency and severity fluctuates from year to year. 

The 2010 report shows that the number of malpractice claims in MO has trended downward substantially since 2005.  The number of claims in ‘05 was 3,216 and was down to 1,708 in 2010.  Not only were the number of claims down, but the amount of average payments declined to $200,765 down from the highest average of over $250,000 in ‘05. 

The declining number of malpractice claims in the state has created a climate that is favorable for medical malpractice insurance companies as well as hospitals and physicians.  The rates for medical malpractice insurance in Missouri are very competitive.  Physicians are paying lower premiums as a result of the stable environment, and most physicians see Missouri as good place to practice medicine.