The Malpractice Experience of Neurosurgeons 2014–2019: Patient Selection and Communication May Mitigate Risk of Claims (Abstract)
The Doctors Company conducted an analysis of medical malpractice claims against neurosurgeons that closed between the years of 2014 and 2019. This evaluation included 302 claims and lawsuits, and examined allegations, diagnoses, procedures, and contributing factors, as well as indemnities and expenses paid. The claims experience of neurosurgeon members of The Doctors Company was then benchmarked against a national sample of other neurosurgeons.
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February 24, 2024, Risk Management and Healthcare Policy
Analysis of Closed Claims Among All Medical Specialties: Importance of Communication and Other Non-Clinical Contributing Factors
Evaluation of contributing factors associated with medical malpractice claims provides important information to optimize the patient–provider relationship. This review of closed claims from The Doctors Company highlights common factors contributing to lawsuits and strategies to avoid them, with a particular focus on communication.
Sep 01, 2023
Industry and Company News
Announcements in the third quarter of 2023: an appointment to our Board of Governors, the passing of a co-founding board member, and the results of our 2022 Member Experience Survey.
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The Doctor’s Advocate
Chairman’s Letter to JAMA Editor
Letter to the editor of JAMA written by Dr. Richard E. Anderson, chairman of The Doctors Company Board of Governors, praising the critique of the IOM report on medical errors in the JAMA article by Clement J. McDonald, MD, et al., “Deaths Due to Medical Errors Are Exaggerated in IOM Report.”
The Doctors Company Names Megan Mahoney, MD, MBA, to Board of Governors
The Doctors Company, the nation’s largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer, is pleased to announce the appointment of Megan Mahoney, MD, MBA, to its Board of Governors. Dr. Mahoney is Chief of Staff for Stanford Health Care and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Professional Education
Delayed Diagnosis of Malignancy: Case Review for Advanced Practice Clinicians
In reviewing closed malpractice claims, The Doctors Company identified delayed diagnosis of a malignancy as a reoccurring problem. The following highlights the importance of recognizing a spinal abnormality and recommending further follow up of a lesion seen on imaging. Contributing factors include misinterpretation of radiologic studies, narrow diagnostic focus, lack of communication, and failure to establish a differential diagnosis.
January 27, 2022, Medscape
Medscape Radiologist Malpractice Report 2021
Peter Kolbert, JD, Senior Vice President of Claim and Litigation Services for Healthcare Risk Advisors, part of TDC Group, comments on the number of lawsuits resulting from COVID-19.
Survey Reveals Only 12 Percent of Physicians Likely to Recommend Medicine as a Career, Citing Misinformation and Lack of Trust
A new physician survey reveals a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of -52 for professional satisfaction, with only 12 percent of physicians recommending medicine as a career to others. The top reason: 64 percent of physicians named misinformation on social media as the most challenging part of practicing medicine.
March 19, 2025, AM Best
AM Best Comments on Credit Ratings of The Doctors Company Insurance Group Members Following Announced Acquisition of ProAssurance Corporation
AM Best has commented that the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICRs) of “a+” (Excellent) of the members of The Doctors Company Insurance Group (TDC Group) (Napa, CA) are unchanged following the March 19, 2025, announcement that TDC Group will acquire all outstanding shares of ProAssurance Corporation (PRA) (NYSE: PRA) (Birmingham, AL). The outlook of TDC Group’s Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.
October 01, 2023, National Council of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) Newsletter
Can Damage Caps Contain Social Inflation, Even as Medical Malpractice Verdicts Keep Increasing?
Elizabeth Healy, Vice President of Government and Community Relations, The Doctors Company, part of TDC Group, discusses the wide-ranging ripple effects of social inflation on the medical malpractice industry.