Orthopedic Surgeon Medical Malpractice Insurance

The Doctors Company has been working hard to design coverage and discount premiums for medical malpractice insurance for orthopedic surgeons since the company's origins. Also called orthopedics, this is a surgical medical specialty that combines compassionate primary care diagnosis and family doctor with serious trauma injuries requiring major surgical skill.

In ‘Wikipedia’ (the current source of many definitions): Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.

According to the data collected by actuarial firms as well as the results of The Doctors Company’s 76,000 physicians, surgical procedures present an increased risk for claims. If you are practicing in states without tort reform and, high wage earning jurisdictions (such as New York or Florida), the claims amounts, the demands and settlements can drive premiums high. In states where the courts recognize defenses, cost of living demands are not as high in the claim process, tort reforms are solidly in place, the premiums are much lower.

Across the nation, however, due to the varying exposures, procedures and necessary risky surgeries, Orthopedic Surgery medical malpractice insurance premiums are an expensive cost of doing business.

Mentioned earlier in the rating process is Spine Surgery. There are different Orthopedic medical malpractice insurance risk categories, No surgery, Spinal Surgery, Conventional Primary Surgery that are filed with the States Department of Insurance.

These rates are somewhat consistent with the American Board of Medical Specialties. Further refined by The Doctors Company underwriting team, breaking down the medical malpractice for orthopedic surgeons insurance premiums not only by specialty procedures within the specialty, but further according to county ratings be it in California or other states.

The premium change from full time surgeon to part time office based is gradual as medical malpractice insurance is rated by looking through the retro'scope'. The procedures that you have done, the services recently rendered are more impactful on the premium than the ones you will be performing in the future....in the near term.

On average, an orthopedic surgeon is sued about twice in the course of his or her career. Of 955 claims examined between 2002 and 2011, 55 % are due to ‘improper performance of surgery’; another 18 % are due to improper management of surgical patient; 13 % due to failure to diagnose: with the remainder being attributed to improper management of treatment course and delay in diagnosis.

Though this is the reality of the orthopedic medical malpractice insurance environment, physicians can minimize the occurrence of lawsuits and once the lawsuit has presented, they can mitigate the amount paid with risk management techniques. The Doctors Company has the most Risk Managers of any company in this field, specializing in medical malpractice insurance. Our patient safety experts are constantly in the field, on the phone, working in seminars and workshops and classrooms learning in California and nationwide and refining strategies to mitigate risk and loss.

One of the most important ways for any physician is to reduce medical malpractice insurance risk is to use effective communication. This is particularly true in the case of orthopedic medical malpractice insurance; orthopedists are often seeing patients for the first time and performing surgery on them immediately, while other specialists are given more of a chance to develop relationships with patients. A large body of research shows that patients who sue their doctors often feel that the doctors were impatient and uninterested.

The Doctors Insurance Agency is proud to support the askmethree.com movement to educate physicians and office staff in the important skill of appropriate patient communication. The fact is, The Doctors Company has proven this over and over again, it has been shown unequivocally that patients who feel that their doctors were sympathetic and compassionate are less likely to sue. Though surgeons have busy schedules, the following patient safety areas and tips can avoid the lawsuit. It pays dividends to make a few changes in communication with patients; see fewer patients, personally share and explain test results with patients, and treat patients as you would a personal friend or family member. Developing a positive relationship with a patient greatly reduces the likelihood of a lawsuit. Research shows a strong negative correlation between the amount of time spent with patients before surgery and the occurrence of malpractice claims.

In service programs sponsored by TDC's excellent patient safety staff. Another effective way to limit exposure to risk is to practice thorough documentation. This means keeping a complete record of each case, including the thought processes behind decisions. Having well organized records can often exonerate physicians from blame when there is a lawsuit. Even orthopedic surgeons who practice perfect risk management should expect to be sued at some point in their careers. In the event of a suit, do not talk to anyone about the case, and never try to alter documents or records.

The Doctors Company sponsors patient litigation retreats to teach physicians named in lawsuits to get through the process, how to defend and not incriminate themselves and how to come to terms with the harsh realities of being sued in a medical malpractice claim.