The Doctor’s Advocate | Second Quarter 2017
From the Chairman
2017 Member Dividend Announced
I am pleased to announce that the Board of Governors has approved a premium dividend of approximately $26 million. Since the program’s start in 1976, the company has paid out nearly $400 million in dividends.
For 12 consecutive years, we have paid a dividend to recognize and reward our members for their loyalty and dedication to the practice of good medicine. As a proactive insurance partner for practices and healthcare organizations, we seek ways to reward our members—this is one of the ways we are taking the mal out of malpractice insurance. We accomplish this through our dividend and through our Tribute® Plan, which to date has distributed more than $50 million to retiring physicians.
The 2017 dividend provides a premium reduction to members in the following states: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. The dividend will vary from 4 to 20 percent depending on the loss experience of the individual state.
Members of the following select medical societies may also receive a dividend: American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, and American Society of Plastic Surgeons®.
Eligible members will receive this year’s dividend as a credit on their annual premium for policy renewals on or after July 1, 2017.
The Doctor’s Advocate is published by The Doctors Company to advise and inform its members about loss prevention and insurance issues.
The guidelines suggested in this newsletter are not rules, do not constitute legal advice, and do not ensure a successful outcome. They attempt to define principles of practice for providing appropriate care. The principles are not inclusive of all proper methods of care nor exclusive of other methods reasonably directed at obtaining the same results.
The ultimate decision regarding the appropriateness of any treatment must be made by each healthcare provider considering the circumstances of the individual situation and in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which the care is rendered.
The Doctor’s Advocate is published quarterly by Corporate Communications, The Doctors Company. Letters and articles, to be edited and published at the editor’s discretion, are welcome. The views expressed are those of the letter writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or official policy of The Doctors Company. Please sign your letters, and address them to the editor.
Second Quarter 2017
From the Chairman
2017 Member Dividend Announced
Director's Forum
Prescribing Opioids Safely
An Ounce of Prevention
The Doctors Company Introduces a New CME Series
Government Relations Report
Federal Medical Liability Reform: A Historical Perspective
Foundation News
The Doctors Company Foundation Changes Leadership
Innovations in Patient Safety
Data-Driven Insights: Fear to Act in Obstetrics