Does it Matter which Florida Medical Malpractice Insurance Company I Choose for My Malpractice Insurance?

Florida physicians and surgeons ask us all the time which physician malpractice insurance company they should choose for their medical malpractice insurance. There are many medical malpractice insurance companies from which to choose. Some are more expensive than others. Some are new; some have been here for a long time. Some market aggressively in Florida, touting that they are the best for the Florida physician and surgeon. The decision as to which malpractice insurance company to best insure you and your unique situation is a very important one—one which can severely impact your future.

As a Florida agent who specializes in the sales and service of physician and surgeon malpractice insurance for over thirty years, I can offer some thoughts:
First, choose a physician and surgeon malpractice insurance company that has a laser focus on your specialty. Be sure the company focuses its resources on you, because you want the company to understand your particular needs as a Florida physician and surgeon. You do not want to take a back seat to other specialties—dentists, homeowners, chiropractors, contractors, etc. A lack of focus on the Florida physician and surgeon can weaken the malpractice insurance company’s ability to properly defend you, the Florida physician, should a claim occur.

Second, it is important to select a physician and surgeon malpractice insurance company with a long history of insuring and defending physicians. Nothing trumps experience in defending Florida physicians and surgeons. A new malpractice company may place all its resources on marketing and lack experience in the “nitty- gritty” of defending you if you have a claim—which is why you purchase malpractice insurance in the first place.

Third, choose a Florida medical malpractice insurance company that fights claims aggressively. If the Florida medical malpractice insurance company has the reputation for “rolling over” when you have a claim, the ramifications for you can be disastrous. You don’t want your name to wind up in the National Practitioner’s Data Bank because your malpractice insurance company did not defend you aggressively.

And finally, choose a physician and surgeon malpractice company that can help you prevent claims in the first place—through effective risk management or patient safety programs. Claims are very traumatic, even if you win and even if they are frivolous. You want a Florida malpractice company that helps you do everything in your power to avoid a lawsuit. Some malpractice companies will give a substantial credit for successful completion of a risk management course.

Barbara Gracey Backer
Barbara Gracey Backer

Barbara Gracey Backer is the Vice-President of Gracey-Backer, Inc., an Insurance Agency in Delray Beach, Florida specializing in All Lines of Professional and Personal Insurance. She may be contacted at (561) 404-5746 or at barbara@gbifl.com.

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