BY VANESSA ORR According to leading legal scholar Prof. Maya Steinitz at the University of Iowa College of Law, “Litigation funding is the most important civil justice development in this era.” And while litigation funding—also called legal funding—may even the odds for plaintiffs who could not previously afford costly or drawn-out court cases, it is
BY VANESSA ORR Medical malpractice insurance stands out from other forms of insurance because of the number of technicalities and details included in the professional liability policy. One reason for this is that the policy doesn’t just cover a medical professional’s present actions, but past actions as well. “In Florida, we have a two-year statute
BY VANESSA ORR For those physicians carrying medical malpractice insurance, there hasn’t been a lot of good news lately. In addition to a millennial jury pool that is more likely to award plaintiffs money than juries in the past, huge awards—often called nuclear verdicts—are far more likely to go beyond the coverage that most physicians
By Vanessa Orr In the early 2000s, Florida faced a medical malpractice crisis when the number of insurance companies writing these types of policies fell from roughly 40 companies to less than five as the result of an overwhelming amount of claims and lawsuits. Many large payments were made, resulting in insurance companies rapidly increasing
By Vanessa Orr In March of this year, an Iowa City family was awarded $97.5 million in a medical malpractice case, the largest award of this kind in state history. This verdict, along with a new Florida House bill on the horizon, should send up red flags to Florida physicians, according to Julie Danna, cyRM,
By Julie Danna Recently, through conversations with doctors throughout the state of Florida, I came to the realization that information is lacking within the Healthcare industry regarding a ruling made by the 2017 Florida Supreme Court. This ruling overturned a 2003 state law, Governor Jeb Bush’s and the Florida Medical Association’s largest policy victory, which
By Vanessa Orr When a mistake is made in a healthcare setting, doctors and nurses are encouraged to report it immediately as a way to mitigate the problem and to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Unfortunately, a recent court case is showing that sharing this information might not always be in healthcare providers’ best
BY VANESSA ORR It is imperative that healthcare companies carry cyber insurance; after all, protecting patients’ medical records is of the utmost importance. Unfortunately, as the threat of cyberattacks, including malware and ransomware increases, so do the rates for this essential coverage. “We are now seeing our healthcare clients face cyber insurance renewal rate increases
By Vanessa Orr While it may seem that becoming the medical director of a facility is an easy way for a physician to earn extra income, the position comes with myriad responsibilities, including ones of which doctors may not be aware. “A lot of physicians think that becoming a medical director won’t require a lot
BY VANESSA ORR As premiums continue to increase for professional liability coverage, a number of physicians are choosing to self-insure, or “go bare.” And while Florida law does not require physicians to have professional liability insurance, the risks far outweigh the rewards. “Self-insuring is analogous to having a home that, because you paid the mortgage