Public Relations & Media
Latest News
July 2009
Login/Registration Instructions for New Website
The newly redesigned PIAA website, www.piaa.us, has an enhanced individualized login feature that allows all board members, employees, and authorized representatives of PIAA member companies access to personalized member services and information. Create an online account to register for meetings and workshops, access enhanced content for members only, and utilize the restructured online store and shopping cart system. The setup is one-time, quick, and easy. Click here and follow five simple steps.
2009 PIAA Data Sharing Reports Now Available
The 2009 Claim Trend Analysis, Risk Management Review(s), and Data Sharing Report for end-year 2008 data are now available for purchase. PIAA DSP participants should receive their complimentary CDs of all the 2009 DSP reports next week. The CD includes comprehensive and individual data for participants. Member companies that do not participate in the Data Sharing Project may purchase these reports online for a member discount at www.piaa.us. The PIAA would like to thank all submitting member companies for their participation. For more
information or questions regarding the 2009 Data Sharing Reports, please contact P.Divya Parikh, director of research, at dparikh@piaa.us or Kwon Miller, PIAA data analyst, at kmiller@piaa.us. July 29 PIAA
Medicare Reporting Conference Nearly Sold Out!
While the deadline for taking advantage of the early registration fee has passed, if you act now there is still time to register for the PIAA Medicare Reporting Conference in Baltimore, MD. More than 80 spots have already been reserved, and with room for only 100 attendees those wishing to take part in this conference will need to act promptly in order to secure a spot at the July 29 meeting. As a bonus for those registering late, the Westin Baltimore Washington Airport – BWI, the venue for the meeting, has agreed to extend the PIAA room rate for additional attendees. If you have
any difficulties in securing a room at the Westin, contact the PIAA Meetings Department at 301.947.9000 for assistance. For more information, click here for the meeting brochure. We look forward to seeing you at this one-of-a-kind meeting for medical professional liability insurers.
PIAA Published in Major Newspapers
The June 22 edition of USA Today published an editorial about the on-going medical liability debate ("Tired malpractice debate ignores promising solutions," Our view, Doctors vs. lawyers debate ). PIAA President Lawrence E. Smarr responded to the editorial by stating the following: "The legal process for identifying and resolving real cases of medical negligence in America is woefully inefficient and costly in terms of economic and emotional stress." PIAA offered data from its Data Sharing Project to demonstrate that while plaintiffs' lawyers maintain that the legal system is
the last line of defense for victims of medical negligence, fewer than 20% of cases prosecuted at trial from 1985 to 2007 resulted in their client's favor. Mr. Smarr suggested that Congress should follow examples set in states such as California, Texas, and Colorado where effective legal processes and reasonable limits on non-economic damages have been put in place. To read the PIAA's letter to the editor as printed in USA Today, click here.
The June 30 edition of the Wall Street Journal published an editorial about how medical liability systems in other countries compare to the current U.S. system ("How Other Countries Judge Malpractice"). Under the heading "Reform Should Include a Better Malpractice System," PIAA President Lawrence E. Smarr responded to the editorial, advocating a reasonable cap on pain and suffering. Smarr stated the following: "Fifty percent of the premium and investment income collected by the insurer to pay claims is consumed by the system— mostly in legal fees for the plaintiff and defense. This is
not a system that works for anyone but the system itself. Congress should consider the adoption of healthcare system tort reforms, the most effective of which has proved to be a reasonable cap on pain and suffering damages. Only then will an end come to the plaintiffs bar lottery system, where you don't win often, but when you do, you win big." To read the PIAA's letter to the editor as printed in the Wall Street Journal, click here. Please see the second letter from the top.