The Policyholder and Claims Committee: What Is It, and What Makes it Different?

At the heart of Physicians Insurance’s claims approach is our Policyholder and Claims Committee. Formed at the inception of Physicians Insurance in 1981, this committee is now made up of 20 top physicians representing primary care, hospitals, surgery, and various other specialties. These physicians are not only leaders in their field with extensive expertise, but they are also committed to improving the practice of medicine overall.

Together with experienced claims, risk-management, and underwriting professionals, this committee reviews ALL cases of high severity or sensitivity in extensive detail. With their combined medical, legal, and insurance expertise, they comprehensively evaluate each case for the sole purpose of identifying recommendations for when the standard of care has been met. This is in stark contrast to the approach many competitors take where little to no physician input is solicited in making such a determination. Additionally, as a byproduct of these sessions, best practices are developed to improve care quality and patient safety and minimize future policyholder and practice liability.  

Physicians Insurance remains committed to protecting our policyholders and defending the practice of medicine. Despite today’s legal environment, our claims team’s deep understanding of local defense, plaintiff counsel, and judicial environments, along with our strong local relationships and resources, have resulted in a 10-year average of over 97% of jury trials resulting in defense verdicts. For 2021 and (year to date) 2022, Physicians Insurance has a 100% win rate, including high-severity cases with claims regarding infant neurological injury, orthopedic-surgery issues, wrongful death, and gastroenterology complications following colonoscopy.