Zurich study of professional liability claims in the North America health care industry finds that frequency and severity of claims rise
Schaumburg, Ill., January 12, 2012 – Zurich, a leading property and casualty insurance provider globally and in North America, has released its sixth annual benchmarking report on professional liability claims trends in the hospital industry.
The report found a slight rise in claims frequency which contrasts to the past few years in which claims frequency had declined or stabilized. It also finds that claims severity continues to rise. Between 2002 and 2008, severity rates rose 6.3 percent per year.
"Comparing hospitals' claims experience has always been difficult because exposures vary by the type of facility, size of the institution, services provided, location, patient demography and regional/legal climate," said Leo Carroll, head of Zurich's Healthcare practice in North America. "But many of these apples-to-oranges discrepancies can be eliminated by standardizing exposures across health care organizations."
Carroll said that to standardize exposures, Zurich’s claims data uses an occupied bed equivalent (OBE), calculated by assigning a standard relativity to exposures for:
·The number and type of beds devoted to certain categories of care such as acute care, long term care and rehabilitation
·The number and types of visits for emergency department, laboratory and other services
·Other procedures, such as births and surgeries
·Staffing, as reflected in the number and specialties of physicians and employees
"With the development of a common denominator for exposure, data on state and national frequency rates and average claims severity can be compiled and evaluated across different segments of the industry and within specific peer groups," said Carroll.
Other highlights of the study included:
Difference in claims severity trends between different types of organizations narrow
In the past, non-profit hospitals have seen considerably lower severity rates than for-profit hospitals. Now, non-profit hospitals have higher claim severity than for-profit organizations.
Comparing faith-based and non-profit health care organizations
The report reviewed loss cost, frequency and severity. Overall, loss costs for both faith-based and non-profit organizations are similar. But the report finds that frequency rates are higher in faith-based organizations, while severity rates are lower.
Claims severity by facility type
The report compared acute care, children’s hospitals, teaching hospitals and outpatient facilities. Teaching hospitals are defined as those that are part of academic institutions or sponsor resident education programs. Children’s hospitals continue to have the highest severity over time. This is likely due to the high costs of providing medical care over the child’s lifetime. Teaching hospitals contribute significantly to overall severity.
The study is based on Zurich's claims data (through 2008, the latest information available) of 343,000 non-zero claims and $27 billion undeveloped losses from approximately 1,150 hospitals nationally. To view the full report go to: http://www.zurichna.com/internet/zna/sitecollectiondocuments/en/products/healthcare/11-2410_hc_perspectives_newsletter_fall_2011.pdf
About Zurich
Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich) is a leading multi-line insurance provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East as well as other markets. For more information about Zurich, go to http://www.zurichna.com/zna/media/news-releases/archive/boilerplate.htm.
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Media contact:
Steve McKay
Media and Public Relations Director
Zurich in North America
Zurich American Insurance Company
Tower 1, Floor 11
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Schaumburg, Illinois 60196
Email: steven.mckay@zurichna.com
Office: 847-706-2265
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