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Georgia Medical Malpractice Insurance
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Georgia is seeing a decrease in malpractice premiums ever since the passage
of tort reforms in 2005.
By most accounts, Georgia is an attractive place to practice medicine. Taking into
account factors such as favorable doctor-to-patient ratio, improving reimbursement
rates and an increasingly doctor-friendly malpractice environment, the state should
continue to become an enticing physician environment into the future.
Multiple Discounts Available For Georgia Doctors
With a number of different malpractice insurance companies in Georgia there are
opportunites to save money by shopping around for a better rate.
Remember you can switch anytime - no need to wait unti your renewal date. Submit
our quick and easy quote request
form and see if you can save money today on your medical liability insurance.
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I was seeking medical malpractice insurance for a physician we were hiring for our
practice. I had used CoverMD.com before and they were very helpful so I decided
to use their service again. Like the last time, a malpractice insurance specialist
contacted me right away and we were able to start the quote process quickly. I would
highly recommend CoverMD.com for any medical office manager seeking quotes for their
physicians as well as any physicians seeking coverage on their own.
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Tracey Reeves, Office Manager
Gwinnett Wellness Center
Norcross, Georgia more testimonials
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Medical Malpractice Insurance Rates for Georgia
Coming soon - the latest Georgia medical malpractice insurance rates and
information on what doctors in Georgia can expect to pay for their malpractice insurance.
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Georgia Medical Malpractice Premiums - Tort Reform Leads to Rate Decreases
Perhaps the greatest encouragement to doctors considering the option of opening
a Georgia practice is that the state is experiencing its first decline in malpractice
premiums since the passage of tort reforms in 2005. One of Georgia's largest physician
liability carriers lowered its rates by 5 percent in 2008, its first premium decrease
since the state's passage of tort reforms in 2005, and the company had maintained
flat, stable rates the two previous years.
Georgia has traditionally been ranked as one of the 20 states the American Medical
Association has considered in crisis due to rising medical liability costs. The 2008
premium decrease could signify an improvement in the state's liability climate.
The declining rates come three years after the passage of
Georgia Senate Bill 3 (SB3), a tort reform bill signed into law that had
significant impact upon Georgia's medical malpractice laws. The bill specifically
placed a $350,000 cap on pain-and-suffering awards, redefined the provisions of
venue and forum as well as joint and several liability, tightened the rules for
experts testifying against doctors and set up incentives for patients to settle
out of court.
Aside from the cap on non-economic, pain-and-suffering damages, the bill's most
consequential provisions are its articles that define requirements for top-rated
testimony and restrict venue shopping. The significance of these two provisions
is as follows:
- Limiting a plaintiff's ability to venue shop
SB3 provides that in a medical malpractice case a non-resident physician defendant
may require that the case be transferred to the county of his or her residence if
the medical procedure in question occurred in that county. This potentially gives
the medical malpractice defendant the "home court" advantage, especially if the
physician carries a high standing within the community. This also makes plaintiff
venue shopping more difficult, minimizing the potential for cases to be heard in
plaintiff-friendly counties.
- Stricter requirements for top-rated testimony
Under SB3, to be an top-rated in a medical malpractice case a person has to be (a)
licensed where the person is practicing or teaching; and (b) have actual professional
knowledge and experience in the area of medical practice or specialty in question
as the result of (i) regularly practicing in that specialty within three of the
last five years to establish an appropriate level of knowledge as determined by
the trial court in performing the procedure or diagnosing the condition or rendering
the treatment about which the top-rated is to opine; or (ii) having taught within
three of the last five years as an employed faculty member again with sufficient
frequency to have an “appropriate level of knowledge” as determined by the court
to testify on that subject. In short, plaintiff attorneys can no longer have experts
on retainer to testify on a wide range of specialties.
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How Georgia Demographics Will Impact Physicians
According to the United States Census Bureau,
Atlanta has been the fastest-growing city in the nation since 2000, with a gain
of nearly 900,000 residents to 5.1 million, and statewide, Georgia ranks in the
top five fastest-growing populations. In addition, Atlanta is home to the fastest-growing
millionaire population, which is anticipated to increase 69 percent through 2011,
to approximately 103,000 households with more than $1 million or more in investable
assets.
While Georgia ranks ninth in U.S. population, it ranks 39th in total physicians
per 100,000 citizens. On average, only about one-third of the state's medical school
graduates stay in Georgia to complete their residency training.
While this doctor-to-population ratio evidences that the citizens of Georgia have
had above-average difficulty in access to healthcare, it also indicates a range
of viable practice and specialty opportunities are available to physicians. In short,
new practices are being courted and encouraged.
These practice opportunities are especially positive for bilingual, Spanish-speaking
physicians, as Georgia boasts the third fastest-growing Latino community in the
country.
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Financial Incentives for New Doctors in Georgia
The state of Georgia has several programs aimed at alleviating doctor shortages
in its most rural areas, including a medical student loan repayment program where
recently-graduated physicians can reduce their loan debt by $25,000 each year—up
to four years—by serving in a county with less than 35,000 people.
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Physician Reimbursement
As is the case in most states nationwide, Georgia physicians complain that Medicare/Medicaid
as well as private insurer reimbursement rates do not keep pace with inflation and
ever-increasing overhead costs-of-doing-business.
Medicaid reimbursement for physicians in the state currently ranks below the national
average, but the Governor's Medicaid reimbursement rates for the fiscal year 2009
include a cost coverage increase from 95.1 percent to 98.6 percent for hospital
inpatient services and 100 percent of cost for outpatient services. In fiscal 2009,
$39.6 million will go towards increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates; nursing homes
will receive $17.6 million in reimbursements for capital upgrades; and an additional
$31.3 million is appropriated to upgrade the state’s mental health facilities and
community mental health system.
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Latest Medical Malpractice Insurance News from Georgia
May 11, 2011
Gov. Nathan Deal signed into law an amendment to Georgia's Patient
Right to Know Act of 2001 giving a patient the right to inquire as to whether
the physician carries medical malpractice insurance. In addition, whether a doctor
licensed in Georgia carries medical malpractice insurance will also be included
as part of their physician profile publicly available through the
Georgia Composite Medical Board website. Currently, physicians practicing in Georgia are not required to carry malpractice insurance.
House
Bill 147 was sponsored by State Rep. Ben Watson.
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