Study Results:Illinois: Illinois medical malpractice insurance premiums have decreased by an average of 5.2 percent in 2006 and either will remain the same or drop again in 2007, a 2005 state law required ISMIE, the state's largest malpractice insurer which insures between 60 and 65 percent of Illinois doctors, to make information on their rates public to encourage competition.
Maryland: The Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society of Maryland, the largest malpractice insurer in the state, plans to reduce premium rates for physicians by 8 percent in 2007, a move that would mark the first reduction since at least 1992.
Tennessee: More than 83 percent of malpractice claims that closed in 2005 resulted in no payment of damages to patients or their families, according to a report recently released by the state. According to the report, 16 percent of the malpractice claims, or 461 cases, resulted in settlements that totaled more than $119 million in damages.
Washington, D.C.: Washington, D.C., physicians, hospitals and other health care providers soon will be required to report "adverse medical events" to a centralized public database created by the district health department in an effort to protect patients and improve care.
