Medical malpractice insurance can become a huge financial burden for medical professionals. The rise of malpractice insurance rates plus the ever increasing amount of malpractice lawsuits has caused lawmakers and medical professionals to collaborate and come up with ideas to reduce the cost of insurance and make the claims process go much quicker.

Here are four ideas that have come about to decrease the cost of malpractice insurance:

1. Focus on patient safety - Find out what is causing the most claims and work together to establish standards to improve in those areas. Medical professionals should also be required to study medical malpractice prevention as part of their licensing.

2. Focus on doctors with a history of malpractice - Doctors who have a history of malpractice are the ones driving up the cost of insurance, so the focus should be on taking away their licenses until they can prove that their worthy of practicing medicine again.

3. Encourage doctors to communicate with patients - If something happens that was unexpected or a mistake was made, doctors should be open and honest with their patients. This will make the claims process and investigation go much quicker.

4. Create courts of law that specialize in medical malpractice suits - There have been bills introduced to Congress that would allow these types of courts to be set up. Litigation will no longer be passed from judge to judge and there would be greater consistency in decision-making.

If lawmakers and medical professionals work together and stay focused on these goals, it will only be a matter of time that medical malpractice suits will decrease and malpractice insurance rates will become more affordable.

Maria Palma is a freelance writer and internet marketer helping business expand their business online. If you are seeking doctor insurance malpractice, request a free malpractice insurance quote.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maria_Palma

When you're looking to sort out insurance for you and your family it can be tempting to keep everything in the same place, under one roof. Many people's employers offer insurance as part of contracts or promotions. While this can seem an easy option in the short term you might actually find you are poorly covered or paying more than you should be. So why exactly are corporate insurance policies not always the best option?

Since life insurance is one of the most important financial products on the market today, it's not uncommon to pay a small percentage of your wage towards a life cover policy that's part of your contract. Sadly, what many people don't realise is that this policy becomes void should you leave you job, be made redundant or even change departments. Taking out an independent policy outwith your job allows you to retain a sense of freedom and also means that you are fully covered regardless of what happens, making every payment count!

Although employers advertise health insurance as a company benefit, sold to you at a heavily discounted price, this may be far from the case. Company health insurance packages are prone to much greater market fluctuations than free standing polices taken out independently. As the department who organises your insurance work to keep employee policies up to date and competitive, you may also find the small print to your package changes without your knowledge or consent; a scenario that could prove risky if you require treatment that is no longer covered.

Finally, payment protection insurance is steadily becoming one of the country's most popular forms of insurance. Protection your loan, credit card and mortgage repayments should you find yourself out of work or unable to make a living through ill health, PPI is a favourite form of insurance by employers. Recently, however, PPI has come under intense scrutiny as policy holders find their insurance does not cover them, was missold or is extremely costly. Shopping around or contacting a financial advisor is the best course of action when ensuring what you've taken out is right for you.

Be wise, shop around and don't jump at the first policy that comes your way are all good pieces of advice for people looking to take out insurance but are well aware of the pitfalls associated with corporate insurance. Big names like Aviva, BUPA and Patient Choice are all reputable companies to go for if you're looking for a recognisable name as well.

Harvey McEwan writes about insurance. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harvey_McEwan

As competition intensifies, insurance companies face the growing challenge of attracting and retaining a new generation of customers and agents. Operating in the most efficient and most cost-effective way is a key to success in this highly competitive market.

Insurers are not always known for being on the cutting-edge when it comes to technology due to adequacy of old systems to manage lower cost and basic conservative instincts. However, the business value and convenience generated by the latest technologies is compelling insurers to modify their operational models and adopt low cost but high-payback technology solutions to respond to the emerging challenges of real-time information and cost efficiencies.Of late, the industry is keeping a close eye on innovations which are taking place in similar domains like BFSI and responding by adopting cost-effective and high ROI technology enablers like mobile and wireless technologies.

This has been a fundamental shift resulting in the improved value proposition of mobile solutions for insurers. The shift is aimed at accelerating business velocity and convenience by m-enabling its constituents like producers, consumers, employees and suppliers through informational and transactional capabilities. This is in direct contrast to the early days of e-mail communications alone. Mobile computing has acquired the necessary relevance in the IT landscape of Insurers and they are earmarking dollars to m-enable their stakeholders for SFA and client management.Due to the ubiquitous nature of mobile computing, there has been a growing need to offer more services to agents and consumers through mobile devices and demand seems to intensify as the time passes by. Through mobile phones, insurers will have great tools to equip their agents with real-time information and contacts. Launching mobile applications is becoming popular, especially in the U.S., for insurers that want to generate a new brand image.

Some of the big insurers in advanced markets have proactively rolled out mobile apps for their customers for submitting claims, photos, accidental info and field services like calling and locating workshops, hospitals, adjustors etc. The insurers are also expediting the claim process by m-enabling their adjustors in the field-reducing considerably the overall policy claim cycle and operational cost. The days are not far when mobile solutions will allow geo-targeting through personalized and localized interaction and servicing to the existing and prospective customers.

"Insurers across the globe are being confronted with the growing need to offer more services to agents and consumers through mobile devices and demand will intensify during the next five years," says leading analyst firm Gartner Research in a recent report on industry trends. Mobile phones can work as mini-computers and are flexible and familiar for the end user which is in contrast to other devices like desktops, laptops etc where adoption had been not so smooth.

Roopal is an Online Marketing Professional from IT Services Company, writes blog, content, and articles. She writes marketing col-laterals and advice to Visit her web page for your concerns regarding Mobility Insurance and also for Application Assessment Services.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roopal_Bhatia

What do San Diego County residents have to know about Earthquake Insurance Policies, Risks and Costs?

Quality Claims Management views Earthquake coverage as catastrophic insurance. You will only need it if we have a really big earthquake. However, depending on where you live in San Diego and how much you have invested in your home, you may opt to get coverage. Here is what you need to know.

First, most standard homeowners, mobile home owners, condominium, and renter's insurance policies DO NOT cover earthquake damage. Similar to flood insurance, earthquake insurance usually must be purchased separately.

However, fire insurance is part of most typical homeowners insurance policies. This means your home insurance policy may cover a significant part of the damage if your home burns down or is damaged in a fire that is caused by an earthquake.

Much of the damage that often arises from an earthquake happens after the ground stops shaking. Gas lines that may have ruptured and start leaking can catch on fire and burn your home to the ground. In San Diego County, it is also very possible that your home may be consumed in a wildfire sparked caused by earthquake motion many miles away. A power line may have collapsed. A home may have caught fire because of the quake and flames traveled many miles through brush to your home.

Another major factor is water damage. Quakes often break pipes. Even small quakes can crack a water or sewer pipe that floods your home and can cause extensive damage to your floors, rugs, furniture - even to the structure of your home.

If your homeowner's insurance includes fire and flood damage, you should be covered for this "earthquake" damage - even if you don't have earthquake insurance.

Another danger from earthquakes is landslides. You may or may not be covered for this. You need to check your homeowner insurance policy to make sure of your coverage for both landslide and fires. If your home does burn down, are you fully covered? Will you be able to replace your home and all of your belongings.

Check our other articles about homeowners insurance for details about coverages and what you need to know.

Where do you get Earthquake Insurance?

The law requires insurers that sell residential property insurance within the state of California to offer earthquake coverage to their policyholders. Most of these California earthquake insurance policies are backed and administered by a government organization known as CEA - the California Earthquake Authority.

Even though most earthquake insurance policies are sold by the state-run insurance pool, a few private companies also sell earthquake coverage. In order to provide earthquake coverage, insurance companies can become a CEA participating insurance company and offer the CEA's residential earthquake policies or they can manage the risk themselves. To date, companies that sell over two-thirds of the residential property insurance in the state have opted to become CEA participating companies.

According to the CEA website, the CEA homeowners policy is designed to help get you back into your home after an earthquake. The CEA base-limits policy for homeowners includes:

Dwelling coverage - The coverage limit is the insured value of your home stated on your companion homeowner policy.
* Personal Property coverage - $5,000
* Additional Living Expense/Loss of Use coverage - $1,500
* You may select either a 10% or 15% deductible on your Dwelling coverage, and CEA's increased-limit options allow you to increase Personal Property coverage to as much as $100,000 and Additional Living Expense/Loss of Use coverage to as much as $15,000.
Residential property insurance includes coverage for homeowners, condominium owners, mobile home owners, and renters.

Earthquake insurance is not intended for smaller losses as you must have enough damage to surpass your deductible. Even though deductibles are generally 10-15% of the amount of the Coverage A limits, it can be a little confusing to calculate the actual deductible amount since there are several factors that go into the formula.

How will your home handle an earthquake - Do you need Earthquake Insurance

- where in San Diego County do you live?
- what is under your house (rock, sand, fill, etc?)
- how is your home constructed - is it up to code and why that matters for your coverage

Age and type of construction contribute to how a residential structure reacts during an earthquake. Based on the scientific and engineering research, the CEA premiums reflect the following rating factors:

- In general, houses built on a slab perform better than those built on a raised foundation.
- One-story houses are less vulnerable to earthquake shaking than multi-story houses.
- Unreinforced masonry structures are more susceptible to damage than those of wood-frame construction.
- Houses of a certain age are not as strongly constructed as others.

The type of home you have affects your risk. One-story homes that are "tied together" -- with the roof bolted to the walls, and the walls to the foundation -- tend to survive earthquakes and windstorms better than multistory homes that aren't. As you would expect, houses with big openings, such as plate-glass windows or large garage doors, fare worse than ones without those features.

In addition, your home can be substantially fortified with some special construction measures. For many, this can be a better investment than buying earthquake insurance.

The Institute for Business and Home Safety has a Fortified For Safer Living" program that specifies building techniques that can help homes better withstand disaster.

Other California Earthquake Insurance Factors

No Known Loss Letter Requirement

In areas that have been previously affected by an earthquake or other catastrophic event, an insurer may require a "No Known Loss Letter" with all requests for earthquake insurance or to add earthquake coverage to an existing policy. These kind of letters letter confirms that no known losses or damages have already occurred to the requested coverage location(s).

DIC Policy

DIC (Difference in Conditions) insurance provides coverage designed to close specific gaps in standard insurance policies. It allows coverage to be customized to extend to such exposures as water damage, flood, collapse, earthquake, landslide, etc., according to the insured's needs. DIC coverage may be provided by means of a separate insurance policy or it may be added by endorsement to the basic policy.

Is Earthquake Insurance Right For You? How Much Equity Do You Have In Your Home?

As mentioned earlier, we view Earthquake coverage as catastrophic insurance. You will only need it if we have a really big earthquake. The more equity you have in your home, the more you need insurance.

According to UnitedPolicyHolders, a non-profit organization that fights for the rights of insurance consumers and educates individuals and businesses on how to get fair treatment, "a generally accepted rule of thumb is that you should not risk more than 10 percent of your liquid assets. A large earthquake could mean 10 to 100 percent of your home's structure could be damaged or destroyed, up to 20 percent of your belongings could be damaged, and/or you may need to come up with $3,000 a month for temporary rent and relocation costs."

In San Diego, we get lots of smaller quakes on a regular basis. These are reminders to YOU to review your current coverages to be sure that you are adequately insured. Is your current homeowner's insurance up to date? Will it pay to rebuild your home to current building codes? Do you have additional coverage and riders for all the new stuff yiou may have acquired since you first bought your insurance policy?

Remember, it is far more likely you will have pipes break or fires start from the smaller earthquakes. If either of these happen, you should have coverage under your regular homeowners policy. Check to make sure it is up to date and that you have enough coverage. As a result of the 2003 and 2007 wildfires, we have found that most homeowners in San Diego are underinsured.

By the way, businesses should review their policies to be sure they have EQSL - or Sprinkler Loss coverage. There is a greater chance you will suffer damage from sprinklers leaking than from a building falling down.

by Ronald Reitz, President of Quality Claims Management

Ron Reitz is president of San Diego-based Quality Claims Management Corp., a nationally licensed public insurance adjuster, providing hazard claim recovery services to investors, mortgage servicers, homeowners and businesses. Earlier, he pioneered the national hazard insurance claims business of GMAC-RFC (now GMAC-ResCap). He is the past president of the California Association of Public Insurance Adjusters and currently serves on the board of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters. Contact Quality Claims Management at (866) 45-1183 or http://www.qualityclaims.com.

RESOURCES

The California Earthquake Authority is a publicly managed, largely privately funded organization that provides catastrophic residential earthquake insurance and encourages Californians to reduce their risk of earthquake loss.

Only a CEA participating insurance company or its agent can give you an exact CEA-premium quote, but to get a good estimate of the cost, use their handy premium calculator.

Quality Claims Management online article with maps to find out if your home is in a danger zone - check for landslide, liquefaction and earthquake fault zones. http://www.qualityclaims.com/homeowner.aspx?sect=_quakeinsurance

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_Reitz