Underwriting faqS

A “loss run” is a report from your current insurance carrier or previous carrier that shows all the claim activity (or losses) on your account during the period in which you were covered by that carrier. Only the policyholder can request a loss run. The MMA requires loss runs for all new applicants.

The answer may vary based on how your current coverage is structured and who the primary insurer is for your new physician. Adding the new doctor may be as simple as adding an endorsement. If you do not have a separate practice policy, and your new physician is not insured by the MMA, different approaches may be better suited to your needs. A policy Update Request Form is available for download from our resource center. It should be used to notify us of this and other types of changes in your practice. We will follow up with you by phone or e-mail regarding your request. Please call the MMA Underwriting Department if you need more personal assistance.

The MMA offers both Claims-made and Occurrence coverage. Your policy type will be stated clearly on your declarations page.

No. The MMA has several options to cover ancillary employees. They can be covered under a separate policy or share in the limits of the physician’s individual policy.

A locum tenens medical provider is one who agrees to become a temporary substitute for another medical provider while they are temporarily away from their practice. The MMA offers free locum tenens coverage for its insureds. We allow 45 days of locum tenens per year.

Non-MMA insured substitute medical providers must submit a completed application and 10 year loss runs for approval before coverage will be offered.

Many medical providers carry a separate policy for their practice entity in addition to their personal policies. Under this traditional structure, two policies will respond when both the individual medical provider and his or her practice are named in a suit. Each policy has separate limits and separate premiums.

The MMA Shared Limits Endorsement allows the insured to reduce premium expenses by dropping the stand alone practice entity policy, and adding the entity to his individual policy. Under the Shared Limits Endorsement, the insured “shares” his limits with the practice entity. He does not share his limits with all the other doctors in the practice, just the corporate practice entity itself.

When an individual insured with the Shared Limits Endorsement and his practice are both named in a suit, the insured’s individual policy will respond to defend both. If the practice alone is named in a suit by a patient of the insured, the individual’s policy will still respond to defend the practice.

Some insureds use the money saved by dropping the practice policy to buy higher excess limits with the Shared Limits Endorsement. Call or contact the MMA Underwriting department for more personal guidance on this coverage option.

Yes. Whether you are a full time employee who chooses to “moonlight” or a retired medical provider deciding to return to practice part time, the MMA has attractive coverage options for you. Discounts of 30%, 40% or 50% are available, depending on the number of hours worked per month. Please call or contact the MMA Underwriting department for personal assistance and a quote.

Practitioners, providers, and suppliers may self-query the Data Bank at any time. To initiate a self-query, go to www.npdb-hipdb.hrsa.gov and click “How to get started” on the right side of the home page. Read “Find a Report” under “What do you want to do?” to find links to information on self-querying.

Seasoned medical providers often worry that their professional liability insurance will non-renew, or their coverage will be dropped if they experience a claim. The concern is well founded in many cases. It is especially important if the coverage being dropped is claims-made.

To eliminate this significant worry for medical professionals, the MMA does not drop coverage for an insured if a claim is filed or paid. There are only a few exceptions to this rule, such as, claims that arise from misuse of drugs, criminal misconduct or sexual misconduct.¹

In order to maintain stability of rates for its insureds, the MMA reserves the right to “experience rate” an individual policy holder with adverse claims experience. The experience rating plan is only for individuals whose claims experience is significantly more adverse than what is accounted for in the base policy rates. It is important to note, however, that unlike some carriers, not all claims or payments will trigger experience rating with the MMA. Factors like frequency, severity and an analysis of “the medicine” involved are all taken into consideration in determining experience rating.

Experience rating or the ability to adjust premiums to reflect increased risk in individual policies is not unique to the MMA. In fact, it is a common practice among all medical professional liability insurance carriers. What is unique, however, is the commitment from the MMA that if you do experience a claim, you can rest assured your coverage will not be dropped. That’s peace of mind.

If you would like to discuss your specific situation with us, please contact our underwriting team in Greenville, or click here. We look forward to helping you.

¹ See policy or contact the MMA Underwriting team for details.