What's New

January 3, 2012 — The Pennsylvania Medical Group Management Association (Pennsylvania MGMA) has named Lisa Burello, Sales Operations Leader for PMSLIC Insurance Company, as the Affiliate Representative on the association’s board of directors for 2012.

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December 18, 2011 — For a policyholder, the only thing more convenient than online policy management is the ability to authorize a trusted staff member to manage the policy for you. NORCAL Mutual policyholders now have an easy way to do just that. They can designate anyone they choose as "Authorized Staff," with online access to their policies.

For example, a policyholder can assign responsibility for making online premium payments to Authorized Staff. Other tasks that can be assigned include generating credentialing letters, requesting loss run reports and keeping track of CME activities.

Becoming Authorized Staff is a simple, two-stage process. First, the staff member goes to the homepage of www.norcalmutual.com, clicks "Create an Account," creates a UserID, and then gives it to the policyholder. Second, the policyholder logs in to MyNORCAL and uses the UserID to authorize the staff member as Authorized Staff.

More Enhancements to MyNORCAL
Another new feature of MyNORCAL is claims management support. Users will find information on how to report a claim, request a claim history, access confidential counseling and more.

In Risk Solutions, users will find an enhanced version of MyCME, NORCAL's online CME program. Please note that beginning January 2012, policyholders will need to successfully complete an online quiz to receive CME credit after reading the Claims Rx publication.

For help with setting up a MyNORCAL account, please call Policyholder Services at (877) 443-7232 Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST.

December 9, 2011 — Beginning January 2012, to receive CME credit for Claims Rx you will need to complete an online post-activity quiz and attestation. Currently, you can attest online or by mail, but in 2012 attestation will occur online.

The change is necessitated by an American Medical Association requirement that CME activities include an assessment of the learner's performance. The AMA has determined that credit may be awarded only to those who meet a minimum performance level. To support this requirement, we have revised the MyCME section of MyNORCAL to include brief, post-activity quizzes.

To access CME activities, sign on to your MyNORCAL account, select Risk Solutions, then MyCME. If you have never set up your account, please call Policyholder Services at (877) 443-7232 to get your ClientID (not your policy number), which is needed to create your account.

November 16, 2011 — Physicians and medical groups thinking about moving from paper health records to electronic health records should call Policyholder Services at (877) 443-7232 and request the newest NORCAL resource guide, "Your Electronic Health Record System: How to Purchase, Implement and Optimize."

This step-by-step guide, available only to NORCAL Policyholders, offers practical information on:

• Things to consider before purchasing an EHR system.
• Negotiating with an EHR vendor.
• Implementing your EHR System – choosing which approach is best for your group.
• Optimizing your EHR system.

Whether or not you have decided to go with electronic health records for your practice, you'll want to review this guide and have it available for when you do want to make the move.

For more information on making the switch to electronic health records, request a copy of the August 2011 issue of Claims Rx, which covers electronic health records. A webcast on electronic health records will be available to policyholders in January 2012, behind the MyNORCAL log in at MyCME. Policyholder Services is available to help you with ordering a past issue of Claims Rx or establishing your MyNORCAL account.

November 04, 2011 — A.M. Best, the insurance rating service, has given Medicus Insurance Company an "A" (Excellent) rating following their acquisition by NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company. Medicus joins the NORCAL Group of companies, including NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company of San Francisco, CA and PMSLIC Insurance Company of Mechanicsburg, PA. According to A.M. Best, the rating reflects the Group's excellent risk-adjusted capitalization and strong operating performance. Recognition is also given to the historical pattern of favorable loss reserve development.

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October 10, 2011 — The NORCAL Group, which includes NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company, San Francisco, CA, and its wholly owned subsidiaries, PMSLIC Insurance Company, Mechanicsburg, PA, and Medicus Insurance Company, Austin, TX, announced the retirement today of James Sunseri as president and chief executive officer. The NORCAL Group also made known the selection of Scott Diener, CPCU, to succeed Sunseri as of October 10, 2011. Diener was previously executive vice president and chief operating officer for the NORCAL Group. Sunseri will continue with the NORCAL Group as a consultant until January 15, 2012.

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October 5, 2011 — Today, the acquisition of Medicus Insurance Company, Austin, TX, by NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company, San Francisco, CA, was finalized following approvals from the Texas Department of Insurance.

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September 27, 2011 — NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company has declared dividends for policyholders in California, Alaska and Rhode Island for 2012.

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August 12, 2011 — The NORCAL Group, which includes NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company, San Francisco, CA, and PMSLIC Insurance Company, Mechanicsburg, PA, has chosen Dustin Shaver as its next Vice President of Risk Management and Continuing Medical Education. Shaver assumes the role on September 1st and will replace current Vice President Stephen M. Farber when he retires at the end of October.

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July 29, 2011 — Today, NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company of San Francisco, CA announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement for the acquisition of Medicus Insurance Holdings, Inc. of Austin, TX and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Medicus Insurance Company. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approval.

NORCAL Mutual President & CEO, Jim Sunseri, commented, "This acquisition of a growing, national medical malpractice carrier affords the NORCAL Group, including NORCAL Mutual and PMSLIC Insurance Company of Mechanicsburg, PA, an opportunity to extend our reach nationally. Likewise, NORCAL's capital resources coupled with our A.M. Best rating of A (Excellent-Stable) will enable Medicus to continue on its growth trajectory."

Medicus is admitted to write business in 31 states throughout the country. In 2010, Medicus had direct written premiums of $54 million and the NORCAL Group had direct written premiums of $240 million. On a combined basis, the NORCAL Group will be the ninth largest provider of medical professional liability insurance in the country, according to information published.

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Congratulations to the Winners of NORCAL Mutual’s 2011 Proxy Drawing! They Are:

Apple® iPad® Winner:
Dr. Annie Marie Santos

Amazon® Kindle® Winner:
Dr. Michael Timothy Ketelaar

Apple® iPod® Winner:
Dr. Christopher Dale Johnson

Policyholders will have more opportunities to win in 2012.

July 25, 2011 — The NORCAL Group has named Douglas M. Hall as the new vice president of information technology, replacing retiring Mark L. Gire.

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July 7, 2011 — One of a doctor's most difficult tasks is disclosing an unanticipated outcome to a patient. Done poorly, it can aggravate the situation and increase the odds of a lawsuit. A new webcast from NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company's Risk Management Department recommends best practices for managing and disclosing an unanticipated outcome.

The goals of the webcast are to help providers handle a difficult situation as compassionately and safely as possible while reducing the risk of a malpractice claim. After explaining how to use informed consent properly to prepare patients for the possibility of such an event, the webcast goes on to describe the best way to disclose the event.

"An analysis of claims shows that the manner in which a patient learns of an unanticipated outcome influences subsequent actions," said Steve Farber, Vice President of Risk Management and Continuing Medical Education. "Through this webcast, we hope to see a positive impact on claims stemming from adverse events."

The Nine Steps

The webcast breaks down disclosure into nine steps:

1. Take care of the patient.
2. Preserve the evidence.
3. Document the event.
4. Complete mandatory reports.
5. Notify the medical professional liability insurer.
6. Disclose the event to the patient.
7. Analyze the event.
8. Follow through with the patient.
9. Support the healthcare team.

The webcast can be accessed by policyholders in MyNORCAL, the policyholder-only section of norcalmutual.com. Login to MyNORCAL, go to Risk Solutions, then to Claims Rx & MyCME.

July 1, 2011 — Last Thursday, June 30, NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company submitted a rate filing to the California Department of Insurance (DOI). We will be working with the DOI over the next few months on the approval of the filing.

NORCAL Mutual, as a physician-owned insurance company, remains focused on its financial strength and stability for the long-term benefit of our policyholders. We return premium in the form of dividends when conditions allow. To date, we have declared dividends in 31 of the last 33 years, totaling more than $400 million in declared dividends to policyholders.

We will provide updates as we learn more information from the Department.

June 27, 2011 — MyNORCAL, the policyholder-only section of norcalmutual.com, now allows users to access their policy and billing documents online, greatly reducing the need to store — and later try to find — paper copies.

Password-protected MyNORCAL brings physicians round-the-clock access to policy and billing documents effective January 1, 2011, or later, as well as risk management resources.

Policyholder News Center
Another new feature of MyNORCAL is the news center, where policyholders find in-depth news bulletins on NORCAL Mutual.

Risk Solutions
MyNORCAL features Risk Solutions, a unique repository of risk management and CME tools and resources. Users will find:

• Claims Rx, our monthly risk management publication.
• MyCME — Industry-leading CME courses and over 50 resource documents and sample forms specific to states in which we do business.
• Electronic Health Record (EHR) Tools — User-friendly guidance on EHR issues, trends, implementation, etc.
• DataShield™ Learning Center — A library of resources on securing sensitive and confidential data, compliance guidelines, etc.

How to Open a Log-In Account
Policyholders who don't have a MyNORCAL log-in account should call Policyholder Services at
(877) 443-7232 to receive the client ID needed to create your account. A Policyholder Services representative will assist you in setting up the account. Please note, hospital policies will be available after September 1, 2011.

Click here to learn more or go to your MyNORCAL log-in account.

June 15, 2011 — On May 19, Anchorage became home to Alaska's first Medicare clinic, the Alaska Medicare Clinic at 11260 Old Seward Highway. The need for such a clinic came as a result of a severe lack of primary care physicians in the area who were accepting new Medicare patients.

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June 10, 2011 — NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company and PMSLIC Insurance Company, two of the medical professional liability carriers in the NORCAL Group, have appointed Jaan E. Sidorov, MD, as Chair of their respective Boards of Directors, effective June 4, 2011. Dr. Sidorov replaces outgoing Board Chair David R. Holley, MD. The two boards also have a new member, Sandra Beretta, MD.

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May 20, 2011 — A.M. Best, the insurance rating service, has rated NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company of San Francisco, CA "A" (Excellent-Stable). This represents the twenty-eighth consecutive year, the medical malpractice insurer has been rated "A" by A.M. Best. According to Best, the rating outlook is based upon the stability in operating results, continued strong policyholder retention, and demonstrated commitment to pricing and reserving adequacy.

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May 11, 2011 — The NORCAL Group companies – NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company and PMSLIC Insurance Company – in conjunction with Stevens & Lee, a leading healthcare medical professional defense and risk mitigation firm, are pleased to present a unique program combining risk management and medical professional liability insurance for obstetricians and gynecologists called OB Protect.  

Created by a team of nationally recognized obstetricians, risk managers and insurance experts, this program is committed to enhancing OB safety and quality of care through focused risk management and patient safety strategies. The OB Protect program is now available in the state of New Jersey. Further expansion of this program is planned in other states throughout the year including Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia and Texas.

For more information on your state, please call OB Protect at (415) 735-2525 or visit the website at www.obprotect.com

April 29, 2011 — On April 1, 2011, NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company of San Francisco, CA entered into an agreement under which a newly formed, NORCAL Group-managed risk retention group will acquire through merger Novus Insurance Company Risk Retention Group, domiciled in South Carolina.

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April 27, 2011 — The 2010 NORCAL Mutual Annual Report has been published and mailed to all policyholders except those who have opted to receive it electronically. It has also been posted on this website under the Publications tab.

With the theme Strength and Value in Changing Times, the report presents the highlights of a year in which national healthcare reform legislation was passed, with as-yet undetermined consequences for the healthcare and medical liability industries. The report documents not only NORCAL's achievements in maintaining financial strength but also the steps we are taking to anticipate and meet new and emerging needs among our policyholders.

March 17, 2011 — Increased limits are now available for DataShield, NORCAL Mutual's coverage enhancement providing substantial protection for information, computer and network risk. For more information, call Policyholder Services at (877) 443-7232.

To learn more about DataShield, click here.

March 11, 2011 — We at NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company extend our heartfelt condolences to the people and government of Japan at this difficult time. As part of the growing worldwide relief effort, we are eager to support and extend coverage to our policyholders who wish to travel to Japan to provide volunteer charitable medical services. We ask that policyholders planning to travel to Japan to aid in relief efforts contact Policyholder Services at (877) 443-7232, or your broker, for additional details.

January 18, 2011 — Jaan E. Sidorov, MD, Secretary and Chair-Elect of the Board of Directors at NORCAL Mutual, has been honored with the 2010 Laureate Award by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP). The annual award goes to an ACP member who has demonstrated an abiding commitment to excellence in medical care, education, or research, and to service to the community and ACP. To learn more, go to your MyNORCAL Log-In account and click News Center.

January 6, 2011 — NORCAL Mutual has named two new members to the Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2011: Rebecca J. Patchin, MD, an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist in Loma Linda, CA; and Scott C. Syphax, President and CEO of Nehemiah Corporation of America (NCA), Sacramento, CA. To learn more, go to your MyNORCAL Log-In account and click News Center.