Report Reveals Stabilization of Hospital Liability Claim Frequency, Increase in Severity

The frequency of hospital liability claims has stabilized, but the average claim severity has increased overall since 2006, according to the results of the 2012 Zurich Insurance Group annual benchmarking report on U.S. claims trends in healthcare. In the report, Zurich reveals that the frequency of hospital claims, now at approximately 2 claims per 100 occupied bed equivalents, has stabilized since 2006. Zurich’s analysts suggest the impact of tort reform and patient safety and risk management activities as major contributors.