Medical professional liability insurance, more commonly known as malpractice insurance, is the most important insurance for oral and maxillofacial surgeons. To explain why this is, we are joined today by Anthony M. Spina, MD, DDS, whose position on the Board of Directors at OMS National Insurance (OMSNIC) makes him the perfect candidate to detail the value of malpractice insurance for medical professionals. Dr. Spina walks us through his journey to becoming a member of OMSNIC’s Board of Directors, his current practice setup, and his definition of malpractice insurance. Then, we learn more about malpractice insurance policies, why OMSNIC is the go-to insurer, OMSNIC’s meticulous claim review process, and the national and global trends that Dr. Spina sees playing out in malpractice insurance claims. To end, Dr. Spina shares some important advice on the best practices for preventing and reducing the risk of malpractice allegations.  

Key Points From This Episode:

• Dr. Anthony Spina walks us through his professional history and current practice setup.
• How he became involved with OMSNIC; his route to landing a seat on the Board of Directors. 
• Our guest’s definition of malpractice insurance/medical professional liability insurance. 
• Notable trends that Dr. Spina has witnessed in malpractice insurance claims. 
• Dr. Spina’s advice on how to prevent malpractice allegations. 
• His final words of wisdom and encouragement for listeners. 

Quotes:

“Malpractice insurance, also known as medical professional liability insurance, is what I consider to be the most fundamental insurance we have as oral and maxillofacial surgeons. It protects our ability to practice; it protects our livelihood.” — Dr. Anthony Spina [0:03:53]

“Insurance, for me, is very simple. I insure things that I cannot afford to replace, and I cannot afford to replace my profession.” — Dr. Anthony Spina [0:04:08]

“In a liability claim, the patient comes with a verbal story; we come with a written record. And as everybody knows in the legal arena, written is better than verbal.” — Dr. Anthony Spina [0:24:07]

“We’re stronger together than individually – if we stay together, we can make a bigger impact.” — Dr. Anthony Spina [0:28:14]

“There’s no way to really prevent a malpractice allegation – but we can recognize that it’s always a possibility and have strategies to mitigate or lessen the chances of that happening, or if it does happen, have the documentation prepared so it minimizes the impact of that allegation.” — Dr. Anthony Spina [0:28:37]

“You have to be available for your patients, you have to be affable, and you have to be able. If you stick to that, then there’s a lower likelihood of a patient filing suit.” — Dr. Anthony Spina [0:29:17]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Dr. Anthony Spina on LinkedIn — linkedin.com/in/anthony-spina-b860893a/ 

Dr. Anthony Spina Email — [email protected] 

OMS National Insurance — omsnic.com

Chicago Surgical Specialists — chicagosurgical.com/  

MPL Association — mplassociation.org/ 

Everyday Oral Surgery on Instagram — instagram.com/everydayoralsurgery/ 

Everyday Oral Surgery on Facebook — facebook.com/EverydayOralSurgery/

Dr. Grant Stucki Email — [email protected]

Dr. Grant Stucki Phone — 720-441-6059