1. Become a Risk Management Fellow  
2. The Constitutional Challenge Continues 
3. They’re At It Again…Political Brawl in Wisconsin

Become a Risk Management Fellow 

Have you considered becoming a risk management fellow? Well, here’s what you need to know. Our Managing Risk Fellowship Program recognizes policyholders who have demonstrated a long-standing commitment to managing risk in their practice. This fellowship, which was launched in 2006, has been quite successful as a means for ISMIE to expand our partnership with you. Whether you’re just starting out or well on your way toward completing the requisite courses, now is the time to put your plan into action.

To become a recognized Managing Risk Fellow, you must successfully complete six ISMIE risk management prerequisite courses before you are eligible to take the online final exam. The time of completion of these courses is variable and largely depends upon you. The curriculum requires that the following courses must be completed:

• All four e-learning programs listed below
  
  • Documentation Workshop
  • Loss Prevention Strategies for Physicians
  • Managing Your Risk: In the Office/At the Hospital
  • Risk Prevention Skills: Communicating and Record Keeping in Clinical Practice
  
  
• This live seminar:
  
  • Preventing Medical Misadventure
  
  
• This live seminar:
  
  • Clinician-Patient Communication to Enhance Health Outcomes
  • Improving Communications to Reduce Your Malpractice Risk

Successful completion of the program, which includes six mandatory Risk Rewards components and a final exam, will earn you a 10% premium discount for TWO policy years. Risk management courses you completed during the past three years may meet some, if not all of the Managing Risk Fellowship requirements.

To find out more, visit ISMIE’s Web site at www.ismie.com and click on the Fellowship Program. You may also contact ISMIE Mutual’s Risk Management Division at 800-782-4767, ext. 3300 or email us at riskmanagement@ismie.com. For a list of coursework you’ve already completed, be sure to click on MyRewards, a personalized progress report of your Risk Rewards activities.

The Constitutional Challenge Continues

On March 10, 2008 Cook County Circuit Court Judge, Diane Larsen, ruled against our request to keep the tort reform law in place, even temporarily, until the Illinois State Supreme Court can review this matter. What kind of challenges does this pose for us? While this decision technically affects only the single lawsuit to which it pertains, we are going to have to remain vigilant in arguing against some Chicago area civil courts viewing Judge Larsen’s decision as a precedent in other cases. Visit: More Roadblocks on Judicial Trail for additional information.

Despite this recent decision, we are continuing our battle to retain tort reform in Illinois.  ISMS and ISMIE Mutual will be filing briefs on the constitutional case before the deadline in June. We are also beginning a series of radio spots that are scheduled to air around the state. It is critical that the patients of Illinois hear loud and clear why the liability reform law must stand. We need to keep doctors in Illinois! To hear these ads or to obtain more information regarding our fight for liability reform, you can visit www.realitymedicine.com. For additional information, the Illinois Civil Justice League provides information at www.icjl.org.

They’re At It Again…Political Brawl in Wisconsin 

... They’re At It Again

One might ask, “Why is the judicial selection so important? You never used to hear about the judges' elections.” As we look at our neighboring state of Wisconsin, the explanation is clear… When voters went to the polls this past April Fools’ day, perhaps the Wisconsin State Supreme Court realized that the joke was on them (Wall Street Journal Article).  One of the court’s most liberal members, Justice Louis Butler, lost re-election to Mike Gableman (51 to 49 percent).  Butler was known for his liberal activism on the court, which liberals enjoyed a 5-4 majority.

After swinging sharply to the left, the court systematically dismantled the state’s tort reform laws, eliminating caps on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice rulings. Butler was often the ringleader. Aside from malpractice rulings, Butler garnered the reputation for favoring defendants in criminal cases. This reputation earned him the name of “Loophole Louis” during the campaign. Taking all these factors into consideration, some Wisconsin voters began to mount a challenge to Justice Butler’s re-election and rallied around Judge Gableman, a former state prosecutor.

Wonder what Gableman’s position is on tort reform? No one knows yet! However, Gableman labeled his opponent as a “judicial activist” without giving specifics. Perhaps, he will bring much needed change. For more information on Gableman as the new Supreme Court Judge, you can go to Gableman’s web site. For more information on the Illinois races visit: www.icjl.org.

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