1. Risk Rewards Brings Policyholders New Opportunities
2. The Fight to Keep Doctors in Illinois Involves You
3. MyPolicy Provides 24-Hour Access to Your Insurance Policy
4. They’re At It Again…

Risk Rewards Brings Policyholders New Opportunities 
ISMIE Mutual is proud to announce Risk Rewards Connect, a new audioconference series designed to allow policyholders to participate in risk management learning by telephone. You can participate in these one hour seminars from your office, home or anywhere else. All you need is access to a telephone. Registered participants will receive an e-mail with instructions. The following are upcoming audioconferences:

Implementing a Just Culture to Improve Patient Safety
12:00-1:00 pm
Thursday
May 29, 2008

Case Studies in Litigation
12:00-1:00 pm
Tuesday
June 10, 2008

Each audioconference successfully completed will earn you a 1% premium discount for one policy year along with AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Risk Rewards premium discounts earned in 2008 will be applied to your annual policy renewal on or after July 1, 2009. Discounts that exceed the 15% annual limit may not be carried over to calendar year 2009. To register for any of our audioconferences, call 1-800-775-7654. For more information visit www.ismie.com.   

The Fight to Keep Doctors in Illinois Involves You

ISMIE has been on the front lines in the battle to obtain and now keep tort reform in Illinois. The greatest resource that ISMIE has in this battle is you, our policyholder partner. Have you visited our Reality Medicine web site lately? Are you wearing your green Keep Doctors in Illinois wrist band? We are engaged in considerable efforts to keep physicians in Illinois and assure access to quality health care for our patients throughout the state. It is very likely that sometime this year the Illinois Supreme Court will be considering the constitutionality of our medical litigation reform laws. Help us keep our hard won victory. Remember to talk to your patients and keep them informed on this important fight that is taking place, right now, in Illinois.

For more information, visit www.realitymedicine.com and www.ismie.com. If you need a supply of Keep Doctors in Illinois wrist bands for your patients and staff send an e-mail to us at info@ismie.com.

MyPolicy Provides 24-Hour Access to Your Insurance Policy 

ISMIE Mutual, your Physician First Service Insurer, provides you with MyPolicy, an on-line system that tells you everything you need to know about your ISMIE policy 24 hours a day. This includes premium information and a current loss history letter--all available at your fingertips.

Have you tried MyPolicy lately? Using the site is easy. Simply visit www.ismie.com and click on Policyholder Home. Utilizing your username and password, get your personalized policy information whenever you need it. For questions regarding MyPolicy, go to onlinehelp@ismie.com or contact ISMIE Mutual at 888-476-7776.

They’re At It Again…

“Why isn’t this Congress willing to investigate alleged misconduct among trial lawyers?” This was the question recently posed by the president of the American Tort Reform Association, Sherman “Tiger” Joyce, following guilty pleas by three of the nation’s most powerful and widely known plaintiffs’ lawyers.

Melvin Weiss (once called the “King of Class Action Lawsuits”), his former partner William Lerach, and Richard “Dickie” Scruggs have each pled guilty to federal racketeering conspiracy charges. Weiss and Lerach admitted to funneling kickbacks to professional plaintiffs in class action suits filed by their law firm, and Scruggs admitted to bribing a judge over the distribution of attorneys’ fees in a Hurricane Katrina insurance lawsuit.

During an online interview, Lerach used an “everybody does it” argument to minimize his crimes, which points out just how widespread the problem is. So again, we come back to Mr. Joyce’s question,” Why isn’t this Congress willing to investigate alleged misconduct among trial lawyers? Why aren’t the chairmen of the House and Senate judiciary committees and other congressional leaders calling for hearing into apparent corruption within the litigation industry?”

Sherman Joyce’s comments can be found at The Hill newspaper and CQ Weekly web sites. More information regarding the trial of Weiss, Lerach and Scruggs can be found at the New York Post and ABA Journal web sites.

Let us know how we can make ISMIE-news more useful to you.
Please send your comments to e-news@ismie.com.