Board Member Profile
Craig A. Backs, MD

Elected to ISMIE Mutual’s Board of Directors in 2006, Dr. Craig A. Backs is an internist from Springfield – and a passionate advocate for his patients and fellow physicians. He earned his medical degree and completed his residency at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Dr. Backs has held numerous leadership roles in organized medicine, including president of the Sangamon County Medical Society and of the Illinois State Medical Society (2005-06). Currently, Dr. Backs serves on ISMIE’s Reinsurance and Long Range Planning Committee. He has served as medical staff president at St. John’s Hospital and at Doctors Hospital, Springfield.

How does ISMIE work to assure continuous policyholder service?
An ongoing goal is to continue ISMIE’s dedicated stewardship of our financial resources while
avoiding the temptation to compete only on price. ISMIE owes its 30 years of continuous
service to its conservative approach to underwriting. Additionally, stable, long-term liability reform is critical to long-term policyholder service. In this regard, ISMIE has a solid history of physician advocacy.

What are the particular challenges of maintaining a practice in downstate Illinois today?
Physicians in the southwest part of the state are concerned that improvements in the litigation
environment following the 2004 Karmeier judicial election will not persist. However, there are other serious problems: Many patients must travel long distances to receive care. Also, downstate Illinois tends to have a patient mix that is more dependent on Medicare and Medicaid. Reimbursements for Medicare tend to be lower in some rural areas, while costs may not be as low as assumed by the formula used to calculate payment. We must keep the pressure on lawmakers in Washington to fix the faulty formula.

How do we beat back the current Constitutional challenge of Illinois’ medical liability reform law?
We will have strong legal arguments on our side, and the legal team defending the challenge will
be outstanding and respected. Equally important: The public understands that liability reform
preserves access to health care.

If the Illinois Supreme Court hears and understands the legal and constitutional foundation of
our position, and if they hear the public sentiment in favor of the reforms, I believe we will prevail.
We must keep the positive consequences of liability reform in the public eye, or we risk losing these hard-won gains.

Why should Illinois physicians choose ISMIE Mutual over other professional liability insurance carriers?
ISMIE is directed by physicians. Period. We don’t serve stockholders; we serve our insured
physicians. ISMIE understands physicians and the medicine behind the medical liability insurance market.

When did you know you wanted to be a physician?
I was in high school when I felt called to a career in medicine. I thought it would be a great way to use my talents to have a rewarding life and serve others. Although my pastor tried to convince me to go into ministry, my dad wanted me to follow in his footsteps as a mechanic, and others proposed accounting, I never seriously considered alternatives to the best profession.

I’m proud to hear patients introduce me and say, “This is my doctor.”