The MPL Association’s Data Sharing Project (DSP) is a closed claims database designed to support the medical professional liability industry. Participating member companies voluntarily submit claims data, which include claims resulting with or without indemnity payments, allowing for a more comprehensive analysis of claim trends, severity, and outcomes. This collaborative effort enhances industry insights and supports informed decision making for marketing, underwriting, claims management, risk management, and governmental affairs.

This highlight examines closed MPL claims from 2014 to 2023 using injury severity classifications based on NAIC severity injury codes, combined into four severity categories (mild, moderate, severe, and death) as outlined in Table 1. The data shows that closed with payment (CWP) ratios generally increase with injury severity, with severe injuries reporting the highest CWP ratio at 36% compared to 28% for the overall dataset. While mild and moderate injuries account for 55.3% of total closed claim counts, higher severity injuries are associated with higher indemnity payments with average indemnity 58% higher than the dataset average. Defense costs are incurred across all severities, including claims that do not result in indemnity payments. Severe injuries were also associated with higher defense costs, 44% higher than the overall average. The last figure illustrates MPL costs by claim resolution and highlights the five most common resulting medical conditions (outcomes) among paid claims for each claim severity classification.