HATBORO, PA June 15, 2009 - In conjunction with Healthcare Risk Management Week (June 15 through June 19), Aon Affinity’s Nurses Service Organization and CNA HealthPro have released a new Nurse Claims Study that examines the overall nursing litigation environment and provides risk control recommendations. The analysis reviews 10 years (1997 – 2007) of malpractice suits brought against NSO insureds.

While common perception may be that doctors bear the brunt of lawsuits, the reality is that nurses are increasingly finding themselves defending the very care they provide to patients.

Three key findings uncovered by the study are:
• Over $94 million in indemnity payments and expenses have been paid out over the course of the 10 years analyzed, and an additional $43 million is set in reserve for open suits.
• While the obstetrics/gynecology nurse specialty realized the highest average paid indemnity at $335,000, the adult medical/surgical nurse specialty had the overall highest total dollar paid indemnity with nearly $30 million aggregate, and accounted for 56 percent of all closed claims.
• Thirty-eight percent of claims came from a hospital inpatient setting (excluding the hospital emergency department’s 7.8 percent). 

“It is CNA and NSO‘s intention that by sharing this information, identifying the causes of loss and incorporating risk management recommendations, we can improve the risk management knowledge of all nurses,” states Michael Scott, assistant vice president of CNA HealthPro.

Michael Loughran, executive vice president of Aon Affinity, concurs, “In preparing this claims study, we sought to better empower nurses to recognize and manage the risks and challenges they face on a daily basis in their practice and trust that the nursing community will find this study to be a valuable educational resource.” 

To read the 1997-2007 CNA HealthPro Nurse Claims Study, visit http://www.nso.com/rnclaimstudy.

CONTACT: Catherine Schneider at 215.293.1288 OR catherine_schneider@asg.aon.com

About Aon Affinity’s Nurses Service Organization
Nurses Service Organization is the largest provider of individual nurses’ professional liability insurance in the U.S., serving over 650,000 nurses, nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists. NSO has been answering the insurance needs of the nursing profession since 1976. For more information, visit http://www.nso.com. NSO is part of Aon Affinity, a subsidiary of Aon Corporation (NYSE: AOC) that combines the specialized knowledge of affinity program management with the extensive resources of a global company to bring an everyday commitment to helping clients achieve their goals. Aon Affinity offers full-service capabilities, technical expertise and industry knowledge to add value through an innovative approach to program strategy - from the design of products and services to the delivery of the marketing message. Visit http://www.aon.com/affinity for more information.

About CNA
This Professional Liability Insurance Program offered through Nurses Service Organization (NSO) was developed with CNA, the 7th largest U.S. commercial lines insurer with one million business and professional policyholders. CNA has been making and keeping commitments to policyholders for over 100 years and is proud of its “A” rating from A.M. Best Company, the nation’s leading independent insurance analyst. CNA has more than thirty years of experience in the professional liability field. For more information, log onto http://www.cna.com.

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