National Guardian Risk Retention Group
Occurrence-Based Coverage - Now and in the Future
ECI founded National Guardian Risk Retention Group (NGRRG) on January 1, 1989, to provide professional liability insurance for the physicians and other health professionals contracting with ECI-affiliated limited liability partnerships. The program has been very successful and continues in full operation today, having insured over eleven million patient visits.
Its guiding principles - then and now - remain the same:
- Insurance availability now and in the future
- Emergency physicians vigorously defending/protecting emergency physicians
- Reasonable cost control and predictability
- ECI and its affiliated groups and physicians controlling the groups’ own medical liability destiny
As an association captive, NGRRG can only insure physicians, professional corporations, and limited liability partnerships that are members of its owner, the Association. Only members of the Association being engaged in similar or related businesses with respect to the liability to which they are exposed are provided insurance by NGRRG.
Since 1991, the NGRRG policy has made available an unlimited “extended reporting period” coverage for all of its insured. This extended reporting period provides coverage for any subsequent claims arising from incidents that occurred while the physician was under contract. Effective January 1, 2008, the insurance coverage is written on an occurrence-made basis. This type of insurance is a significant benefit to the physician partner because it ensures that there is no claim that will ever not be covered, no matter where they practice at the time the suit is filed. And, it eliminates the need to ever worry about “tail” coverage because none is required with this type of policy.
One of the reasons for ECI’s stellar claims history is contracting the right physicians. ECI has more than 35 years of expertise in staffing and management. Our Recruiting Consultants are successful in matching qualified physicians to our facilities by determining their clinical experience and credentials. Therefore, the Recruiters select those physicians that best meet ECI’s high standards.
NGRRG is not (and has never been) subject to the market pressures of the malpractice industry, where the norm has become triple-digit rate increases, shrinking number’s of insurance carriers, and extremely onerous underwriting requirements.. Because NGRRG insures only ECI-affiliated groups and physicians, it is not required to undercut its rates to attract market share.
Due to its excellent position in the market, NGRRG has unlimited capacity to match ECI’s growth. This further guarantees stable pricing and an excellent financial status into the foreseeable future.
