The Missouri Department of Insurance has released its 2010 Missouri Medical Malpractice Insurance Report, which is available here.    The MO Dept. of Insurance has collected data on Missouri medical malpractice claims for more than 30 years.  This is important data for physicians, hospitals, and insurance companies because it shows how claim frequency and severity fluctuates from year to year. 

The 2010 report shows that the number of malpractice claims in MO has trended downward substantially since 2005.  The number of claims in ’05 was 3,216 and was down to 1,708 in 2010.  Not only were the number of claims down, but the amount of average payments declined to $200,765 down from the highest average of over $250,000 in ’05. 

The declining number of malpractice claims in the state has created a climate that is favorable for medical malpractice insurance companies as well as hospitals and physicians.  The rates for medical malpractice insurance in Missouri are very competitive.  Physicians are paying lower premiums as a result of the stable environment, and most physicians see Missouri as good place to practice medicine.