Medical liability insurers adding personality tests to application process

Some physicians question the accuracy of the assessments and say these may make obtaining affordable coverage even harder. Other doctors say the tests may help.

By Amy Lynn Sorrel, AMNews staff. Oct. 1, 2007.

Are physicians risk takers? Are they influenced by what others think of their behavior?

Some medical liability insurers want to know and are quizzing doctors on their bedside manner in hopes of reducing medical liability claims.

Iowa-based United Medical Liability Insurance Co. is among the latest to require physicians to take a communication skills assessment -- akin to a personality test -- before issuing a policy.

In a 15-minute online test, doctors must respond to statements that gauge how they view themselves and how they believe others view them.

"The idea is not to become invasive, but to create awareness of what might be seen as an issue and reduce the probability of a malpractice claim," said James E. Krist, president and CEO of United Medical.

Doctors who fare "poorly" on the assessment have to go through a coaching session, at no cost to them, on how to improve their communication skills if they want coverage. The coaching also is available to any physician already insured with the company. United Medical has been using the test for at least a year in Iowa and hopes to further refine it to account for physicians' roles in different specialties, Krist said.

"We can't change personality, but we can change behaviors," he said.

Insurers point to a host of studies over the past decade linking physicians' communication skills -- or lack thereof -- to the potential for getting sued. They see the test as one way to predict and possibly curb that risk.