Annual Baseline Self-Assessment

Benchmark Your Practice

You rely on strict office protocols to serve your patients with confidence. Do you ever wonder how well your staff understands them? Are you curious about how well your practice compares to others when it comes to office processes? Our simple Annual Baseline Self-Assessment (ABSA) shows how well your team manages risk.

About the ABSA

The ABSA is a brief survey that can be completed by the entire healthcare team (physicians included) in a few short minutes. Questions focus on office processes related to medical liability. This approach promotes candid answers to help us identify gaps in knowledge. Aggregated results are then reviewed so that focused educational opportunities can address the gaps. With a better understanding of what puts a practice at risk, we can improve defensibility in the event of a claim.

Ultimately the ABSA helps our Risk Management team build relationships with our insureds—helping understand their day-to-day activities and work with them to mitigate risk. We want to partner with medical professionals to help them do what they do best. The ABSA not only helps us with those goals but will provide a level of detail we’ve never had before on the unique risk factors each practice is facing.

ProAssurance insureds can request the ABSA via the button above. Appointed agents can request the ABSA on behalf of their clients via our agent request form.

Schedule Your Practice’s Self-Assessment

Insureds who are interested can schedule an assessment at any time. We will ask you for one point of contact for your practice to help facilitate the process. After setup, that contact will get a link to the survey to distribute throughout the practice. The survey takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes for each individual to complete.

The assessment typically starts on a Monday and runs for two weeks. After that, the compiled data will go to a Risk Management consultant for review. The consultant will then prepare a report and compile any resources needed to address knowledge gaps. Practices can expect the report within 30 days of survey completion.

Survey Content

The ABSA survey is designed to hone in on common hotspots of liability risk. If a practice has concerns in a particular area, the Risk Management team can develop customized recommendations for the group. Below is a list of samples of risk management tools and learning opportunities that align with the content of the ABSA. New resources will be developed based on what we learn from the aggregate survey data as the ABSA rolls out to insureds.

Patient Communication The practice provides clear and timely communication to empower patients with information, promote adherence to treatment plans, and strengthen the patient-provider relationship, contributing to a more effective and patient-centered healthcare experience.

Documentation The provider maintains a well-documented medical record that reflects all clinically relevant aspects of the patient’s health, including a clear, timely, and accurate record of all patient and provider communications to ensure a comprehensive patient record.

Informed Consent Providers obtain patient agreement for medical procedures, fostering transparency in healthcare decision-making. Patients receive information and ask questions about recommended treatments to make well-considered decisions about care.

Infection Prevention Infection prevention emphasizes protocols to minimize the risk of healthcare-associated infections, promoting a safe clinical environment.

Emergency Preparedness Emergency preparedness addresses strategies for swift response and management of unexpected medical and critical situations such as natural disasters, fires, and security threats.

Staff Training and Competencies Practice staff receives ongoing education to enhance skills and awareness of safety protocols, as a strong protection against a medical professional liability claim and to contribute to the success of a practice.

Services The practice evaluates and optimizes the delivery of healthcare offerings.

Safety Culture The practice emphasizes fostering a workplace environment prioritizing patient and staff well-being.

Potential Premium Credit

Participation in the ABSA may qualify physicians for up to 5% premium credit for completion of the activity as described.

Insureds with policies on E&S, OBRA, most Certitude programs, and Wisconsin physicians who are not eligible for the Wisconsin Medical Society Member Benefit Program are not eligible to receive premium credit from these activities due to current rate structures. Contact your ProAssurance agent or underwriter for questions on potential premium credit.

The ABSA cannot be used to earn CME. View our Seminar or Claims Rx libraries to learn more about CME opportunities for ProAssurance insureds.