General Information

Advisory Board
Advisory Council

Northwest Physicians Insurance Company (NPIC) received its Certificate of Authority to write property and casualty insurance in the State of Oregon on November 23, 1983. NPIC was founded by a group of Salem, Oregon area physicians from a committee of the Marion-Polk County Medical Society. NPIC insures physicians, allied health professionals and their associated medical staffs and clinics.

NPIC is licensed in Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, California, Washington, Montana and Nevada. The Company writes professional liability insurance for physicians, medical groups and IPA's.

Through NPMIC Insurance Agency Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, in Oregon, the company provides a full range of insurance products.

NPIC currently has thirty -two employees with the home office located in Salem at 2965 Ryan Drive SE. NPIC is controlled by a Board of Directors comprised of nine physician policyholders representing a broad base of medical specialties and geographical areas. The Board is chaired by Dr. William J. Gallagher.  Directors are elected by the policyholders. In order to increase input to the Board of Directors from the membership, an Advisory Council of over thirty physicians has been selected by the Board. The Advisory Council represents a broader base of the physician membership and represents virtually all specialties and geographical areas of members insured by the Company.

NPIC has grown steadily since the inception of the Company in 1983. NPIC insures over 2,300 physicians in Oregon, Idaho and Washington; it is the largest insurer of physicians in Oregon.

Operations   
The Company operates with extensive input from various committees of the Board of Directors.  The Underwriting Committee reviews all applications for insurance. The Claims Committee, which meets monthly, reviews all claims made against member physicians. The Claims Committee reviews the medical facts of the cases and makes the decision on defense or settlement of cases. The Finance Committee reviews the budget and establishes guidelines for investments along with selecting the investment advisors of the Company. The Board of Directors meets five times per year to make major decisions and set direction for the Company. Directors are elected by the policyholders for three-year terms with one-third of the Directors coming up for election each year. The Board of Directors hires management personnel and appoints officers to run the Company operations.  James T. Dorigan, CPCU is the Chief Executive Officer,  Dr. William J. Gallagher is President and Chairman of the Board.

Claims
The claims philosophy of NPIC is to quickly identify and vigorously defend medically defensible malpractice actions. In addition, if medical malpractice is found, the Company strives to quickly settle or resolve the claim in order to avoid a prolonged and expensive litigation and discovery process. The Claims Representatives  provide superior claims service and active management which results in lower legal fees and better service to the policyholders in managing the medical malpractice cases.

Defense attorneys are selected based on their experience and expertise in defending physicians. Generally, individual defense attorneys are selected rather than defense firms. The defense firms used by the Company tend to be smaller firms which the Claims Committee and management feel are able to provide a superior level of service to the Company and the defendant physicians. The performance of the defense attorneys is evaluated regularly.  All new claims are reviewed by the Claims Committee. Medical reviews are analyzed and decisions as to defense or settlement are made by that Committee.

Phone: 503-371-8228 or 1-800-243-3503
Email info@npictdc.com
Northwest Physicians Insurance Company Copyright (c) 1998
2965 Ryan Drive S.E., Salem, Oregon 97301