In 1971, the University of Florida J. Hillis Miller Health Center Self-Insurance Program was established at the University of Florida. It was one of the first, if not the first, of its kind in the United States and set a standard for medical professional liability protection in the academic health care setting. Since that time, the population of Florida has more than tripled and, as of the beginning of 2021, Florida is now the third most populated state in the United States, falling only below California and Texas. In response to this growth these past 50 years, the health care education landscape in Florida has experienced extraordinary and necessary development that includes the creation of many new health-related colleges, not-for-profit support organizations and facilities; State University System health care education programs expanded to virtually all areas in the Sunshine State. Along the way, Self-Insurance Programs (SIPs) were created by the Florida Board of Governors for Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University and the University of South Florida to join the already established SIP at the University of Florida Gainesville and Jacksonville campuses. These programs manage the patient general and healthcare professional liability exposures arising from the educational, research, and clinical missions of the their program participants, to include the Boards of Trustees of the universities, their student health care programs, and several affiliate teaching hospitals.
I have had the honor of working with each of the Florida Board of Governors SIPs and currently serve as the administrator of five of the state’s six programs. These programs are staffed by professionals with expertise in the areas of casualty insurance, specializing in healthcare professional and general liability, as well as law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and loss prevention. In addition to the general and professional liability coverage afforded, SIP staff provide services in claims management, litigation defense, underwriting, finance, and loss prevention. The programs are also dedicated to patient safety through our popular health care provider lecture series, our extensive medical-legal continuing education training, and through the Florida Academic Health Patient Safety Organization (FAH PSO) and the Academic Medical Center Patient Safety Organization (AMC PSO). I invite you to take advantage of our convenient on-line CE-approved education courses that are provided free of charge to our participants. Course topics include a 2-hour mandatory medical error prevention program approved by the Florida Board of Medicine, as well as other important health care/legal topics confronted by Florida providers. I also urge you take SIP 101 which explains our reporting requirements for liability protection.
The Florida Board of Governors Self-Insurance Programs focus on providing vigorous protection to their participating health care providers while at the same time partnering with them to provide excellent patient care through education and patient safety initiatives. We look forward to serving you. Please call our office at (352) 273-7006, or (844) MY FL SIP, with any questions.
Self-Insurance Programs
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