Biorisk Management Solutions for the Insurance Industry
UNDERWRITING BIOLOGICAL RISKS IN MEDICAL AND LABORATORY FACILITIES
The 278,000 hospitals and medical facilities, blood banks, and testing laboratories across the US are not without substantial risks from biological pathogens. Research laboratories, representing approximately 12,500 locations in the United States, including government laboratories, universities, drug companies, and other private laboratories account for another widespread block of potential customers. These risks may already be on your books in the form of general liability, errors and omissions, workman’s compensation, and real estate coverages.
BIOLOGICAL RISKS ARE A REAL AND IMMEDIATE CONCERN.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, Clostridium difficile, Staphylococcus Aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae are the most prevalent hospital acquired pathogens. That’s not the end of the story. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) hospital acquired infections are among the leading causes of preventable deaths in the US and are associated with a substantial increase in health costs each year. But wait … it gets worse. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) and other drug resistant “superbug” infections make the headlines on a weekly basis because they’re at near epidemic levels in US hospitals. The US Centers for Disease Control identify the following 18 increasingly drug resistant “superbugs” as “urgent, serious and concerning threats” to mankind. All are becoming increasingly prevalent at alarming rates.
- Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE)
- Drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae
- Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter
- Drug-resistant Campylobacter
- Fluconazole-resistant Candida
- Extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLs)
- Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE)
- Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Drug-resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella and Salmonella Typhi
- Drug-resistant Shigella
- Clostridium Difficile
- Methicillin-resistant and Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA and VRSA)
- Drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumonia
- Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB)
- Erythromycin-resistant Group A and Clindamycin-resistant Group B Streptococcus