Conventus - New Jersey Medical Professional Liability Insurance Company Defending Good Medicine Against Medical Malpractice

Conventus, LMS Enter License Agreement for CALM Shoulder Screen™
(Woodbridge, NJ) November 7, 2007 — Conventus Inter-Insurance Exchange is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with LMS Medical Systems, a healthcare technology company and developer of the CALM® clinical information system and risk management software for obstetrics, to license CALM Shoulder ScreenTM. CALM Shoulder Screen is a program to assess the risk of shoulder dystocia, an obstetrical complication that occurs in thousands of deliveries in the US each year, often causing significant injury to the newborn.

Conventus is the only medical professional liability insurance company in New Jersey that is both 100% owned and 100% governed by its physician members. A member of the Physician Insurers Association of America (PIAA), Conventus insures more than 1,000 private practice physicians across multiple specialties in New Jersey. The company has chosen to provide its insured obstetricians with the LMS tool at no charge, and to promote its use will also give premium credits to those that fully implement and use the system in their practice.

“As a physician-owned company, we are committed to working in partnership with our member physicians to promote the highest quality health care,” said John Karlen, President of Conventus. “Our Vice President of Risk Management Susan Lieberman, working in conjunction with the physician members of our Risk Management Governance Committee, studied the CALM Shoulder Screen and felt it would be an important tool for helping our obstetricians avoid a serious complication during delivery. We’re excited to be able to provide this to them.”

Shoulder dystocia represents a common cause of payout in litigation against obstetricians in the United States. The condition occurs when the baby’s shoulder gets stuck behind the mother’s pubic bone during childbirth. Generally viewed in the medical community as unpredictable and unpreventable, shoulder dystocia is one of the most feared conditions that can occur during labor and delivery. Potential injuries include brachial plexus impairment, brain damage and sometimes death, with associated medical malpractice payouts ranging from $500,000 to $2 million.

“We believe this evidence-based, innovative tool is a significant step in helping physicians manage their risk and promote patient safety,” Susan Lieberman said.

About Conventus
Conventus Inter-Insurance Exchange is the only medical professional liability insurance company in New Jersey that is 100% owned and governed by its physician members. Formed in response to New Jersey’s medical professional liability insurance crisis, Conventus is a non-assessable reciprocal insurance exchange that is managed by experts in the property and casualty insurance industry. Its management team has extensive experience in medical professional liability insurance and in managing underwriting results for companies like Conventus.

About LMS
LMS is a leader in the application of advanced mathematical modeling and neural networks for medical use. The LMS CALM Suite for Obstetrics provides physicians, nursing staff, risk managers and hospital administrators with clinical information systems and risk management tools designed to improve outcomes and patient care for mothers and their infants during childbirth.