Medmarc affiliate is IMDA�s preferred provider of medical products liability coverage

  The following letter was sent by IMDA President Bob Wahlenmaier to IMDA members in March 2005 regarding the association�s agreement with Hamilton Resources Corp., exclusive underwriter and business affiliate of Medmarc.

  In recent years, many IMDA member companies have seen the cost of business insurance in general and medical products liability protection in particular rise higher and higher. Alarmed by the trend, the IMDA board embarked on a journey almost two years ago to see what we as a group could do about it.
  Today, I�m happy to inform you that the ink has dried on our agreement with Hamilton Resources Corporation. Hamilton is the exclusive underwriter for and a business affiliate of Medmarc Casualty and Noetic Specialty Insurance Company (together, �Medmarc�). Medmarc is now IMDA�s preferred provider of medical products liability coverage. Further, through Medmarc�s strategic alliance with The Hartford, our members will also have access to general liability, property, business income interruption, workers compensation and automobile insurance protection.
  It�s important to understand what this agreement is NOT. It does not mean that IMDA members are obligated to buy insurance from Medmarc and/or The Hartford. Further, it does not mean that IMDA members are guaranteed Medmarc and/or The Hartford coverage or continuing coverage if accepted. Lastly, it does not mean that IMDA and Hamilton, Medmarc or The Hartford have entered into any kind of legal partnership or joint venture.
  Rather, it means that IMDA will promote Hamilton and Medmarc to our current and prospective members, through our newsletter and other informational materials. In turn, Hamilton will support IMDA by sponsoring certain events at the Annual Conference, contributing informative articles to the IMDA Update newsletter, and alerting IMDA when non-IMDA members inquire about insurance (to help us with recruiting new members).
  Why Medmarc and The Hartford? Because Medmarc has a singular focus on our industry, and The Hartford works closely with Medmarc to provide general business insurance protection. Those of you who attended last year�s Annual Management Conference in Marco Island heard Medmarc Senior Vice President Tom Konopka explain that the company was founded in 1979 by the medical technology industry for the express purpose of providing it with stable and predictable product liability insurance. It has been pursuing that mission ever since.
  Medmarc Casualty and Noetic Specialty Insurance Company are rated �A� (excellent) and The Hartford is rated �A+� (excellent ) by A.M. Best Company, which is recognized worldwide as the benchmark for assessing insurers� financial strength. Together, Medmarc and The Hartford offer a comprehensive package that could help give your company a competitive advantage in your market.
  The board spent many hours investigating our options. We even explored establishing a self-funded insurance program (but found out it would have been prohibitively expensive for a group our size). We couldn�t be more pleased with our agreement with Hamilton.
  Find out more about Medmarc by visiting its website at www.medmarc.com, or by contacting Tom Konopka at [email protected] or 703.652.1310. Or call me at (480) 998-0516. I�m excited about this relationship and am eager to talk to you about it.

Sincerely,

Bob Wahlenmaier
Products for Surgery
President, IMDA