ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Physician Insurers Association of America (PIAA), the national insurance industry trade association representing medical professional liability (MPL) insurance companies, today announced that Brian K. Atchinson will assume the office of president and chief executive officer on August 1. Atchinson succeeds Lawrence E. Smarr, who is leaving the Association after 19 years of service.
Atchinson most recently served as acting head of institutional relations at The Geneva Association, officially the “International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics,” the leading international insurance “think tank” for strategically important insurance and risk management issues.
“We are very pleased that Brian Atchinson will be joining the PIAA as its new president and chief executive,” said Jim Weidner, chair of the PIAA Board of Directors and chief executive officer of the Cooperative of American Physicians in Los Angeles, California. “Brian is a seasoned and versatile leader, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge acquired from his many years in the insurance industry. He also brings to his new position significant experience in leading a national insurance association. All of his background will serve him well, as he guides the PIAA forward and helps shape important decisions for the Association and its member companies.”
From 1992 to 1997, Atchinson was superintendent of insurance for the State of Maine. He was also an officer and president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) from 1994 to 1997. While in Maine from 1997 to 2001, he served as managing counsel and vice president of UNUM Corporation, where he managed the contract, compliance, and filing divisions of four companies, directed international trade and regulatory issues, and was responsible for the strategic implementation of federal legislative policy on consolidated tax returns for life insurance companies.
More recently, from 2001 to 2010, Atchinson served as president and chief executive officer of the Insurance Marketplace Standards Association in Bethesda, Maryland, an insurance trade association focused on the life insurance, annuities, and long-term care insurance marketplace. In this capacity he was responsible for strategic direction, including all operations and finance, and also submitted testimony at Congressional, NAIC, and other hearings.
Commenting on his appointment, Atchinson said, “The PIAA is a vital contributor to the ongoing success of the MPL insurance industry. I’m excited about the opportunity to work with the member companies of the PIAA and the Association’s professional staff, in advancing the excellent reputation this organization has built over many years. In my role as president of the PIAA, I look forward to confronting the challenges that the MPL industry inevitably faces in today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment.”
Atchinson earned a bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Massachusetts and a juris doctorate from Syracuse University School of Law. He also participated in the international relations program at the American University of Paris.
He currently serves on the board of directors for the Insurance Regulatory Examiners Foundation and the Scientific Advisory Committee for the International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics. He has been a guest lecturer at the Johns Hopkins University Health Policy Graduate Program.
The PIAA is the national insurance trade association representing medical liability insurance companies. PIAA members insure more than 60 percent of America’s private practicing physicians as well as dentists, hospitals, and other healthcare practitioners.
CONTACT:
Physician Insurers Association of America (PIAA)
Eric R. Anderson, Director of Public Relations and Marketing
301-947-9000
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America Maryland
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Practice Management Health Hospitals Other Health Professional Services Insurance
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