THE high cost of insurance in the US has led a Tennessee-based doctor on a Bermuda bargain hunt for better medical malpractice coverage.

Otologist John Shea, Jr. is looking for minimum coverage of $1 million for his Memphis practice, the Shea Ear Clinic. The business was previously insured by St. Paul Fire and Marine. However, that company no longer offers that type of coverage.

Familiar with the Bermuda market, Dr. Shea took out an advertisement in yesterday, seeking coverage between $1 and $3 million with a $10,000 deductible.

Contacted yesterday, the 81 year old explained the rationale behind it.

?I?ve never paid a malpractice claim and so what I thought, because I?ve been familiar with Bermuda for many years, is that there might be some private insurer who would consider insuring me.

?Right now the rates are very high, many times what they used to be. I?m simply inquiring if someone is willing to provide me with coverage for less.

?We were insured with St. Paul Fire and Marine but they left the malpractice market entirely and before they left, paid a very large settlement and caused our rates to to up. I just want to know if people there might be interested in looking at my insurance coverage ? there are 10,000 insurance companies in Bermuda and many offer malpractice coverage.?

The Shea Ear Clinic was founded in 1926 by Dr. Shea?s father. He operated the practice until his death, in 1952, when it was taken over by his son

A noted otologist, Dr. Shea, Jr. attended Notre Dame and Harvard Medical School, where he graduated with honours. Otosclerosis is a condition that causes hearing loss due to a calcification of the bones of the ear.

As treatment of that condition, Dr. Shea, Jr. performed the world?s first successful stapedectomy in 1956. Since then, he has completed nearly 40,000 similar procedures and boasts a 90 per cent success rate.

A story on the Shea Ear Clinic web site says: ?Dr. Shea has pioneered numerous techniques in the treatment of hearing loss and dizziness, developed many instruments and prostheses to restore hearing, and worked to advance the knowledge and understanding of the treatment of ear disease.

?He is a clinical professor in the Ear, Nose and Throat Departments of the University of Tennessee, the University of Mississippi, the University of North Carolina and Tulane University. He is a member of more than 50 scientific societies and has received honorary doctorates from Christian Brothers University and Rhodes College in Memphis and honorary fellowships from the Australian and English Royal College of Surgeons.?

Interested insurers may reach Dr. Shea, Jr. via e-mail, johnsheajrsheaclinic.com.