IMA Financial Group has named Krista Adamson (pictured) as national healthcare practice director, consolidating the Denver-based brokerage's healthcare expertise under dedicated national leadership.
Adamson comes from Alera Group, where she spent 12 years leading the property and casualty practice for HealthSure, a specialty unit built around healthcare sector clients. That P&C background, rather than a benefits pedigree, is the detail that defines what IMA is building - a full-spectrum risk practice for an industry where casualty and property exposures are becoming harder to place.
Adamson spent her career in P&C, with a healthcare focus since 2014. IMA's practice covers hospitals, physician groups, senior living operators, behavioral health providers, and home healthcare organizations. In the announcement, she cited shifting property and casualty exposures and increasingly complex insurance markets as the primary challenges healthcare clients face.
The healthcare liability market in 2026 is under pressure from two directions. On the property side, conditions have eased for well-managed facilities, but organizations in catastrophe-prone zones or with aging infrastructure are still facing tighter terms, according to mid-year analysis from Amwins.
On the casualty side, professional liability and sexual abuse and molestation coverage continue to tighten across the sector, with higher premiums, larger retentions, and reduced limits. Risk Placement Services noted in its 2026 healthcare market outlook that capacity at upper liability tower layers is contracting and the margin for error in submissions is narrower than it has been in years.
Senior living accounts face additional complexity. Some carriers now classify emergency response and pull cord exposures as professional liability rather than general liability. Coverage responses vary considerably by policy form. Abuse and molestation coverage is also tightening, with excess-layer exclusions and sublimits appearing on primary policies, according to Amwins' 2026 healthcare market report.
IMA's move reflects a broader pattern in commercial insurance distribution. MarshBerry benchmarking data shows specialist brokers grow faster than generalists, a finding that has become a recurring reference point as the hard commercial market eases and revenue tied to premium growth has to be replaced by advisory depth.
"Clients want a broker who wakes up every day with their focus on their industry," said Lee Newmark, senior director of the healthcare practice at Gallagher and one of IBA's Top Retail Brokers for 2026, "You can't wake up on a Monday writing a construction risk and Tuesday working through a medical professional liability program for a hospital."
IMA completed an equity recapitalization in May 2026 led by Oak Hill Capital, New Mountain Capital, and HarbourVest Partners, a transaction that signals active growth intent and deepens the capital behind its specialty buildout. Adamson's appointment sits within that context. IMA's healthcare practice covers clinical risk management, analytics, and claims advocacy alongside placement.
