Interacting with patients on a daily basis means exposing both your practice and your patients to risks. Should something go wrong, a patient might sue the medical practice for damages related to malpractice.
The risks associated with malpractice are nothing to take lightly. Therefore, it is best to effectively cover all risks associated with your practice. One of those risks is your team. Employees of all levels could pose malpractice risks to clients.
As you look for the right coverage, determine who in your practice needs malpractice insurance. Also decide if you need other professional liability coverage to more comprehensively cover your staff.
Malpractice and Its Coverage
Malpractice insurance is a form of professional liability coverage. It can protect medical professionals and their practices in case negligence during treatment harms a patient.
The definition of medical negligence varies from place to place. Generally, it refers to actions by the physician that deviate from standard care practices. Not all medical negligence harms patients. However, if it does, the patient might have grounds for a medical malpractice claim.
Extreme examples of malpractice might include misdiagnosis or performing the wrong operation on a patient. Should an act of medical negligence occur, a patient could sue you for the harm it caused them.
Who Needs Malpractice Coverage
If you run a medical practice, the good news is that most of your employees can have coverage under malpractice insurance. However, coverage often varies from person to person based on their jobs.
Certain employees, like midwives, nurse anesthetists or physicians assistants might have to pay higher premiums for their coverage because of the specialty of their jobs.
Additionally, when buying malpractice insurance, make sure your coverage levels meet the needs of all physicians in the office. Gynecologists and cardiologists face different risks compared to general practitioners. These risks may mandate higher coverage levels. If you have a specialist on staff, set your coverage levels high enough to meet their needs.
Extra Liability Coverage for Employees
Even with malpractice insurance, you still might need extra liability insurance to better protect your employees.
For example, errors & omissions coverage might protect your employees in case they give professional services or advice that financially harm the clients. Additionally, billing errors coverage can help protect your business staff in case they make insurance or monetary errors. As each scenario could lead to charges against the business, such liability coverage could help protect the practice.
Your medical practice should always consider all avenues for liability coverage when looking for insurance. However, malpractice insurance must be your first focus as a care provider. Doing so will help protect your employees and patients.
We’ve got you covered. Joseph A. Britton Agency, Inc., can help you get a medical malpractice insurance that benefits your employees. Call one of our agents at 800.462.3401 for more information on New York medical malpractice insurance.