Medical malpractice insurance is an important liability insurance that all doctors must have, but that's far from the only detail that medical professionals should know about the insurance. If you're in the medical field, regardless of what level you provide care at, here's what you need to know about medical malpractice insurance.
Not Just for Medical Doctors
Medical malpractice isn't just for doctors. While doctors are legally required to carry the insurance, anyone who offers medical care can be named in a malpractice lawsuit and should have protection against that risk. Medical malpractice insurance offers the protection that's needed.
This first extends to other top-level providers who offer medical care in some capacity but didn't go to traditional medical school. For example, dentists, chiropractors, and natural healing practitioners should all have medical malpractice insurance.
The other group that needs medical malpractice insurance consists of lower-level providers who work under a doctor or other top-level provider. This group includes all sorts of medical professionals, ranging from emergency medical technicians and paramedics to nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.
Offered Through Employers
Many medical providers are already covered with medical malpractice insurance thanks to their employers. Employers commonly purchase group medical malpractice insurance policies, and these policies apply coverage to any employees who offer medical care within the scope of their normal job duties.
The limitation of normal job duties is significant if you're relying on an employer's medical malpractice insurance policy. Employer-provided coverage only applies if you're carrying out your work duties, so it doesn't apply to situations where you offer care outside of your work.
For example, your employer's coverage won't extend to care that you provide while moonlighting on your own during evenings and weekends. If you open a part-time practice yourself, you'll need to purchase a medical malpractice insurance policy for that particular work.
Also, an employer's coverage won't extend to volunteer activities. If you volunteer on an ambulance or as a downhill ski patroller, for instance, you won't be protected by your employers' medical malpractice policy. The volunteer organization that you're working with might have its own policy, but the organization's policy could be more limited than your employer's.
Should you find yourself in a situation where coverage is needed for volunteer activities, speak with an insurance agent who specializes in medical malpractice insurance. They can help you search for a policy that would protect only you and apply coverage specifically to the situations where you aren't currently protected.
For more information, contact a medical malpractice insurance agency.
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