General liability insurance for healthcare professionals

Regardless of how careful you are, there are risks you face every time a patient steps into your office. In the event of an accident, general liability insurance protects healthcare professionals from the high cost of lawsuits filed by patients, delivery people, and other visitors to your office.

This policy provides liability coverage related to:

• Patient and visitor injuries
• Patient and visitor property damage
• Advertising injuries, such as libel and slander

If you run a small healthcare practice, you may be able to bundle general liability insurance with commercial property insurance in a business owner’s policy (BOP). A BOP costs less than purchasing each policy separately. Businesses that are eligible for a BOP typically:

• Have fewer than 100 employees
• Have a small office or workplace
• Make less than $1 million in annual revenue
• Operate in a low-risk industry
• Need less than 12 months of business interruption insurance

Talk to a licensed Insureon agent who specializes in the healthcare industry to find out if your business is eligible.

A single accident or lawsuit can create significant financial challenges for a healthcare business. General liability insurance provides broad protection against common third-party claims, helping cover legal fees, medical expenses, repairs, and settlements associated with covered incidents.

Below are some of the most common types of coverage included in a general liability policy.

If a patient or delivery person slips and falls at your clinic, you could be held responsible for the bodily injury. If the injured party sues, you could end up paying for medical expenses—plus the cost of hiring a lawyer. General liability insurance pays for:

• Medical bills
• Attorney’s fees
• Court-ordered judgments
• Settlements
• Funeral expenses in fatal incidents

However, general liability doesn't offer coverage for employee injuries while on the job. For that, you’d need workers’ compensation insurance.

When dealing with patients and visitors, your healthcare business may have to handle their property. If an item is lost or damaged, your practice could be held liable. General liability insurance can cover:

• Repair of a damaged item
• Replacement of a destroyed or lost item
• Legal fees from a property damage lawsuit

While advertising your healthcare business and its services, it’s possible to inadvertently copy a competitor’s slogan or mimic another advertising campaign. Accidental advertising injuries are covered by general liability insurance, including:

• Defamation, both libel (written) and slander (spoken)
• Copyright infringement

If you use advertising or promotional materials to attract clients to your business, you’ll want to ensure your insurance includes this protection.

While general liability insurance covers many common liability risks, it doesn't provide complete protection. Other incidents such as theft or an employee injury could happen at any medical practice. Healthcare professionals should also consider:

Business owner’s policy: A BOP combines general liability insurance with commercial property insurance at a lower cost than purchasing the policies separately. It's a cost-effective option for healthcare practices that own or lease office space and business property.

Workers’ compensation insurance: Most states require this coverage for healthcare businesses with employees. Workers' comp helps pay for medical expenses, lost wages, and rehabilitation costs after a work-related injury or illness, including common healthcare risks such as lifting injuries and needlestick incidents.

Medical professional liability insurance / medical malpractice insurance: A malpractice policy helps cover legal expenses, settlements, and judgments when a healthcare professional is accused of medical negligence, misdiagnosis, medication errors, or omissions that result in patient harm. This coverage may sometimes be required by state law, or by healthcare facilities.

Commercial auto insurance: State laws require this coverage for vehicles owned by a business. It helps cover the costs associated with accidents involving company-owned vehicles used for patient visits, medical transportation, or other business purposes.

Cyber insurance: Healthcare organizations are frequent targets of cybercriminals due to the sensitive patient information they store. Cyber liability insurance helps cover expenses related to data breaches, ransomware attacks, patient notification requirements, and other recovery costs.

Yes. While medical malpractice insurance and general liability insurance both protect healthcare businesses, they cover different types of risks.

Medical malpractice covers claims that arise from the healthcare services you provide, such as a misdiagnosis, treatment error, medication mistake, or failure to meet the accepted standard of care.

General liability insurance covers third-party claims involving bodily injury, property damage, and advertising injuries that are unrelated to patient care.

Even when not required by law or contract, carrying both policies can help close important coverage gaps. A malpractice policy typically won't cover common premises liability claims, while a general liability policy won't cover allegations of professional negligence. Together, these policies provide broader protection against the risks healthcare professionals face both as medical providers and as business owners.

Are you ready to safeguard your healthcare business with general liability insurance? Complete Insureon’s easy online application today. Once you find the right policy, you can begin coverage in less than 24 hours.