Medical Malpractice Insurance
What kind of work do you do?
Medical professional working with a laptop and a stack of papers.
Choose from the nation's best insurance providers
Logos of Insureon's business insurance carrier partners

Medical malpractice insurance

Medical malpractice insurance icon

Medical malpractice insurance

Medical malpractice insurance provides healthcare professionals with financial protection from legal claims related to professional negligence and mistakes. It’s a form of medical professional liability insurance.

Why is medical malpractice insurance important?

Medical malpractice insurance is often required by state law for those in the medical field. It may also be required by government contracts or business clients.

Medical malpractice coverage insures healthcare professionals, therapists and counselors, and medical facilities against claims of professional negligence, such as:

  • Failure to provide quality care
  • Causing pain, suffering, or mental anguish to a patient
  • Economic damages from a patient’s lost wages or healthcare costs

Even when it's not required, malpractice coverage is a key part of risk management. Even the most experienced healthcare providers can make a mistake or be sued for a claim of substandard care, such as misdiagnoses, surgical errors, and medication errors.

In other industries, malpractice coverage is referred to as professional liability insurance or errors and omissions insurance (E&O).

A physician reviews a health plan with their patient

3 reasons medical malpractice is essential for healthcare workers:

  • Required by law in some states
  • Fulfills employment contractual obligations to work at some medical facilities
  • Covers legal defense costs, which can get very expensive

How do I get medical malpractice insurance?

It's easy to get free quotes for medical malpractice insurance with Insureon. We'll ask you basic facts about your business to help you find coverage that matches your unique risks and meets the requirements in your state.

Contact our dedicated medical malpractice insurance specialist to get started.

What our customers are saying

What does medical malpractice insurance cover?

A medical malpractice insurance policy is a type of medical liability insurance that defends healthcare professionals and clinics against claims of negligence, oversights, and mistakes when delivering professional services.

Medical malpractice insurance can also cover healthcare and therapy/counseling services provided through telemedicine, unfounded accusations of sexual misconduct, and claims related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Specifically, medical malpractice insurance coverage includes:

Purple check mark

Medical errors

In healthcare, a simple mistake can have far-reaching consequences. When a patient sues over a mistake made by a medical professional, such as administering the wrong dosage of a medication, medical malpractice insurance can help pay for your legal costs.

Purple check mark

Medical oversights

Medical professionals often juggle multiple patients at once, which can lead to accidental oversights in a patient's medical history, preoperative instructions, or drug interactions. If the patient files a lawsuit, medical malpractice insurance helps cover the health professional's legal fees.

Purple check mark

Accusations of negligence

Healthcare professionals are at constant risk of negligence claims. From misdiagnoses to surgical errors and poor follow-up care, medical professionals face a wide range of risks related to lack of proper care and are at risk for lawsuits. Medical malpractice policyholders would be protected if they were sued for negligence.

Purple check mark

Missed appointments

When your medical practice promises a service and fails to deliver, the result could be a lawsuit – especially if a patient's physical or mental health is impacted. Malpractice insurance covers legal costs related to missed appointments and undelivered services.

How much does malpractice insurance cost?

A health professional calculating their medical malpractice costs

Your insurance rate (premium) for medical malpractice insurance depends on a variety of factors, such as the risks of your profession.

Other factors that affect malpractice insurance costs include:

  • Your location
  • Your policy limits and deductible
  • Your liability claims history
  • Any malpractice lawsuits you’ve faced

Protect your healthcare business with medical malpractice

View video transcript.

[video: an animated header displays the Insureon logo. Underneath it, a subheading displays the text: "What is medical malpractice insurance?"]

MALE VOICEOVER: Even the most experienced healthcare providers can make a mistake. From facing a lawsuit over a misdiagnosis to surgical and medication errors, medical malpractice insurance - sometimes called medical professional liability - insures healthcare professionals, therapists, counselors, and medical facilities against claims of medical negligence.

[video: an illustrated header displays the text: "Malpractice protects against medical negligence, including:"]

[video: Under above header, three bullet points display the text: "Failure to provide quality care"; "A patient's lost wages or healthcare costs"; "Causing pain, suffering, or mental anguish"]

Types of claims covered by medial malpractice insurance include medical errors, like an incorrect dosage of medicine; medical oversights, such as accidentally misreading a patient's medical history; and accusations of negligence, including surgical errors and poor follow-up care.

[video: an illustrated header displays the text: "Medical malpractice insurance covers:"]

[video: Under above header, four bullet points display the text: "Medical errors"; "Medical oversights"; "Accusations of negligence"; "Healthcare providers missing appointments"]

While not required in every state for every profession, if you provide health-related professional services, maintaining malpractice coverage can reduce your financial risk. Doctors and nurses are often serving on the frontline of healthcare and must make critical decisions, which can leave them open to lawsuits. Similarly, physical therapists and acupuncturists often have a high level of interpersonal contact with a patient, which could lead to accusations of malpractice.

The cost of malpractice coverage will likely vary from professional to professional, based on several factors.

[video: an illustrated header displays the text: "Cost is based on:"]

[video: Under above header, four bullet points display the text: "Your state of operation"; "Policy limits and deductible"; "Your liability claims history"; "Any malpractice lawsuits you've faced"]

Get free malpractice insurance quotes with Insureon today.

[video: an illustrated white header displays the text: "Insureon is your #1 agency for small business insurance"]

Click the link to get started.

[video: an animated header displays the Insureon logo]

Insureon helps a wide range of businesses get the coverage they need from top-rated U.S. insurance carriers. Complete our easy online application to get free insurance quotes.

You can call our dedicated medical malpractice insurance agent at (312) 854-2919, and they can help you choose the best malpractice policy that meets the needs of your small business.

You’ll typically be able to get coverage quickly and receive a copy of your insurance certificate on the same day.

Who needs medical malpractice insurance?

Medical malpractice insurance benefits a variety of healthcare professions that provide patient care. It's designed for both businesses and independent contractors that make a living off of providing health-related professional services. Depending on state law, some professions may be required to carry this coverage.

A few specific professions need medical malpractice coverage more often than others, including:

Nurses

Serving on the frontline in healthcare, nurses face regular interactions with patients that leave them vulnerable to risks. If a patient accused you of giving the wrong medication or injection, you could face an expensive lawsuit. The hospital, clinic, or temporary agency that employs you might have its own liability coverage, but this might not give you sufficient financial protection in the event of a claim.

Doctors

Similar to nurses, doctors are on the frontline of healthcare. From creating treatment plans to performing surgeries or other medical procedures, doctors find themselves in the unique position of making critical decisions related to patient care. Of course, this opens up the opportunity to lawsuits from dissatisfied patients.

Medical malpractice coverage offers doctors the necessary protection so they can work with peace of mind without worrying of the financial risks of a possible lawsuit from a disgruntled patient.

Physical therapists

Physical therapists come into contact with patients directly through stretching, exercise, and massage. Patients often experience some level of pain during treatment, and the level of interpersonal contact means that even the most experienced physical therapist could have an injured patient accusing them of a mistake.

Acupuncturists

A patient might accuse an acupuncturist of failing to diagnose an issue and refer them for additional medical care. They could also say you caused nerve damage or an infection during treatment. Malpractice insurance provides financial protection against these types of claims.

What does medical malpractice insurance not cover?

While medical malpractice insurance covers many aspects related to legal action from a client, it does have a number of coverage exclusions. For example, it only covers the cost of defending against lawsuits – it doesn't pay for lawsuits you initiate. 

Unless your policy has prior acts coverage, it will only cover any claims filed while the policy is active and for incidents that occurred after you bought the policy. In this case, endorsements can fill gaps in your malpractice coverage.

Other exclusions from medical malpractice insurance coverage include:

no coverage check mark

Patient accidents

If a patient trips on a rug and suffers an injury at your clinic, or you accidentally damage an item that belongs to a patient, your medical malpractice insurance will not cover you.

However, for these events, general liability insurance can help pay for medical expenses, or the cost of repair or replacement. It can also cover legal expenses if the customer sues.

no coverage check mark

Employee injuries

If an employee at your practice or clinic gets injured, such as a nurse who suffers a back injury from lifting a patient, medical malpractice would not provide the necessary insurance protection.

Instead, you would need workers' compensation insurance, which helps cover medical expenses and disability benefits if an employee is injured on the job, or develops an occupational illness.

no coverage check mark

Damaged business property

The commercial property insurance included in a business owner’s policy (BOP) helps cover costs when business property is damaged, stolen, or destroyed.

For example, suppose a fire at your healthcare facility destroys your computers, furnishings, and medical equipment. The property insurance included in a business owner’s policy would help pay for replacement of the ruined items and renovation of your damaged building.

no coverage check mark

Auto accidents

If an employee gets into an accident while driving your business vehicle, commercial auto insurance will help cover medical bills and other damages.

For instance, suppose a hospital's ambulance gets into a head-on collision with another vehicle. Both drivers are injured, and both vehicles are damaged. The hospital's commercial auto policy would then cover the resulting medical expenses, property repairs, and any legal costs or settlement.

Find medical malpractice insurance quotes
A physician reviews a health plan with their patient

Other common questions about medical malpractice insurance

Do clients require you to carry medical malpractice insurance coverage?

Healthcare networks usually require doctors, nurses, and other professionals to carry medical liability insurance, even when it's not required by state law.

Some medical systems provide this coverage for their staff. Others self-insure themselves and their staff by creating a liability trust fund to cover the legal defense and settlement costs for malpractice claims. However, healthcare professionals may need to buy their own coverage.

It’s important to make sure you meet your state’s minimum requirements for malpractice insurance, while also taking the risks of your own practice into account.

How does medical malpractice insurance protect healthcare professionals?

The most experienced and attentive of professionals can make a mistake or face an expensive and frivolous lawsuit. Medical malpractice insurance covers your cost of litigation, such as attorney fees, as well as punitive and compensatory claims for medical damage.

Even if your employer or the facility where you work has their own liability protections, it can be worth pursuing your own malpractice insurance to make sure you’re fully covered.

What are the different types of malpractice insurance coverage?

The two types of medical malpractice insurance coverage are claims-made and occurrence-based policies.

Businesses will find that most medical malpractice policies are claims-made policies, which cover incidents and claims that happen while the policy is active. If you face a lawsuit after canceling your policy, it would not be covered. Because claims must be filed while the policy is active, it's important to maintain continuous coverage.

Some insurers offer occurrence-based policies, which are more extensive. An occurrence policy covers losses that happened during the policy period, even if the policy is no longer in effect when you file a claim. If you canceled this policy, you would still be covered for any incidents that happened during your coverage period.

What other coverage options are available for medical malpractice insurance?

When buying a malpractice policy, you can customize the amount of coverage and other factors to fit your business and your budget. This includes:

Tail coverage endorsement

Because most malpractice policies are claims-made, you may want to add tail coverage for increased protection. Also known as an extended reporting period (ERP), tail coverage allows you to file a medical malpractice claim even after your policy has expired. However, the incident related to the claim must have occurred while the policy was active.

Policy limits, deductibles, and exclusions

Every policy has limits, deductibles, and exclusions that may influence your premium.

Policy limits are the maximum amounts your insurer will pay on each claim or incident, and on the aggregate amount of claims made within the policy period. Your state may have minimum requirements for these coverage limits.

The deductible is an amount you must pay before your insurer will cover a claim. A high deductible will lower your premium, but make sure it's an amount you can easily afford.

Finally, be aware of any exclusions in a malpractice policy. It won't cover illegal activities, though it will cover you if you're unjustly accused.

What is the difference between medical malpractice and general liability insurance?

For many small business owners, general liability insurance is often the first coverage they buy. It insures you against common business risks such as customer injuries, customer property damage, and advertising injuries. It’s often required to sign leases and contracts.

If a patient is injured during a medical treatment or procedure, it would most likely be covered by your medical malpractice insurance. If a patient or a visitor is injured by an accident, such as tripping on a rug, it would be covered by your general liability policy.

What is the difference between medical malpractice and professional liability insurance?

Malpractice insurance is a type of professional liability insurance, sometimes referred to as errors and omissions insurance (E&O). While the terms are often used interchangeably, they’re not exactly the same.

Professional liability coverage relates to a healthcare provider’s business activities, while malpractice covers your legal defense and settlement costs if you’re accused of causing a patient’s injury or death.

If a patient accused you of an error in their treatment that resulted in pain or expensive additional care, it would likely fall under your medical malpractice insurance.

If a customer accused you of a documentation error that caused them to lose money, it would probably be covered under your professional liability insurance.

What are medical malpractice insurance exclusions?

Medical malpractice insurance has other coverage exclusions as well. For example, it doesn't pay for lawsuits that allege patient discrimination or abuse.

It also only covers the cost of defending against lawsuits – it doesn't pay for lawsuits you initiate. For example, this policy won't cover your legal costs if you sue a patient who refuses to pay you.

Unless your policy has prior acts coverage, it only covers claims filed while the policy is active and for incidents that occurred after you bought the policy.

Endorsements can fill gaps in your medical malpractice coverage. To make sure you have the coverage you need, contact our dedicated agent.

What our customers are saying

Updated: March 15, 2024

Get business insurance quotes

Save money by comparing insurance quotes from multiple carriers.