Professional Liability Insurance for Medical Professionals – Why do I need it and how much does it cost?

Professional liability for medical professionals is getting more popular in recent years. Professional liability provides legal protection for those who provide professional advice or services. Because a general liability policy is triggered by bodily injury, property damage, personal injury, or advertising injury, you can be left without legal protection in the event that you are sued for services rendered or advice given to your clients or patients.

For example, you are a nutritionist providing weight-loss advice. You have been raving to all of your clients about a new diet you’ve created. The diet results in weight loss, but also a spike in cholesterol levels in certain types of people (which you were unaware of). One of your clients has a heart attack as a result. Professional liability would protect you in this situation.

Another example would be that you are responsible for training the incoming nursing recruits at your hospital. You’ve trained a hundred incoming nurses in your time at the hospital. Years later, it turns out that you have been teaching these employees the incorrect way to use a certain piece of equipment which has led to multiple injuries and lawsuits. You are pulled into this because it was you who incorrectly trained these people to do the job. Professional liability would provide coverage for such a situation.

Many medical professionals are being required to (or choosing to) carry individual professional liability insurance separate from that of their employer.There are several reasons for this:

  1. The primary reason is that we are living in a time when attorneys will list as many parties as possible in a lawsuit when their client suffers a loss. This means the business you are working for, the manufacturer of any products you use, and even you as an individual. Even though you may ultimately be released from the lawsuit, defense costs can add up. Defense costs are included in your individual policy.
  2. Many medical professionals are working as independent contractors for one or more companies. Because of this, these companies will require you to carry insurance. The reason is that they are looking to create a separation between you and the company for legal and cost-saving purposes.
  3. If you are educating or training others in your field, you could be pulled into a lawsuit down the road if one of your trainees is sued as a result of using techniques provided by you.

Fortunately for you,professional liabilityinsurance for medical professionals in Pennsylvania is typically very cheap. For an individual in a relatively low-hazard class, you can expect to pay somewhere around $250 per year. Some of the classes below are those that will fall into the low-cost program:

EMS-Paramedic Diagnostic Medical Optometry Tech/ Assistant Rehabilitation Therapist
EMS-Volunteer Dialysis Tech Pedorthist Patient Care Assistant
Pharmacist Assistant/Tech Histologic Tech Bio-med Tech Audiologist
Certified Medical Assistant Child Development Polysomnographer Perfusionist
Physician Assistant Podiatric Assistant Exercise Physiologist Health Care Services/Admin
Laboratory Aide Laboratory Tech Blood Bank Tech Physical Therapist Assistant
Clinical Lab Tech Counselor Phlebotomist Vascular Technician
Coding/Medical Billing Alcohol/Drug Wellness Orthopedic Assistant
Recreation Therapist Medical Preparation Tech Music Therapist Electrologist
Medical Records Admin Speech Hearing Therapist Surgical Assistant Athletic Trainer
School Nuclear Medical Tech Dental Hygienist EMS-First Responder
MRI Tech Surgical First Assistant Occupational Therapist Pharmacist
Clinical/Rehab/Mental Health Dental Lab Tech X-Ray Technician Central Services Tech
Sports Medicine Therapist Orthotics/Prosthetics Mammography Tech Health Educator
Nutritionist Bio-med/Biotechnology Community Health Assistant Certified Medical Aid
Dental Assistant Dietitian Nursing Assistant Surgical Technologist
Hospital Pharmacy Tech Radiologic Tech Medical Tech Assistant Respiratory Therapist
Pastoral/Guidance Mental Retardation Work Sports Medicine Instructor Nurse’s Aide
Rehabilitation Assistant Medical Technologist Sonographer Medical Assistant
Community Health Tech Marriage/Family Mental Health Tech Speech Language Pathologist
Home Health Aide Chiropractic Assistant Patient Care Technician Chiropractic Technician
Psychological Therapist Gerontology Social Worker Enternostomal Therapist
Physical Therapist Kinesiologist/Kinesiotherapist Radiation Therapist Medical Lab Tech
Corrective Therapist Ultrasound Technician Occupational Therapist Assistant Others…

Call Risk Averse Insurance in Media, PA to discuss medical professional insurance for you or your business.

Risk Averse Insurance is an insurance agency in Delaware County that specializes in providing high-quality insurance products at an affordable price.

What is Renters Insurance?

Renters insurance is a type of “homeowners insurance” that is used for insuring your personal belongings and liability when you are renting an apartment or a home. The insurance policy that protects the building you are renting only provides coverage for the owner of that building, leaving you out to dry if the building were to burn down, have a break-in, or any other potential loss.

Here are a couple of potential insurance losses you could have as a renter:

  • Scenario 1 Let’s say you rent a home in PA and it is in your lease that you are responsible for maintenance of the property, such as cutting the lawn and shoveling snow. A winter storm comes through, leaving a layer of ice on your walkway, and someone slips outside of your home and gets hurt. Once an attorney gets ahold of the case, they are going to sue the owner of the building, as well as the tenant (you). If you do not have a renters insurance policy, your personal assets could be at stake to help pay the medical bills of the injured person.
  • Scenario 2 You finally got your own place. You bought new furniture for the living room and bedroom. You decorated beautifully. However, you didn’t think to buy renters insurance. Another tenant falls asleep while cooking dinner 2 doors down and, next thing you know, all of that money you spent just went up in flames (unfortunately, I’ve seen it happen). The apartment takes no responsibility in replacing your belongings so, in the absence of a renters insurance policy, you are out of luck.

Fortunately for you, renters insurance in Media, PA is cheap. Policies can be as low as $125 per year and takes very little time to get a quote. Furthermore, if you bundle with your auto insurance company, you will get a discount. In some cases, this discount is enough to eliminate the cost of the renters insurance altogether.

Finally, Geico, State Farm, and Allstate are not the only companies that offer renters insurance in PA. They just spend the most money making sure you know they do it. In most cases, the rates that you can get through an independent agent will be much better than you get through the companies I’ve mentioned above. Independent agents are contracted to write insurance with a number of companies, giving them the ability to shop your insurance for you. You also get an advocate that works for YOU, not the insurance company… all for less than you would pay one of those big marketing companies like Geico, State Farm, and Allstate. Keep in mind, you are paying for all of those commercials.

 

Call Risk Averse Insurance in Media, PA to discuss your homeowners insurance or renters insurance.

Risk Averse Insurance is an insurance agency in Delaware County that specializes in providing high-quality insurance products at an affordable price.