• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

ABOUT US RESOURCES TESTIMONIALS BLOG CONTACT US

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Find Your State
  • Find Your Specialty
  • Choose a Facility
  • Resources
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Request A Quote
Request A Quote

Additional Medical Liability Insurance Exposure of Physician Assitants

July 25, 2011

As the shortages of doctor’s increase and use of mid-levels are on the rise, are physicians heading toward increasing their medical liability risks without knowing it?  Doctors are faced daily with the increasing needs of patients and less time to assist on day to day issues.

With reimbursements down and revenues declining there is a need to create revenue. Many have found an answer to this need by utilizing their mid-level personnel to expand the care they offer to patients to avoid long waits and boost their bottom line. Do these expanded care positions offer more risk that can be avoided with a simple phone call or short letter?

Many PA’s and NP’s Carry Their Own Medical Liability Insurance Policy – This is Not Enough

As an employer and a primary collaborating physician, you may find yourself caught between the opportunity to provide more care and the risk of malpractice when in fact all you are doing is trying to extend additional care through PA or NP assistance.  In these cases, knowing and following the laws that govern these contractual agreements is an important risk management tool, but even more importantly understanding there is a possibility of exposure to you that you may not even know about until it’s too late can avoid exposing you and your practice to unnecessary losses.

When forming an alliance such as a collaborating agreement with your PA or NP, be certain that you inform your medical liability insurance carrier of these alliances.  Insurance carriers may require identification of these personnel and actually naming them on your policy as additional named insured’s in order to provide primary coverage for them specifically or  vicariously to share the limits of your malpractice policy should the need arise.

Additional named insured’s are not certificate holders like your hospitals or surgery centers that need proof of your coverage, they are actually considered a part of the coverage on your malpractice policy as a whole or vicariously as an employee.   Many physicians don’t see the exposure until it’s presented and the insurance carrier does not show the ancillary named on the policy and coverage can be denied.

As these risks are on the rise hand and hand with the growing need for additional assistance due to the shortage of physician care to patient need, don’t get wrapped up in the security of thinking that these extenders are covering themselves and you have coverage too.  Vicarious liability from your association with these extending ancillaries is a very real issue and unless there is notification to your medical liability insurance carrier, you may be placing yourself and your practice at risk.

Simply put, a short letter of explanation, a copy of your collaborative agreement, the license of your extenders and clarification to your medical liability insurance carrier can alleviate this issue and secure coverage seamlessly for you and your practice.  The vicarious exposure is most likely the most misunderstood part of the malpractice insurance policy because assumption on the part of the physician that a policy on the extender will cover everything leads to gaps in coverage for the vicarious exposure as the employer or collaborating physician.

However, there are many medical liability insurance carriers that consider it necessary to name you on the other contract for your vicarious liability as a collaborating physician, or to name that extender on your policy for the same reasons.  Check with your insurance carrier now, malpractice broker or check into eQuoteMD’s website for assistance from one of our professional liability consultants to further discuss this issue with you.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Ask eQuoteMD
  • Dental
  • Family Practice Physicians
  • General
  • insurance market
  • Malpractice Insurance
  • Malpractice Insurance Coverage
  • Medical Liability Insurance
  • Medical Liability Insurance Cost
  • Medical Malpractice
  • medical malpractice insurance
  • medical malpractice lawsuit
  • Neurosurgeon
  • OB/GYN
  • Physician Liability Insurance
  • Physician Liability Quotes
  • Plastic Surgeons
  • tail coverage
  • Telehealth
  • Uncategorized

Tags

Affordable Medical Malpractice Insurance best malpractice insurance Best Malpractice Insurance Near Me best medical malpractice insurance company best medical malpractice insurance near me claims made coverage damage caps defensive medicine dental malpractice insurance near me equotemd group medical malpractice insurance hipaa individual medical malpractice insurance kansas city medical malpractice insurance legal legislation liability malpractice insurance Malpractice Insurance Coverage malpractice insurance for doctors Malpractice Insurance near me malpractice insurance quote medical liability insurance Medical Liability Insurance near me medical malpractice medical malpractice coverage medical malpractice insurance medical malpractice insurance broker medical malpractice insurance companies medical malpractice insurance company Medical Malpractice Insurance for Family Medicine medical malpractice insurance near me Medical Malpractice Insurance provider medical malpractice insurance providers medical malpractice lawsuit medical professional liability insurance non-economic damages professional medical liability insurance research tail technology telehealth malpractice insurance telehealth malpractice insurance broker telemedicine malpractice insurance

Footer

eQuoteMD

BLOG

Concept of Malpractice Text written in paper

Medical practitioners dedicate their lives to providing the best care possible. However, no matter READ MORE

Medical law concept

As a healthcare professional, safeguarding your practice and career is crucial. Medical malpractice READ MORE

Medical malpractice book

Medical liability insurance, commonly known as medical malpractice insurance, is vital for READ MORE

FIND YOUR STATE FIND YOUR SPECIALTY CHOOSE A FACILITY

ABOUT US RESOURCES TESTIMONIALS BLOG CONTACT US

HOME ADA DISCLAIMER PRIVACY POLICY SITEMAP

Copyright © 2025 · eQuoteMD · All Rights Reserved

iHealthspot Medical Website Design and Medical Marketing by iHealthSpot.com

eQuoteMD provides medical malpractice insurance services in all states for all specialties.