Having the right malpractice coverage is vital, whether you’ve worked with the same company for 10 years or you’re taking your first locum tenens assignment. Here are five things you should know about Weatherby Healthcare’s malpractice insurance, including how you are covered, what happens when a claim is filed, and how we support you throughout the claims process.
1. What Weatherby Healthcare’s malpractice policy covers
In most cases, Weatherby Healthcare obtains a standard claims-made professional liability policy with $1 million per occurrence and a $3 million aggregate limit per provider. The coverage is on a claims-made basis for all states except for New Mexico, which has occurrence coverage.
Coverage details can vary by state due to local requirements, so it’s important to talk with your Weatherby Healthcare consultant about coverage in the state where you’ll be working. Weatherby Healthcare enrolls all providers in the state’s Patient Compensation Fund (PCF) where eligible. PCFs are intended to protect both healthcare providers and patients.
2. The difference between claims-made coverage and occurrence coverage
Occurrence malpractice coverage is a policy that covers claims arising from damage or injury that took place during the policy period, regardless of when the claims were made. Weatherby Healthcare obtains this type of coverage when required by state law. For example, New Mexico requires occurrence coverage for providers enrolled in the New Mexico PCF.
Claims-made malpractice coverage is a policy that provides coverage when a patient makes a claim against an insured physician or advanced practice provider during the policy period, regardless of when the act discussed in the claim took place.
3. Who is covered by Weatherby Healthcare’s malpractice policy
Weatherby Healthcare’s policy generally covers all physicians and advanced practice providers who work assignments with the company, although some healthcare organizations that contract with Weatherby Healthcare provide their own malpractice coverage. Covered healthcare providers have coverage for both current and prior work for Weatherby Healthcare, even if they no longer work with the company when a patient makes a claim.
4. What happens when a malpractice claim is filed
When a patient, client, medical board, or legal representative notifies you that a malpractice claim has been filed, you should immediately contact Weatherby Healthcare’s claims management team at chgrisk.management@chghealthcare.com. Our claims management team will then contact legal counsel and work directly with you to handle the malpractice claims. Weatherby Healthcare has longstanding relationships with malpractice attorneys nationwide, who have the expertise to help physicians defend their care.
A majority of malpractice claims are settled through a negotiated outcome. However, some claims go to trial if there is reason to believe the care is defensible and a trial makes sense. In some situations, plaintiff claims are abandoned after a period of time and closed without legal action.
5. Working for Weatherby Healthcare after a malpractice claim is filed
Malpractice claims are common in healthcare. About half of all physicians will be sued at least once in their career. While Weatherby Healthcare’s quality management team will ultimately make the determination of whether a provider meets the company’s credentialing standards, a malpractice claim will not necessarily prevent you from working with Weatherby Healthcare again.
Weatherby Healthcare has your back no matter what happens on your assignment, and we’ll work closely to defend and support you should a malpractice claim occur.
If you have questions about Weatherby Healthcare’s locum tenens malpractice coverage, please contact Valarie Berry, senior director of enterprise risk management, at valarie.berry@chghealthcare.com or 801.930.3845. To report a claim, contact our claims management team at chgrisk.management@chghealthcare.com.
