Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Professional Liability Insurance for Your Medical Business

Congratulations doctors, nurses, therapists, and pharmacists! You have studied hard, spent thousands upon thousands of dollars to attend school for what probably felt like thousands upon thousands of years, and now you are ready to enter the medical workforce. You are ready to start working for a medical business, or to open your own medical business. With a scalpel in one hand, a prescription pad in the other, and a stethoscope swinging around your neck, you are ready to cure the sick and save the dying.

However, before you start working, or open your own medical business, you must purchase professional liability insurance. Otherwise, you might find yourself paying out thousands upon thousands of dollars – again.

Remember, professional liability insurance isn’t just for doctors and hospitals. Anyone working in the medical field should purchase professional liability insurance.

There are different kinds of professional liability insurance policies for you and your medical business, most of which cover allegations of malpractice. As a medical professional, you are familiar with professional liability insurance by now, and now that you are ready to start working or to open the doors of your own medical business, it is time to purchase your own professional liability insurance.

The kind of professional liability insurance you purchase for yourself and your medical business will usually depend on your specialty, the location of your medical business, and the demographics of your clientele. Along with your claims experiences and limits of liability you choose, these factors will also go into determining the cost of the professional liability insurance for yourself and your medical business, as well.

Search for professional liability insurance for yourself and your medical business based on the factors, and you can start by calling your state’s insurance bureau and asking for information about professional liability insurance for medical professionals and medical businesses. They will be able to walk you through the steps of purchasing professional liability insurance.

Liability Insurance

Of the myriad types of insurance policies available, liability insurance is right up there in popularity, primarily because it is less expensive than other insurance. For instance, when it comes to auto insurance policies, liability insurance costs are distinctly less than full coverage. Full coverage insurance covers for both vehicles involved in the collision, in addition to the medical expenses and property damage due to injuries to you or another party. Liability insurance, on the other hand, is accountable for only the other party's damages. Though you and your property are not protected under the coverage, liability insurance guards you from being responsible for other people’s losses.

There are various types of liability insurance, including general liability that works in the same way as auto liability insurance, but deals with businesses. General liability covers clients from third-party claims. Liability insurance is intended to offer protection against claims by the third party, i.e., payment is not given to the one insured, but to the person suffering the loss and who is not a party to the insurance. Usually, liability insurance policies do not cover contractual liability or damages that are caused deliberately. When a claim for damages is put forward, the insurance carrier can exercise its right to defend its client. Policy limits do not affect the legal costs.

In a number of countries, liability insurance is a must for those whose mode of employment puts others at risk. These people include vehicle drivers, job employers, and others who manufacture products that could be harmful for a person’s health. Such individuals, public policies demand, must have insurance, so that in the event they should cause loss to another individual, compensation is available.