Why is insurance a must for nurses?
Business insurance for nurses can pay for legal costs when a patient sues over a mistake or oversight. It can also cover work-related injuries, theft of medical equipment, and data breaches that expose patient information.
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6 insurance policies every nurse should consider
Hospitals, healthcare networks, and state laws may require you to carry coverage. These insurance products defend nurses against common risks and fulfill the requirements of laws and contracts.
Professional liability / medical malpractice
This policy protects nurses against legal costs related to professional negligence, such as administering the wrong medication. It's also called medical malpractice insurance.
- Medication errors
- Failure to monitor a patient
- Mistakes in documentation
Workers' comp insurance
Most states require patient care businesses with employees to carry workers' compensation. It also protects sole proprietors against work-related medical bills that health insurance can deny.
- Medical expenses from job-related injuries
- Disability benefits
- Lawsuits from workplace injuries
Business owner's policy
A BOP bundles commercial property insurance and general liability coverage at a discount. It's often the most cost-effective type of business insurance for nurses who own medical equipment.
- Slip-and-fall injuries
- Personal injury lawsuits
- Stolen or damaged medical equipment
General liability insurance
A general liability policy protects nurses against legal fees related to patient property damage and injuries, such as accidentally dropping a patient's smartphone.
- Accidental patient injuries
- Accidental damage to a patient's property
- Defamation and copyright lawsuits
Cyber insurance
Cyber insurance covers costs related to cyberattacks and data breaches. It's strongly recommended for nurses and other healthcare professionals who store patient information.
- Data breach notifications
- Fraud monitoring services
- Cyberextortion demands
Commercial auto insurance
Nurses with business-owned vehicles must carry commercial auto coverage to comply with state laws. It helps pay for financial losses in an accident, including legal costs and property repairs.
- Auto accident injuries
- Auto accident property damage
- Theft of a nurse's vehicle
Nursing insurance costs
Here's a quick look at the average costs of common nurse insurance policies purchased by TechInsurance customers:
Professional liability: $45 per month
Business owner's policy: $57 per month
Workers' compensation: $43 per month
Factors that can influence your premiums include:
- Type of professional service, such as registered nurse (RN), nurse practitioner (NP), or licensed practical nurse (LPN)
- Number of employees you have
- Types of insurance purchased
- Deductibles and limits of liability
- Policy exclusions
- Claims history
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Common questions about nurse insurance
Find answers to frequently asked questions about nursing insurance.
Do nurses need to carry malpractice insurance?
Though it's not often required by state law, there are still several reasons why nurses might need a professional liability insurance policy, also called malpractice insurance.
- You need it to sign a contract. Your employer will likely require you to carry malpractice coverage. You might need it to sign a contract, join a healthcare network, or work at a specific hospital or other healthcare facility.
- You need it for a license. State laws require certain nursing professionals to carry malpractice insurance in order to get licensed. As one example, advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in Connecticut must carry a policy with a $500,000 per-occurrence limit and a $1.5 million aggregate limit.
- Your employer might provide limited coverage. Employers sometimes provide nurses with malpractice insurance. However, your employer's policy might only cover certain situations, or it might not provide sufficient coverage for a claim.
- You need protection against patient lawsuits. Anyone who is responsible for patient care should carry malpractice insurance as part of their risk management strategy. If you're accused of professional negligence, such as failure to monitor a patient, this policy can pay for your legal defense costs, including attorney's fees.
What is the most common nurse malpractice insurance coverage?
The most common type of nurse malpractice insurance is a claims-made policy. In order to benefit from coverage, this kind of policy must be active at the time of the claim.
Most other types of insurance, such as general liability insurance, are occurrence-based policies. With occurrence policies, you can benefit from having insurance even after your policy lapses, so long as you were covered at the time of the incident.
With malpractice insurance policies, it's crucial to maintain continuous coverage to avoid paying for a lawsuit out of pocket. Fortunately, insurance companies offer several ways to do this. You can set a retroactive date at which coverage begins, or add tail coverage to your policy after it would otherwise have expired.
What types of malpractice should nurses have?
You can buy insurance to cover several different types of malpractice claims, such as:
- Telehealth coverage, for lawsuits related to virtual appointments
- License defense coverage, for incidents that threaten your license
- Needlestick coverage, for injuries from needles and other sharps
- HIPAA defense coverage, for violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
Which nursing professions should get insurance coverage?
Without exception, every type of nursing professional should carry insurance. That includes:
