Medical Malpractice Insurance

Medical malpractice insurance is the healthcare industry's form of professional liability (errors & omissions) coverage. It responds when a patient alleges that a provider's negligent act, error, or omission in delivering professional services caused bodily injury — covering both the cost of defense and any settlement or judgment up to the policy limit.

It is almost always written on a claims-made basis, meaning the policy must be in force both when the incident occurs and when the claim is made. That makes the retroactive date critical, and it makes tail (extended reporting) coverage essential when a provider retires, changes carriers, or leaves a practice — otherwise late-reported claims fall into a gap.

Malpractice is distinct from a facility's general liability (which covers slip-and-fall type bodily injury, not professional treatment). Pricing turns heavily on specialty (a neurosurgeon pays far more than a family physician), state, claims history, and limits — commonly expressed as a per-claim / aggregate split limit.