All Branch Topic (ABT) Malpractice for moonlighting

[Perrotfish]

For those who moonlight, where do I get malpractice insurance and how much should I expect to pay for it?

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[HighPriest]

If you work with a company such as Comphealth or Weatherby, etc. they will cover your malpractice. If you're covering for someone who is out of town (say a local doc), their malpractice insurance will often cover you so long as they are out. If you're simply taking a job locally, you'll have to purchase it. Obviously, talk to your potential employer first and/or to your military colleagues who might be working the same gig.


There are obviously tons of companies from which you can do this. Shopping for the best rate is the way to go. Just be certain you understand what you're buying and that you either get occurance or buy a tail if you get claims made. Some states (not many) will actually cover your tail for you. Some emoyers will do so as well, though generally not if they're not covering your premiums.

I've had a policy with Medical Protective, although the group for which I was covering paid for it. Cost will depend upon specialty, location, and the age of the policy. I have no idea what it runs for pediatrics.

 

[Shikima]

If moonlighting, see if the hospital system you're working with will cover you.

 

[psychbender]

As HighPriest mentioned, most malpractice carriers will have a locums clause, which allows up to X days of coverage for a locums doc to work for the covered doc while he is on vacation. If you plan to work with this group for more than that amount of time, then a separate policy may be needed. At the local hospital where I sometimes moonlight, I am covered by the locums clause. One of my colleagues who would moonlight there before I started worked so much that the group purchased a part-time employee policy for him.

 

[pgg]

It depends on where you practice, what specialty you practice, how much you practice (moonlighter policies are sometimes discounted because of the relatively low number of hours worked), and whether that practice includes certain high risk activities.


When I was first out of residency I started moonlighting for an anesthesia group that was always short. Their carrier apparently wouldn't cover as a locums someone who was going to be a long term, ongoing frequent flier, so they told me I needed my own policy. They got their other locums coverage through an agency which provided coverage to visitors. I had contacted them directly looking for a job, which they loved (no cut to the agency), and it was a good deal for me too since my hourly rate and call stipend was higher than what some of the other locums were getting. Win-win except I needed to get my own liability policy.

I obtained a discounted / part-time policy through The Doctors Company (thedoctors.com). In California it was a $1M/3M claims-made policy and the premium was reduced so long as I was working less than 1/4 time at that job. My first year premium was about $1600. Annual premium gradually increased to about $3800 at maturity at 5 years. Presumably it helped that I had a clean license and malpractice history.

After I PCS'd to Virginia, for about a year I couldn't find a moonlighting gig as good as the old one ... so I actually took leave a few times to fly back to CA to work at the same place. Recently I found a moonlighting job locally that is comparable in pay and work environment to the CA job, but obviously the commute is shorter. They were able to transfer/reissue the policy to cover my work here. New policy is $2.25M/6.75M and the annual premium is about $4700. Still covers the CA location too, should I go back again.

Eventually, because it's a claims-made policy, I'll need to buy a tail (or nose). They have quoted me 240% of the final year premium for that tail cost.

They have been very good to work with as a military physician. When I was deployed, they suspended the policy premiums while I was gone and let me resume them when I returned, no gap in coverage.

I'm not sure how it'll work out when I leave for FTOS fellowship this summer. I'm clearly prohibited from any moonlighting, so I won't need a policy. But I don't want to cancel the policy and pay the tail yet, only to start it up again a year later. I'm hoping they'll treat it like a deployment ... it is after all military orders to a place where I can't work under the policy. Worst case, I'll just pay the premium for the year I don't use it.