Even the most skilled and careful medical practitioners can get sued. It is no guarantee that a human being can be perfect at all times. Rarely will any medical expert make mistakes intentionally but in case of even a minor flaw, a doctor can end up losing a major chunk of his hard-earned money. And why to neglect the politics and diplomacy in the health care industry? There is no dearth of anti-chiropractic medical doctors and people who are always in the lookout for an opportunity to find loopholes in the hospital care offered to the patients. Owing to this, most of the chiropractic malpractice cases are not due to real blunders in surgery or treatment but they stem from misunderstandings, lack of communication and fee issues. In the recent years, an increased number of cases regarding chiropractic malpractices have gained media attention. While some cases are genuine, others are just featherbrained law suits filed to gain millions of dollars. It seems that to get rich quickly, a certain group of people have found malpractice lawsuits as a great idea. To ensure that you are screened against such malpractices, it is best to choose a suitable chiropractic malpractice insurance and carry on your profession with a peace of mind.
Choosing Ideal Chiropractic Malpractice Insurance Policies
Chiropractic malpractice statistics collected from various sources have stated a fact that incidents of medical lawsuits against chiropractors have increased in the last couple of years. No matter fake or real, the issue of malpractice amongst chiropractics is now a matter of debate for medical community. So don't wait to get a secured insurance coverage. To choose the right insurance policy, you may follow some fundamental tips.
Know What is Being Excluded
Surprising it may seem, but still many insurance policies come with a variety of exclusions that decrease the worth of these policies. Cases that involve treating patients under 14 years age, professional athletes and pregnant women (after the first trimester) are not covered. Even board complaints and sexual harassment cases are not covered in many insurance policies. You need to think carefully about the exclusions because a policy that considers even one or two of these exclusions is not worth the deal.
Check Out for the Defense Quality
When you are involved in a malpractice case, it is legal duty of your insurance company to protect you to the best of their power. They will pay for the attorneys, which is certainly one of the greatest costs incurred when fighting for a malpractice law suit. Many insure companies act smart and they put restrictions of number of hours you can meet the attorney as they pay them on hourly basis for consultation. It is advisable to know more about this factor, about the attorney who will protect you. It is a ridiculous deal to have a low premium insurance and be defended by a weaker attorney and lose the case to pay hefty amounts.
Choosing Ideal Chiropractic Malpractice Insurance Policies
Chiropractic malpractice statistics collected from various sources have stated a fact that incidents of medical lawsuits against chiropractors have increased in the last couple of years. No matter fake or real, the issue of malpractice amongst chiropractics is now a matter of debate for medical community. So don't wait to get a secured insurance coverage. To choose the right insurance policy, you may follow some fundamental tips.
Know What is Being Excluded
Surprising it may seem, but still many insurance policies come with a variety of exclusions that decrease the worth of these policies. Cases that involve treating patients under 14 years age, professional athletes and pregnant women (after the first trimester) are not covered. Even board complaints and sexual harassment cases are not covered in many insurance policies. You need to think carefully about the exclusions because a policy that considers even one or two of these exclusions is not worth the deal.
Check Out for the Defense Quality
When you are involved in a malpractice case, it is legal duty of your insurance company to protect you to the best of their power. They will pay for the attorneys, which is certainly one of the greatest costs incurred when fighting for a malpractice law suit. Many insure companies act smart and they put restrictions of number of hours you can meet the attorney as they pay them on hourly basis for consultation. It is advisable to know more about this factor, about the attorney who will protect you. It is a ridiculous deal to have a low premium insurance and be defended by a weaker attorney and lose the case to pay hefty amounts.
Be Aware About "Blackmail Settlement" Clause
Doctors of chiropractics need to be aware of the Consent to Settlement clause or hammer clause or also known as the blackmail settlement clause. It is a part of almost all professional liability policies in which the insurance company has the right to ask the doctor to get into settlement with the opposite party. If the doctor refuses to do so and still fights the case, the insurance company will only be liable to pay a fixed amount, decided by the insurance company itself. That means, if a lawsuit demands you to pay US$100,000, the insurance company may only pay US$50,000 and get away from the case. It will be then the sole responsibility of the doctor to manage the rest of money besides the deductibles.
Don't Only Go for Stable Premiums
Many of us get charmed by big deductibles in our insurance policies. While it is true that deductibles help in low cost policies, in the long run, they can cost us more, because the savings on premiums gets eliminated gradually. Similarly, pricing of the premium must not be your sole concern. You should look for other benefits in the insurance policies.
In the ultimate analysis, choose a chiropractic malpractice insurance that is worth the money. In the lure of cheap bargain, it is not wise to risk the money that has been earned by years of education and lots of hard work. Since this information was just about some facets of choosing such right insurance policies, you should not take it as a professional advice. Seek consultation with an attorney before choosing an insurance policy.