Physician Assistant Malpractice Insurance

The physician assistant/associate (PA) profession has been around for more than 50 years, and as healthcare has evolved, the PA role has expanded, playing a vital role in patient safety and care access.

But with growing responsibility comes growing liability risks:

• When a PA is making more autonomous decisions around patients’ care, that increases their potential liability.
• PAs are now treating more complex patients—including increasingly in surgical subspecialties—which inherently increases risk.

Most practitioners will be the target of a lawsuit at least once in their career, with or without the occurrence of a medical error. Unfortunately, the professional liability coverage offered by many employers is not keeping pace with PA risks—especially as they shift their focus to more collaborative team-based care.

Why Do You Need Your Own Professional Liability Coverage?

Employer-provided coverage may not fully protect PAs. Having your own professional liability policy can help address gaps and provide added peace of mind.

Key reasons to consider individual coverage include:

• Coverage limits may be insufficient: Rising malpractice verdicts can quickly exceed shared or employer-provided limits.
• Administrative actions may not be covered: Employer policies often focus on protecting the organization, not individual PAs facing licensing board complaints, credentialing reviews, DEA actions, or Medicare/Medicaid investigations.
• Tail coverage may be missing: Malpractice claims are often filed 18 to 24 months after an incident. Without tail coverage, you may not be protected after leaving a position.
• Shared liability limits increase risk: Coverage limits may be shared with physicians, employers, or other practitioners, reducing the protection available to you.
• Your reputation is at stake: A board complaint can take years and significant legal expenses to resolve while putting your license and career at risk.

Supplemental malpractice insurance can help fill these gaps by providing dedicated legal representation, additional liability protection, and coverage focused on protecting your professional reputation and livelihood.

Features of Industry-Leading PA Coverage

For nearly 50 years, TDC Group, through medical professional liability insurance carrier The Doctors Company and its affiliate The Doctors Company Risk Retention Group (RRG), has been protecting PAs from professional liability risks.

Why clinicians trust us:

• More than 175,000 members and insureds nationwide, with over 90 percent reporting high satisfaction with our claims prevention and defense.
• Exceptional financial strength, backed by $12 billion in assets and $3.4 billion in member surplus.
• The Doctors Company is rated A by AM Best and Fitch Ratings.
• Member-owned, focused on protecting healthcare professionals—not shareholders.

Coverage Designed for PAs

Our policies include:

• Flexible coverage limits tailored to your specialty, risk profile, and practice setting.
• Occurrence and claims-made policies.
• Free tail coverage with claims-made policies upon full retirement, permanent disability, or death.

Industry-Leading Claims Defense

When a claim arises, you have access to:

• A commitment to never settle a claim without your consent, subject to your policy terms and applicable law.
• Experienced defense attorneys and claims specialists.
• Guidance and support throughout the litigation process.

Protection Beyond Malpractice Claims

Your coverage includes valuable protections and resources, such as:

• Telehealth coverage for eligible practitioner-patient relationships.
• MediGuard® regulatory risk coverage, providing up to $25,000 for covered licensing board and regulatory actions.
• Access to patient safety resources, accredited education courses, and self-assessment tools designed to help reduce malpractice risk.
• Insights from the industry's largest medical malpractice claims database.
• An exclusive risk management guide with practical strategies to improve patient safety and reduce liability exposure.

Financial Rewards for Long-Term Members

Eligible members may benefit from:

• The Tribute® Plan, which rewards physicians and advanced practice clinicians for a career of practicing good medicine and loyalty to The Doctors Company.†
  • More than $200 million paid in Tribute awards
  • Highest individual award paid to date: $264,808
• Participation in a multiyear dividend program that has declared more than $500 million for eligible members.†

Discounts for New Clinicians

You may qualify for a discount if you have:

• Graduated within the past two years.
• Switched specialties within the past two years.
• Transitioned from government work or teaching into clinical practice within the past two years.

Advocacy That Protects Your Profession

Our Government Relations team advocates for healthcare professionals at both the state and federal levels by:

• Defending existing medical liability reforms.
• Opposing legislation that increases liability exposure.
• Supporting measures that strengthen protections for clinicians nationwide.

We maintain the only medical liability advocacy program that operates in all 50 states and at the federal level.

Additional Coverage Options

• General liability insurance: Add-on coverage that protects your business against claims involving bodily injury, property damage, or personal injury. Does not cover professional liability, employment practices, or workers' compensation claims.
• Vicarious liability insurance: Recommended for practice owners. Helps protect you if employees, contractors, or others acting on your behalf are accused of errors or omissions. Available as a policy endorsement.
• Additional business owner's coverage: Coverage options for independent practices include commercial property, cyber liability, workers' compensation, employment practices liability insurance (EPLI), and life, health, and disability insurance. Contact us at (800) 780-9975 for details.
• Medical director coverage: Protects against risks associated with administrative, leadership, and oversight responsibilities that may not be covered by standard malpractice insurance. Also provides protection in certain vicarious liability situations and may help satisfy regulatory or contractual requirements.

Types of Coverage—Get Exactly the Protection You Need

• Primary: If you currently have employer-provided medical professional liability coverage, but want your own policy to protect your own professional reputation, or if you’re an independent contractor, self-employed practitioner, or practice owner.
• Excess: If you want to rely on your primary policy as your first line of defense against a claim, but you’d like to purchase additional coverage to avoid paying out-of-pocket expenses after your primary policy limits are exhausted.
• Supervising and collaborating physicians: If you have a formal agreement in place with a collaborating physician, surgeon, or anesthesiologist, vicarious liability coverage can be added to your policy or theirs.

Frequently Asked Questions

†Policies underwritten by The Doctors Company Risk Retention Group are not eligible for the Tribute Plan or dividends.

CAQH Provider Data Portal is the largest database of self-reported provider data in the U.S., with 374,006 advanced practice clinicians (APCs) in their credentials database.