Advanced Practice Clinician Coverage Information for Agents and Brokers

Key APC Documents and Information

As the nation’s largest physician-owned medical liability insurer, our nationwide perspective positions us to identify trends in healthcare delivery and respond with innovative and essential products and services that meet the needs of the care providers on the frontlines of those trends. In the rapidly changing U.S. healthcare landscape, data shows that advanced practice clinicians (APCs) are growing at a considerably faster rate than doctors.

To address this shift in healthcare, The Doctors Company and The Doctors Company Risk Retention Group (RRG) have expanded our products and services to offer your advanced practice clinician clients coverage with a new standalone product specifically for APCs.

With the expansion of APCs in the delivery of healthcare comes a growing market opportunity for agents and brokers, and we are pleased to offer an enhanced commission structure for APC submissions.

Commission Structure for Agents and Brokers

All agent commissions will mirror the terms of their contracted physician and surgeon commission rates with the APC premium applicable to eligible bonus commission and incentive programs. The APC premium is included for the Key Agency and Chairman’s Circle qualification.

The bonus commission is payable (along with the contracted commission rate) for policies with effective dates on or after the date that APC submissions will be accepted by The Doctors Company for each available state. For example, if The Doctors Company begins accepting submissions for a particular state on September 1, 2022, a policy with an effective date on or after September 1, 2022, for that state will make the submitting agent eligible for the APC bonus commission.

Coverage for APCs

The new product offering was developed for the following practitioners:

Nurse practitioners (NPs)
Physician assistants (PAs)
Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs)
Certified nurse midwives (CNMs) / Certified midwives (CMs)

The insurance product will be written on The Doctors Company admitted paper in all states except New York and California. In those instances, the insured will be underwritten on The Doctors Company RRG paper.

The APC program is intended for APCs to own and control their own professional liability insurance policy. Existing physician groups with APCs already listed on their group policy cannot purchase separate policies for their APCs as a way to secure coverage at a lower rate. However, if a physician group is changing its practice structure and their employed APCs are, or will soon become, independent contractors, then those 1099-contractor APCs can be insured through the APC program.

One exception to note is New York, where NPs, PAs, CRNAs, and CNMs / CMs are required to have their own policies, regardless of their employment status. Therefore, APCs who are employed by or contracted with medical practices insured by The Doctors Company or Hospitals Insurance Company (HIC) can purchase their professional liability coverage through The Doctors Company medical professional liability admitted filings, or through the APC program and The Doctors Company RRG nonadmitted filing. It is the clinician's responsibility to confirm hospital acceptance of the RRG paper before coverage is bound.

For more information about the differences in coverage, please refer to the RRG and Admitted Coverage Comparison checklist.

Coverage Details

$1M/$3M limits in all states, but additional limit options are available.
Coverage that protects a business against liability to others resulting from bodily injury, property damage, or personal injury. General liability insurance does not cover liability resulting from professional services, employment practices, or worker’s compensation injuries.
Coverage for your liability when you are held responsible for another person’s actions including any employee, independent contractor, agent, or others acting on your behalf.
Separate entity limits are also available.
The Doctors Company Healthcare Professional Liability Policy form.
$25,000 MediGuard® (license protection/defense); no embedded cyber coverage.
Occurrence and claims-made policies (with retro).

CNMs/CMs claims-made policies, unless an occurrence policy is required by their state's patient compensation fund.

The Doctors Company admitted paper for all states except:

The Doctors Company RRG in New York and California.

CNMs/CMs.

Platform submission with underwriting referral due to the higher risk profile of the specialty.

Sexual abuse/molestation coverage (psychiatric specialties only).

Additional Benefits

Tribute® Plan eligible. The Tribute Plan has been revised to reward APCs in addition to the physicians, osteopaths, and dentists it already serves. (This excludes The Doctors Company RRG.)
Dividend eligible. APCs will have a separate dividend pool and will not be eligible for physicians and surgeons (P&S) state-based dividends. Standard dividend qualifying criteria apply. (This excludes The Doctors Company RRG.)

Continuing education.
24/7 patient safety / risk management services.

Coverage Types

Primary: For independent contractors, self-employed practitioners, and practice-owners.

Sleep Easy (Secondary Primary): For employees or contractors with employer-provided medical professional liability coverage who want additional coverage to protect their own interests.

Supervising and Collaborating Physicians: For APCs to practice independently in some states, they must be overseen by a collaborating or supervising physician. In these situations, vicarious liability can be added by endorsement for the APC and named physician(s). Direct liability coverage is available for the physician(s) through their P&S policy with The Doctors Company if they have an established policy set up.

Excess: Coverage will extend above the APC’s employer’s primary policy.

Policy Documents

The Doctors Company

Occurrence

Claims Made

The Doctors Company RRG