Malpractice Insurance for Moonlighting as Resident

[hrain1099]

Hi all,

Thanks in advance for any advice you may share!

I'm a PGY3 EM resident (4 yr program) and starting to moonlight. Urgent cares this year, EDs next year as allowed by our program. The UC that I'm about to start at provides malpractice insurance to each of its MDs -- $1mil/$3mil/$12mil as below. I'm new to the whole med mal insurance thing, and I'm trying to learn but still a bit confused.

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Covered Provider: ***, MD

Effective and Retroactive Date: 10/19/2017

$1,000,000 Limit Each Claim/$3,000,000 Each Location Aggregate/$12,000,000 Total Annual Policy Aggregate. Coverage is extended to all locations where professional service is rendered with respects to the operations of the named insured.

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It looks like it's Claims-Made, not Occurrence-based, unfortunately. Sounds like Claims-Made is pretty standard now (although not preferred), but I know that ideally I would purchase tail coverage, right? Do you think that's necessary? The problem is that since this insurance is purchased through/provided by the UC company, I'm not sure that I *can* purchase tail coverage, and even if I could, I'm not sure that I'll be making enough with my moonlighting to pay / make it worth it. Or, is tail coverage usually just purchased whenever I separate from the group and I'm worrying before I need to do so?

Thanks for your help!

[jfoxcpacfp]

I think you are worrying unnecesarilly. I’ve not heard of one client buying individual malpractice for moonlighting as they are covered by the provider. It wouldn’t be economically feasible to moonlight, otherwise. Maybe someone will chime in with an alternative viewpoint.

[Winkleweizen]

I would not do it without tail or an occurrence based policy.  I'd look into tail coverage and if it's no cheap then look into moonlighting elsewhere.   It's not worth the risk.

[Peds]

yea figure out the tail issue. otherwise i would find a diff option given that coverage.

[Dreamgiver]

You absolutely want tail coverage. It is unusual not to offer that. If that is indeed the case, I would look at other "unusual" things hidden in this contract. Take is as a red flag.

[MPMD]

Are you sure this doesn't have tail built in?

I have literally never heard of an EM doc privately purchasing tail coverage.

[Steven Podnos MD CFP]

As a physician, I would only moonlight when the facility or locums agency supplies an occurrence policy.  It is both impractical and expensive to work with claims made insurance in this instance.