Malpractice Insurance,Good Idea or Bad?

[Simplepleasures]

Ive been reading some older posts that were discussing malpractice insurance.Some felt that as soon as a lawyer found out you had it , you were then more likely to be personally sued.Others have had malpractice insurance and have had the benefit of a lawyer wihout having to pay for him out of pocket, was covered under the insurance. In our litigious society, I wondered what others though about this.What does malpractice insurance cover?How expensive is it? Was it worth the expense?

[Melina]

The only way for a lawyer to find out you have insurance is if you tell him/her. The NSNA and the ANA both recommend professional liability coverage in addition to that of your hospital.

~Mel'

[nuangel1, BSN, RN]

i have carried private malpractice insurance my whole career >20 yrs .its relatively cheap and worth it.

[SmilingBluEyes]

There are already some very good threads discussing pro's and con's. Let me help you out by pointing a few out for your reading pleasure:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/anybody-buy-their-own-private-insurance-181933.html?highlight=malpractice+insurance

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/carrying-my-own-malpractice-insurance-161963.html?highlight=malpractice+insurance

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/malpractice-insurance-151743.html?highlight=malpractice+insurance

https://allnurses.com/forums/f191/shouldi-get-malpractice-insurance-188740.html?highlight=malpractice

Happy reading!

[BSNtobe2009]

If you get sued, and you don't have it, they can take your house and other personal assets.

That's why OJ moved.

[Lacie, BSN, RN]

Yes, Yes Yes!! Not only for malpractice suits, etc., but if you should ever have to go before your state BON due to a complaint made by a pt, employer, co-worker, or so on. I can show you those who were reported out of malice and those who were reported for genuine mistakes (med errors, etc) also remember sometimes incidents are viewed very differently by one person as to another as can be attested to in some abuse complaints made against health care workers. Without malpractice insurance do you have the $20,000 or more that the malpractice will cover for your attorney fees when you present before the BON to fight for your licensure? Just a thought. I wouldnt go without it!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Yes, definitely - have had it my entire career. They also can answer documentation questions, HIPAA-related questions and they are an excellent resource.