Internist Medical Malpractice Insurance

Hospitalist With Medical Malpractice Insurance Caring For An Older Female Patient In The Hospital

Internists care for the whole patient – let MEDPLI take care of your medical malpractice insurance.

Internists are equipped to deal with a variety of complex problems – finding the right medical malpractice insurance policy shouldn’t have to be one of them. Luckily, internal medicine physicians tend to pay lower premiums for medical malpractice insurance than most other providers.

The right medical malpractice insurance from an A-rated carrier is the surest way to protect yourself from lawsuit damages, attorney fees, and more. Contact us today to learn more about the different types of policies available or to get a quote for your internist medical malpractice insurance.

Internist Medical Malpractice Insurance Rates

Rates for internist medical malpractice insurance can vary widely by a number of factors, including location, type of procedures performed, previous claims history and more. Mature claims-made estimates below are for informational purposes only. Occurrence coverage may be available. To get your personalized rate estimate, please request a quote.

State City Premium Estimate Limits of Liability
AL Birmingham $18,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
AR Little Rock $18,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
AZ Phoenix $22,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
CA Los Angeles $17,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
CO Denver $20,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
CT Bridgeport $22,000 $1,000,000/$4,000,000
DE Wilmington $22,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
DC Washington DC $28,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
FL* Miami $35,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
FL* Miami $28,000 $250,000/$750,000
GA Atlanta $20,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
HI Honolulu $20,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
IA Des Moines $17,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
ID Boise $17,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
IL Chicago $30,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
KS Wichita $17,000 + KS HCSF $200,000/$600,000
KY Louisville $20,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
IN Indianapolis $18,000 + IN PCF $250,000/$750,000
LA New Orleans $18,000 + LA PCF $1,000,000/$3,000,000
MA Boston $22,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
MD Baltimore $19,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
ME Portland $18,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
MI Detroit $27,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
MO St. Louis $20,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
MN Minneapolis $17,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
MS Jackson $20,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
MT Billings $20,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
NC Charlotte $15,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
ND Fargo $15,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
NE Omaha $18,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
NH Manchester $25,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
NM** Albuquerque $25,000 + NM PCF $200,000/600,000
NJ Newark $25,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
NV Las Vegas $25,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
NY Manhattan, NY $45,000 $1,300,000/$3,900,000
OH Columbus $20,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
OK Oklahoma City $18,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
OR Portland $18,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
PA Philadelphia $25,000 + MCARE $500,000/$1,500,000
RI Providence $18,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
SC Charleston $17,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
SD Sioux Falls $15,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
TN Nashville $17,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
TX* Houston $17,000 $200,000/$600,000
TX* Houston $20,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
UT Salt Lake City $17,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
VA Virginia Beach $20,000 $2,500,000/$7,500,000
VT Burlington $17,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
WA Seattle $17,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
WI Milwaukee $17,000 + PCF $1,000,000/$3,000,000
WV Charleston $20,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000
WY Cheyenne $20,000 $1,000,000/$3,000,000

*These states offer limit options
** Only Occurrence; no Claims-Made coverage

Why Internal Medicine Doctors Need Medical Malpractice Insurance

All physicians are at risk of experiencing a medical malpractice claim.

While the likelihood of facing a lawsuit is low for internists, research shows that they tend to be sued for:

  • Missed, delayed, or incorrect diagnosis
    Diagnosis-related claims are commonly related to myocardial infarction (MI), lung, colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer,  cancer, acute cerebrovascular accident, and pulmonary embolism.

  • Medical treatment allegations
    Commonly related to failure or delay in obtaining a consult or referral, failure or delay in ordering diagnostic tests, failure to consider available clinical information, and inadequate communication among healthcare professionals about the patient’s condition.

  • Improper medication management
    Including failure to appropriately monitor anticoagulants, failure to address medication side effects, and failure to identify drug interactions.

If you should have to face a malpractice lawsuit, medical malpractice insurance is well worth the expense. The right medical malpractice insurance will protect you from multiple factors in the event of a lawsuit. These are:

  • Monetary damages awarded to the plaintiff

  • Attorney’s fees

Even if you win your lawsuit or the claim gets dismissed, internists without malpractice insurance can expect to pay tens of thousands of dollars to defend themselves against a claim.

How Internists Can Reduce The Risk of a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

In 2019, over half of internists surveyed said they had been named in a lawsuit at least once. Internists need to ensure that they are doing everything they can to minimize their risk of a malpractice lawsuit. Internal medicine doctors can take the following actions to help reduce their risk of a lawsuit:

  • Documentation

    Accurately diagnosing a patient can be especially challenging for primary care doctors because of the wide range of medical problems they encounter. In the event of a lawsuit, internal medicine doctors need to recall the details and thought processes behind the treatments they provided, and thorough documentation that is completed during or immediately after the patient visit is key to recreating the circumstances of care.

  • Communication

    How doctors communicate with their patients has a tremendous impact on the likelihood of whether or not they’ll be sued. Doctors who take the time to explain and educate, truly listen to their patients’ concerns, and apologize when they’ve made a mistake are sued less often.

  • Referral and Follow Up

    Primary care doctors can face legal trouble if they fail to make referrals when they are warranted. When a primary care physician does make a referral, robust patient follow up and excruciatingly thorough documentation of that follow up is an absolute must when it comes to proving due diligence

Medical Malpractice Insurance Challenges for Internal Medicine Doctors

  • Burnout

    Only 62% of internal medicine doctors surveyed said they would choose to go into internal medicine again, and data shows that since 2011, the number of physicians who have entered into primary care positions has been on the decline. Physician burnout and fatigue are associated with an increase in medical errors, leaving both internal medicine doctors and patients at risk.

  • Rising Insurance Premiums

    Across the board, insurance premiums are rising for medical professionals of all specialties, and the same can be predicted for internal medicine doctors. In general, doctors’ medical malpractice insurance rates are on the rise as a result of increasing healthcare liability defense costs and larger indemnity payments.

Canceled or Non-Renewed? MEDPLI Is Your Best Ally.

Don’t settle for inadequate coverage and exorbitant rates.

Even when you are denied coverage, our insurance brokers visors can find you the right malpractice insurance solution at the lowest possible rate.

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