On average, a family physician faces a malpractice suit about once every seven to ten years. Good risk management techniques can help to minimize the chance of being sued and make a family care physician’s case more defensible if he must go to court. Learn more about medical malpractice insurance for physicians and workers in family medicine.

What is Family Medical Malpractice Insurance?

Medical professional liability insurance is a professional liability insurance designed to protect licensed healthcare professionals from potential malpractice claims. Physicians should carry medical malpractice insurance to protect their career and their finances. Most malpractice insurance coverage covers the costs of defending lawsuits related to such claims.

Why is Malpractice Insurance for Family Medicine Practitioners Important?

Doctors practicing family medicine are some of the most versatile doctors across all specialties. They are the only specialist qualified to treat most ailments and provide comprehensive health care for people of all ages. Family medicine doctors also provide the majority of care for the underserved and those within rural populations. They treat a wide population for a wide number of ailments. This inherently places them at greater risk for potential medical malpractice lawsuits. Medical malpractice insurance protects practicing physicians’ finances and their careers. Malpractice insurance also helps family doctors comply with state laws and other requirements.

Potential Causes for Family Medicine Litigation

Diagnostic errors 

• myocardial infarction, breast cancer, appendicitis, lung cancer, and colon cancer are the most common

Improper trauma care.

Improper drug treatment

Failure to follow procedures

Failure to obtain informed consent

Cost of Medical Malpractice for Family Medicine

Medical malpractice insurance premiums for family practice physicians vary markedly based on the location and focus of the practice. Florida and Illinois are two states where Family Physicians pay the most for their med-mal ins., sometimes $30,000 or higher for a mature, claims-made policy. G premiums can be $3,000 or less in less-litigious states like Minnesota. Texas and California tend to have lower premiums, where strong, tested tort reforms like limits on noneconomic damages in malpractice cases have been enacted. Premiums are much higher for family physicians that practice invasive procedures or do some obstetrics in their practice than for those who do not. In today’s hostile malpractice climate, many doctors who once included obstetrics in their practice have eliminated such procedures to lower their liability insurance premiums.

Family physicians who want to reduce their medical malpractice insurance premiums should support tort reform efforts. The American Academy of Family Physicians, an important specialty organization, advances a position of reform that includes limits on noneconomic damages in malpractice cases, limiting attorneys’ fees, reducing statutes of limitations, and incentives for alternative case resolution methods.

Dig deeper into how much medical malpractice insurance costs.

Factors that Affect Malpractice Insurance Premiums:

Practice Location

Amount of coverage needed

• More coverage means a higher premium 

Type of policy preferred

• Every policy is different, every medical practitioner has different needs 

Medical specialty

• Higher-risk specialties that require unique expertise will naturally have higher premiums

Working hours

• Longer working hours ( more strained individuals) will have higher premiums

Previous malpractice claims history

• If you have a history of claims, insurance companies will see you as a higher risk and require a higher premium to cover you

Save Money on Family Medicine Malpractice Insurance

Working with a medical malpractice insurance agent/ broker can save you money on your insurance premiums. Family medicine medical malpractice insurance brokers shop for the best available policies to determine which ones are best suited for your unique needs at the lowest cost. In the medical malpractice insurance industry, agent commissions are already built into your premium. You pay the same amount for coverage whether you use an agent or purchase directly from the insurance company. Let us be your advocate.

How Does the Medical Malpractice Agent Process Work?

1. You will submit your information through a secure medical malpractice insurance quote form.
2. You can always call us and speak to an agent immediately.
3. A veteran family medicine malpractice insurance broker will be assigned to you.
4. We shop your Physician Malpractice Insurance to every major malpractice insurance company.
5. Your insurance agent will take the time and go over all of your options with you, explaining everything to make certain you make the right decision.
6. We get you your insurance policy at the best price with a major insurance company.
7. At renewal time: We start the shopping process all over again, getting you quotes from all the major malpractice insurance companies to again make certain you’re properly priced.

Why Family Medicine Physicians Choose Cunningham Group for Coverage

Cunningham Group provides a personalized experience at no cost to ensure you are with the best insurance fit for you and your needs. Family medicine physicians practice across a wide variety of settings and specialties, and states vary in rules and regulations, making it important for our insurance agents to take the time to get to know your unique practice and employment situation. This way, our agents can find you the most appropriate family medicine doctor malpractice insurance policy to ensure you are covered adequately. We do this by working with all of the major medical malpractice insurance carriers in your state. These relationships with top insurance carriers allow us to get you the best price.

Be sure to ask your insurance agent if you qualify for any professional discounts. You may qualify for a discount if you are “new to the practice,” have not had a recent claim, and/or are willing to complete an online risk management course with your carrier.

Cunningham Group has helped thousands of family medicine doctors find the right malpractice coverage. We have access to different options in your state to ensure you get the right coverage.

Our service costs you nothing. In the medical malpractice insurance industry, agent commissions are already built into your premium. You pay the same amount for coverage whether you use an agent or purchase directly from the insurance company. Let us be your advocate. Request your free family medicine malpractice insurance quote now.

The Ultimate Medical Malpractice Insurance Guide

We’ve created the ultimate medical malpractice insurance guide for doctors that can answer almost any question you may have — either before you buy or while you have an active policy. This guide applies to all healthcare professionals in every state.

Resources for Family Medicine Physicians

Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
American Board of Family Medicine
Family Medicine – Medscape
Annals of Family Medicine
American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation
Family Practice (journal)
Association of Departments of Family Medicine
Best Family Medicine Programs
Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine