Most individual medical indemnity insurance policies for doctors will provide what is commonly referred to as “Regulatory Cover” or “Inquiry Cover”.
These policies are sometimes referred to as Medical Practitioner Professional Indemnity Insurance or Medical Malpractice Insurance policies.
Amongst other cover, a range of Expenses in relation to legal defence costs with proceedings, inquests, inquiries, investigations or complaints may be provided if the insured has a claim triggered by the policy.
These could include Medical board, medical tribunal or other disciplinary investigations and proceedings.
In New South Wales some complaints are dealt with by the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC).
And in Queensland, The Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) receives complaints about registered health practitioners that arise in Queensland. It may refer a complaint to Ahpra and the National Boards.
Such cover within the policy is sometimes referred to as “Cover for disciplinary matters”.
Each policy will have its own terms and conditions in its policy wordings and may have limits on the amount of expenses that would be incurred, such as $2m in a policy period.
If you are a Doctor and would like help to understand this type of insurance further, or to want to compare cover across several insurers, feel free to contact us at any time.
General advice on this website has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on the advice, consider its appropriateness. Always read the Product Disclosure Document of an insurer before considering whether to take a policy of insurance. General insurance services are provided by Experien General Insurance Services Pty Ltd ABN 77 151 269 279 AFS Licence No. 430190 (EGIS) trading as Experien Insurance Services. EGIS is a broker and is not an insurer.
