Author: Chris Baxter

Along with education, skills training, and hands-on experience, chiropractors need a few things for their careers to thrive. Malpractice coverage is essential for medical professionals, and in this guide we’ll explain why chiropractors benefit from malpractice insurance and some of the basics of malpractice insurance.

What Is Malpractice Insurance?

Before we get into why all chiropractors can benefit from malpractice insurance, what exactly is malpractice insurance anyway? Malpractice insurance is particular professional liability insurance catered explicitly to medical professionals and businesses, like chiropractors.

A medical malpractice claim can arise from many situations, but most commonly from medical services that result in patient injury or death. It’s essential for medical professionals to have malpractice insurance—whether they’re a physician, nurse, chiropractor, or any other professional—as a malpractice claim could cost the defendant hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.

Most malpractice insurance covers costs such as:

• Attorney fees
• Arbitration costs
• Settlement costs
• Medical damages
• Chiropractic License Investigation defense
• Defense for Billing errors

There are two types of policies medical professionals can choose from in malpractice insurance: claims-made or occurrence coverage.

Claims-Made vs. Occurrence Malpractice Insurance

When a medical professional, like a chiropractor, chooses malpractice insurance, they must choose between claims-made or occurrence coverage. But what’s the difference between these coverages, and which is better for chiropractors?

Claims-Made Policy

A claims-made policy only provides coverage for incidents that occur and are reported while the insured holds the policy with the insurance carrier. In essence, the incident and the claim filing must happen while the policy is still active for the claim to be covered.

Pro Tip: If there’s a gap of time between an old and new insurance policy and you don’t want to be vulnerable to claims, you can purchase tail coverage.

If, for example, a chiropractor has claims-made coverage for 10 years but then retires and lets their policy expire, they would no longer be covered for those years. A malpractice claim that’s reported and filed five years later, when the policy passed, would not be covered by insurance if the policyholder allowed the coverage to expire.

Most malpractice insurance policies are claims-made, as they’re more affordable than occurrence coverage.

Occurrence Policy

An occurrence malpractice policy differs from claims-made because the policy could expire, but the policyholder would still be covered for the time they owned the policy. Let’s return to the example we used in the claims-made section.

If a claim is filed five years into a chiropractor’s retirement but had an occurrence policy, he would still be covered. An occurrence policy is a lifelong coverage, even if the policy itself later expires—the policyholder is always covered for that period when the patient had the treatment.

Occurrence policies may be more extensive in their coverage, but they’re also typically more expensive, making them less common than claims-made coverage.

Do Chiropractors Need Malpractice Insurance?

Chiropractors aren’t conducting intensive medical procedures or life-altering diagnoses, so do they need malpractice insurance? The answer is yes!

Like any other medical professional, chiropractors are sometimes sued by patients and patients’ families for damaged and alleged neglect. Chiropractors deal with spinal manipulation, and sometimes patients blame chiropractors for not solving their spinal issues.

Damages and compensation can result in thousands or millions of dollars, so if a chiropractor isn’t covered with chiropractor professional liability insurance, one claim could financially ruin them.

Types of Malpractice Claims Against Chiropractors

While good communication and documentation can help you avoid chiropractic malpractice claims, they still happen. Malpractice claims are particular to the individual litigant, but most claims against chiropractors fall under a couple of categories: a failure to diagnose and harm the patient from treatment.

Failure To Diagnose

One of the most common medical malpractice claims in the industry is a failure by a physician to diagnose an illness or injury. Failure to diagnose is also a common complaint against chiropractors, although not as prevalent as other medical specialties.

A chiropractor is more limited than a typical physician in a hospital or healthcare facility because they have fewer resources, like X-rays and other diagnostic tests. Plus, patients are often referred to chiropractors by physicians, so the original physician is typically liable if an initial diagnosis is missed.

But there are still cases where a chiropractor was found liable for failing to diagnose a spinal injury, leading to further pain and damage to the patient.

Harm to the Patient From Treatment

The more common malpractice claim against chiropractors is harm to the patient from treatment. We all know how critical spinal health is to our quality of life, and an error in treatment or diagnosis can lead to severe consequences for the patient.

Some common side effects of ineffective chiropractic treatment include:

• Neck injuries
• Nerve damage
• Herniated discs
• Soreness
• Headaches
• Stroke

These types of injuries are rare, but they do happen and can be caused from chiropractic treatment errors. Patients will rightly look for compensation for their suffering when these injuries happen, and the chiropractor will most likely be found liable.

Why All Chiropractors Benefit From Malpractice Insurance

All Businesses Have Risk

There’s risk involved in any business, whether it’s a chiropractic practice, an autobody shop, or a restaurant. Every business should carry professional liability coverage, but chiropractors especially need the protection to ensure financial security. It’s one of the most effective ways to reduce risk for your chiropractic practice.

Responsible for Patient’s Health

A chiropractor may not have the same responsibilities as a surgeon or physician, but they still control the health and quality of life of a patient in their hands. You don’t have to be a medical expert to understand spinal health’s importance to your overall health!

A patient trusts a chiropractor to help them feel better, and if a mistake is made, the results could cause severe damage and suffering to a patient. A chiropractor can’t assume they’ll be perfect their entire career and never make a mistake—they need safety nets and insurance coverage should problems arise.

Protect Themselves and Their Business

Many chiropractors own their businesses and are small business owners. A threat to their career, like a malpractice claim, doesn’t just threaten themselves but their entire business and financial security.

As the owner of a practice, a chiropractor is directly responsible for what occurs in their practice. Without insurance, it could mean they’re liable for injuries sustained on the premises they’re not involved in but still accountable since it’s their practice. Stay protected and preserve your future with medical malpractice insurance. For more information and a free quote, contact Baxter & Associates today!

One of the necessities of practicing in the medical field is having malpractice insurance. But how does one get malpractice insurance? We can help by guiding you through the necessary steps to acquire malpractice insurance.

Step #1: Find an Agent

The first step you should take to have malpractice insurance is finding an experienced professional who can help guide you through the process. Insurance on its own is often complicated and confusing, especially for those not familiar with the ins and outs of malpractice insurance.

An independent agent will know the coverage you need and where to look for the best options. Even your profession can affect your coverage, whether it’s chiropractic malpractice insurance or personal liability coverage.

Step #2: Review Coverage Options & Quotes

Once you’ve explained what you’re looking for and your budget to your agent, they’ll put together some quotes and options. These first quotes are initial options, and you can view them as a starting point to work from to find the perfect coverage.

This step is where you can narrow down your options and fine-tune your preferences regarding premiums, policy limits, or occurrence vs. claims-made coverage. You may find that you won’t get exactly what you’re looking for, but trust that your agent can find you the best deal.

Step #3: Submit an Application

After review, it’s time to select an insurance carrier and move forward by applying. Your agent will guide you through the application process and help you gather any information you need.

The insurance company should reply to your application with a decision to accept or reject relatively quickly, typically in under a week.

Step #4: Consider Offers & Bind Coverage

When the carrier accepts your offer, they will respond with some quotes and terms for your policy to review and consider. You should already know what to expect, and there shouldn’t be any surprises at this step.

This step is also where you can bind your coverage. Binding means that while the contract may not be official yet, you’ve bound the insurance carrier to you, and they will cover you from that date and time forward.

Step #5: Pay Premium and Confirm Policy

You’ve applied and agreed to the terms—all that’s left is to make it official with your first premium payment to bind coverage. Most insurance providers offer convenient payment plans.

Congratulations, now you’re protected with malpractice insurance! If you have further questions about malpractice insurance, consult with the experts at Baxter & Associates.

Physicians are some of the most well-educated and trained professionals, but they’re still human and make mistakes. Even in healthcare, errors happen that have consequences, which is why medical practice liability insurance is critical for individuals and facilities.

We’ll go over some of the most common causes of malpractice lawsuits for doctors, ranging from simple mishaps to more complex mistakes.

Misdiagnosis and Delay in Diagnosis

The number one cause of malpractice lawsuits for doctors is diagnosis. Although physicians are highly trained, educated, and skilled, they sometimes get it wrong or don’t diagnose an illness quickly enough to prevent suffering or death.

Misdiagnosis is when a physician gets the diagnosis wrong—often, this occurs from not knowing the patient’s medical and family history well enough. A delayed diagnosis is when a doctor is correct in their diagnosis, but it’s too late, typically because of a delay in ordering a test or recommending a specialist.

Failure To Treat

Along with misdiagnosing a patient, sometimes a physician fails to see the injury or illness in a patient and fails to treat them, resulting in injury or death. Sometimes illness symptoms are so minor at first that they can seem like typical aches and pains any average person would have.

One example is a patient experiencing minor chest pains—it’s easy for a doctor to assume it’s simply heartburn, as most signs point toward that diagnosis. But sometimes it can be a prelude to a more severe illness; and before a physician can administer treatment, it’s too late.

Childbirth Injuries

Childbirth is a wondrous journey for many that goes off without a hitch, but there’s still the potential for pregnancy, labor, and delivery problems. Such problems can arise in the mother or the fetus and appear minor on the surface but belie deeper issues.

Malpractice lawsuits from childbirth injuries can include failure to perform prenatal tests, failure to execute a c-section, or the improper use of birthing tools like forceps.

Medication Errors

Medication is an essential aspect of medical treatment, and with physicians prescribing so many medications to so many patients every day, it’s logical that someone can make a mistake occasionally. Medication errors is an umbrella term that can include many different types of mistakes, including:

• Misdiagnosis and prescription of wrong medication
• Incorrect dosage (overprescribing)
• Allergic reaction to a medication
• The patient is administered the wrong dosage/medication

Surgical Errors

Like administering medication, surgeries are something that happens every day, and even the most skilled surgeons have slip-ups. Some examples of surgical errors that have resulted in lawsuits are surprisingly simple, like:

• Leaving surgical tools inside the patient
• Performing surgery on the wrong patient
• Performing surgery on the wrong body part

It just goes to show that it’s always wise to double-check before starting your work!

Claims-made coverage is one of the most common insurance policies for professionals. If you’d like to learn more about this type of coverage, we’ve got you covered with the key things you need to know and the benefits of claims-made insurance policies.

What Is a Claims-Made Insurance Policy?

What do people need to know about a claims-made insurance policy? Claims-made coverage is a form of professional liability insurance from a malpractice insurance agency. Many professions require professional liability insurance, but it’s especially common for medical professionals.

Essentially, a claims-made policy covers the insured only when the coverage is active. So, if you have a claims-made policy for three years, you’re protected for as long as that policy is in effect—if it expires, you’ll need to get a new policy to stay covered.

How Is Claims-Made Different From Occurrence-Based Coverage?

Under professional liability coverage, applicants can choose between claims-made or occurrence-based coverage, but what’s the difference? The significant difference is that claims-made policies are more restricted, while occurrence-based policies will always cover the insured even after the policy lapses.

For instance, if you had an occurrence-based policy for two years, you would always be insured for those two years even if the policy expires. A claim could be filed ten years later, but if it falls within that period where you had occurrence-based coverage, you’ll still be covered.

A claims-made policy only covers you if the procedure is still active. If you let your policy expire, you won’t be covered for the time you were insured—you’ll need additional or retroactive coverage.

What Are the Benefits of a Claims-Made Insurance Policy?

Claims-made policies are especially prevalent in the healthcare industry. Why do medical professionals choose claims-made insurance—what are the benefits?

More Affordable

The most straightforward answer is typically the correct one, and in this case, most choose claims-made policies because they’re more affordable. A claims-made policy may not offer the continued coverage of an occurrence-based policy, but it makes up for it by providing lower initial premiums.

The lower premiums benefit individuals and facilities purchasing coverage for their staff in a group policy. The initial lower premiums free up cash flow for businesses and individuals.

Add Extended Coverage

There are ways to add extended coverage to a claims-based policy through retroactive and tail coverage. Retroactive coverage means that your policy also covers claims made before the coverage went into effect, so there are no gaps in coverage.

Tail coverage goes the other way, covering you after your policy is expired. Tail coverage is often utilized as a stopgap between an old insurance carrier and a new one to ensure the individual is always protected.

Those are the basics and benefits of claims-made insurance policies, but there is much more to know if you’re interested in purchasing coverage. If you’d like to learn more, consult the experts at Baxter & Associates, who can help you get the insurance policy that best fits your needs.

As healthcare professionals, we all strive to help our patients recover and move on to live better lives. Unfortunately, things don’t always end up that way. Make sure you’re prepared and protected by following our tips for handling bad patient outcomes in healthcare.

Continue reading Tips for Handling Bad Patient Outcomes in Healthcare

Medical professionals are some of the most well-educated and highly skilled workers, but that doesn’t mean mistakes don’t happen. That’s why many choose malpractice insurance should something go wrong that leaves them liable.

Like all medical professionals, physician assistants need malpractice insurance, and our explainer will break down the key reasons why.

Nobody’s Perfect

Although highly skilled and educated, physician assistants (PAs) are still human, which means they’re not perfect. PAs make mistakes at work like anyone else at their job, including other medical professionals.

Hospitals and medical facilities ask PAs to do a lot, from ordering tests to examining patients and administering treatments. Even the best PAs can have the occasional slip-up. The difference is that when mistakes happen, there can be dire consequences that result in suffering or even death. Errors are often inconsequential, but PAs need insurance to protect their financial future and career when oversights have more profound effects.

Increased Responsibility

PAs operate in a crucial but unique area of healthcare, performing many of the same duties that would fall to a certified physician. Initially, PAs originated in communities that lacked doctors or were overrun with too many patients for the local physicians to handle.

Over the decades into the 21^st century, PAs have taken on more responsibilities to offset shortages in physicians and nurses. With more responsibilities and duties, PAs are often stretched to their limit, making them more susceptible to mistakes.

Claims Are on the Rise

Although they may not be the target for as many malpractice claims as physicians, PAs still get sued and have been named as defendants more often recently. Studies show that between 2017 and 2019, PAs were targeted in malpractice litigation over 200 times every year, which is a substantial increase from earlier figures, which were around 70 in the year 2000.

Malpractice insurance for health professionals like PAs is essential to ensure that their career and financial future aren’t ruined by one mistake and malpractice claim. Monetary compensation for a successful claim can reach six figures, and without proper insurance, PAs and medical professionals can be left to pay that sum themselves.

Clearly, physician assistants need malpractice insurance as much as physicians and medical professionals do. PAs need to ensure their future is protected.

Whether your chiropractic practice is brand-new or has been around for years, there’s always room for improvement. We’ve put together four helpful pointers to help improve your chiropractic practice, including business advice and tips for patient interaction.

Continue reading 4 Pointers To Help Improve Your Chiropractic Practice

If you need medical malpractice liability insurance, finding the right policy can be a challenge. When you’re not familiar with basic terms of malpractice insurance, it can all be a confusing blur.

In our guide, “Malpractice Insurance 101: What To Look For When Buying,” we’ll go through the crucial terms and policies that medical professionals should know when choosing an insurance carrier and coverage.

Occurrence vs. Claims-Made Policies

There are two types of professional liability coverage for medical professionals: occurrence and claims-made policies. Each policy has its benefits and disadvantages, so we’ll break down the vital info you need to know before deciding.

Occurrence Policies

Occurrence policies cover incidents during the policy period regardless of when the plaintiff files the claim. Essentially, no matter when the claim is filed, an occurrence policy covers events that occurred during the policy period, even if your policy is expired or terminated.

For example, suppose you had an occurrence policy in 2017 that expired in 2020. Then, in 2022, a malpractice claim is filed against you for an incident in 2017. Even though your policy has expired, you’d still be covered because the claim is for an incident that occurred during the coverage.

Pros

The primary benefit of occurrence coverage is that you don’t have to worry about your policy expiring to maintain your protection. If you plan on only working in the medical field for a few years before moving on to something else or retiring, occurrence coverage could be your best option, as it doesn’t require extended coverage when the policy expires.

Over time, the total costs of occurrence coverage balance out to about the same as a claims-made policy.

Cons

Occurrence coverage is not as standard as claims-made policies because it’s challenging for insurers to estimate claims costs years or decades after a policy expires. Occurrence policies are also typically more expensive for the first couple of years until the policy reaches maturity.

Claims-Made Policies

As opposed to an occurrence policy, a claims-made policy only covers the insured for incidents that happen while the policy is still active. Once the policy is terminated, so is the coverage, unless additional “tail” or “nose” coverage is purchased afterward.

In the same example of a claim filing before, a claims-made policy would not cover an incident that occurred years prior if the coverage is no longer active, even if the incident happened while the policy was in force.

Pros

Claims-made policies are much more common than occurrence ones and are typically less expensive in the initial years of coverage. The lower premiums allow the insured to have more cash flow, so they’re generally popular with businesses and facilities.

Cons

The disadvantage of a claims-made policy is that it’s only effective when still active. The insured must keep up with the policy to ensure that there are no gaps in coverage. Once the coverage expires, tail or nose coverage is recommended to ensure you’re still protected from future litigation.

Tail vs. Nose Coverage for Claims-Made Policies

Tail and nose coverage are both additions to claims-made policies and refer to extended coverage of the insured once a policy expires. We’ll explain what each policy means and how they’re different.

Tail Coverage

A tail policy covers incidents that happened when the insured had an active claims-made policy, but a claim was not filed until the policy’s expiration. For example, if you’re sued for an incident that occurred years prior while working but have since retired and therefore don’t have an active policy, tail coverage will still see you’re protected.

If you plan to take a leave of absence, retire, switch employers, or change your insurance, tail coverage will ensure there are no gaps in your coverage.

Nose Coverage

A nose policy, also known as “prior acts,” functions similarly to a tail policy, but instead, it’s an alternative if you’re purchasing coverage from a new insurance carrier. A nose policy covers any claim before your new policy activates, but after your previous policy expires.

Typically, nose coverage is more affordable than tail coverage, but every individual policy differs. It can be confusing to differentiate the two policies; a simple way to tell them apart is knowing that tail coverage comes from your old insurance carrier, while nose coverage comes from your new one.

Individual vs. Group Policies

Along with occurrence and claims-made policies, you’ll also choose between an individual and group policy. The two types of policies are very distinct, so we’ll break down what you need to know for each.

Individual Policies

An individual policy is what it sounds like—a policy purchased by an individual which covers them, and them alone.

Pros

The primary benefit of an individual policy is the control it offers—you would control the proof of insurance, and you don’t need to rely on an employer to verify your coverage. Individual policies are especially beneficial if you move onto another employer or retire, and a claim comes up years later.

As the holder of an individual policy, you’re still covered when working at a new job, at an additional job, or when volunteering. Plus, as an individual policyholder, you don’t have to worry about possible conflicts of interest in a group policy.

Cons

You don’t have to rely on others in an individual policy, but you also don’t have the same strength in numbers. There is no limit of liability in an individual policy as you don’t share coverage with other employees. Typically, individual policies are more expensive than group policies.

Group Policies

Group medical practice liability insurance is when all hospital, clinic, or other facility employees are covered by the same policy together. Some employers require that their employees join the group liability insurance to work at the facility.

Pros

Employers favor group policies as they make claims and litigation more streamlined. A single attorney represents all employees to manage the suit instead of numerous parties each negotiating, allowing for a more streamlined process.

Cons

As an employee, a group policy means that you’ll have less control than an individual policy. It also won’t cover you when you work outside your direct employers, such as an additional job or volunteer work.

If you are part of a group policy, you should:

• Procure a copy of the entire policy, or at least the certificate of insurance
• Verify you’re listed by name on the policy
• Understand if it’s an occurrence or a claims-made policy
• Obtain copies of the policy every year (even after you’ve left the employer)

Insurance Carriers and What To Look For

Once you’ve decided what type of policy best suits you, it’s time to browse the many insurance carriers available. If you’re joining a group policy, you won’t have a choice, but you’ll have many options if you’re hunting for an individual policy.

While researching, it’s essential to evaluate the carrier’s financial strength. Independent agencies such as A.M. Best & Company rate insurance carriers on grades such as Excellent and Good. Avoid any company with a rating below Excellent, even if it means saving a few dollars.

Medical liability insurance is tricky for people to understand, but we hope our guide on what to look for when buying malpractice insurance has helped make malpractice insurance easier to understand.

If you’re a CRNA or any medical professional, you understand medical malpractice claims can financially damage you and take up your time. CRNAs have an essential job with life-and-death stakes, which means they can find themselves targets of litigation when negative outcomes occur.

Our detailed guide looks at how often malpractice claims name CRNAs, the legal requirements for malpractice claims, and the three most common CRNA malpractice claims.

Do CRNAs Get Sued?

Yes, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) sometimes come under litigation with accusations of medical malpractice. CRNAs have a lot of responsibility in monitoring and aiding in administering anesthesia, which is almost always safe but can give rise to dangerous complications that can cause severe complications and even death.

When working in any position that sometimes has adverse outcomes that result in injury or death, litigation is likely to follow, even if the anesthesiologists and CRNAs performed their duties correctly. It’s one of the challenges that CRNAs face in their profession.

Is it common for CRNAs to be Named in Malpractice Lawsuits?

CRNAs are often named in malpractice lawsuits.  Now that CRNAs have more autonomy, they are often responsible for creating and implementing an anesthesia and treatment plan, so much of the responsibility falls on them.

Do CRNAs Get Sued More Often Than Others?

Relative to other medical professions, malpractice claims don’t target CRNAs substantially more than similar positions. But there is a belief that the rate at which CRNAs face malpractice claims could rise. Unfortunately, it’s due to one of the benefits of the job.

Recently, CRNAs have been given more autonomy in their profession, which means that it’s common for CRNAs to practice independently. Independence benefits CRNAs, but it also makes them more solely liable for mistakes and complications. CRNA liability insurance is crucial for CRNAs, especially if they operate an independent practice.

Legal Requirements for Medical Malpractice Claims and Litigation

Before a medical malpractice claim can move forward in litigation toward resolution, it must first pass some legal requirements. The following are the primary legal hurdles a medical malpractice claim has to clear to continue.

Violation of Standard Medical Care

A patient has rights, including informed consent and an expectation from the CRNA to follow standard and safe medical care. A medical malpractice claim has to prove that a patient’s medical care from a CRNA, or any medical professional, deviated from or violated standard medical care.

They’re vague terms, but omission and negligence are the two commonly used standards for violating standard care. So either the CRNA purposely omitted medical care, for whatever reason, or they neglected the patient, either intentionally or unintentionally. Neglect is ultimately the most common reasoning, especially when dealing with malpractice claims related to overworking or exhaustion.

Serious Injury or Damage

If a claim clears the first hurdle, it then has to show that the patient suffered from severe injury or damage. Now, how serious is a serious injury? That’s a tricky legal question, but it doesn’t include a small scratch from a fingernail.

Some of the terms malpractice claims use are suffering, hardship, pain, disability, significant medical bills, loss of income, and sometimes death. A medical malpractice claim has to prove the patient went through one of these damages to continue litigation; if no damage is shown or considered, the lawsuit does not continue.

Injury Caused Due to Violation of Medical Care

The final legal hurdle is for the malpractice claim to show that the first factor caused the second factor. Essentially, the patient suffered damage because of a deviation from the standard medical care of the defendant.

It’s not enough that a claim shows there was a deviation of standard care, and there were also damages; the claim has to prove that one caused the other. Unfavorable outcomes are not enough to file malpractice claims if it’s deemed the professionals administered proper medical care, but a negative result happened anyway.

Likewise, a malpractice claim won’t go forward simply because of a violation of standard care if no significant injury is proven. For a claim to be successful, it has to prove all three factors.

3 Most Common CRNA Malpractice Claims

We know what makes up a malpractice claim, but what are the most common claims against CRNAs? Every case is different, but some of the most common issues follow these general trends.

Sub-Par Performance of Procedures

Many medical malpractice claims leveled against CRNAs regard the application of specific procedures including, but not limited to, anesthesia and intubation. For instance, many CRNAs are also airway experts, which means that they commonly intubate patients before a procedure or even in emergencies.

Intubation is a standard procedure, but mistakes happen, and intubation errors can result in significant injury and death. If, for example, a CRNA intubating a patient misses the windpipe, the resulting complications can result in brain injury or death, more so if it’s an emergency procedure.

Poor Monitoring of Patients

Perhaps the most common reason for a medical malpractice claim against CRNAs is the pre- and post-procedure monitoring of patients. If a CRNA doesn’t check up on their patients regularly, complications can quickly grow and lead to more extensive damages and injuries for the patient.

It’s common to see this complaint in a facility dealing with understaffed departments where facilities task CRNAs with monitoring too many patients. An emergency happens with one patient that the CRNA has to tend to, leaving other patients vulnerable for extended periods.

Suffering From Improper Positioning

During a surgical procedure that uses anesthesia, the anesthesiologist and CRNA are responsible for positioning the patient for the procedure so that it doesn’t harm the patient.

If, for instance, a patient is positioned on their side with most of their weight on their elbow for hours, it could lead to damage to their ulnar nerve, also known as the funny bone. It may seem simple, but improper positioning by the anesthesiologist or CRNA could lead to long-term nerve damage for patients.

Those are three of the most common CRNA malpractice claims, but there are still many more varieties of claims. Medical professionals have much to deal with, but with proper liability insurance, they can do their jobs without fear of improper medical claims that can waste their time and money.

You can get a CRNA malpractice insurance quote from Baxter & Associates today. Contact us to learn more about how we can protect your best interests so you can continue to help patients and grow in your career.

Nurse practitioners are vital to the healthcare industry as they work directly with doctors and patients. As well-trained and educated as any nurse is, errors can still happen. We’ve compiled some of the most common mistakes to avoid for nurse practitioners to give professionals an idea of typical errors that arise.

Medication Administration Errors

The most common malpractice claims against nurse practitioners (NPs) have to do with medication administration. NPs administer medicine to patients countless times every day, so it’s not unlikely that mistakes are made regarding the amount of medication, the type of medication, or even medication administered to the wrong patient.

Whether you’re a new nurse or a veteran, mistakes happen, so having a malpractice insurance plan for nurse practitioners is crucial. NPs recommend highlighting the patient’s conditions and the essential information to ensure they receive the proper medication. Also, double-check the chart and documentation to ensure the medication list is updated accurately.

Causing Infections

One of the starkest dangers facing patients is infection. As NPs come into close contact with so many patients regularly, they carry the potential of spreading bacteria and causing infections.

Infections are persistent, so NPs can never be careless when it comes to personal hygiene and equipment sanitation. Every NP already knows this, but it’s crucial to emphasize infection prevention, even if the practices become repetitive.

Improper Documentation

Documentation is another common area where NPs can make errors. NPs are responsible for filling out a lot of paperwork, so it’s not surprising that mistakes can happen or their handwriting becomes illegible to others.

The best advice NPs have to offer is to fill out documentation promptly, write as clearly as possible, and pay extra attention to the details. A misread chart or improperly filed documentation can lead to severe consequences for the patient.

Patients Falling

NPs are responsible for the health and safety of patients most of the time, including protecting them from themselves. One of the most common hospital injuries is when patients attempt to move or get out of bed and fall.

NPs can’t physically restrain all of their patients, obviously, but they should always try to watch their patients. Explain to them the dangers of overestimating their strength and trying to move before their body is ready.

Nurses have many responsibilities and duties to complete every day, so the occasional error happens. But, keep an eye on these common mistakes to avoid for nurse practitioners, and you’ll improve your job performance and better legally protect yourself.