In this post, we are looking at the various insurances for dentists.

#2. Insurances for Dentists for Professional Indemnity/Consumer Cases

(Also known as Error & Omission Policy or Doctor’s Liability Insurance)

Being a professional Dental Surgeon means you are rendering a professional service in your dental clinic. Your profession involves carrying out prosthetic rehabilitation, surgical procedures like tooth extraction & also administering medicines to patients.

You can be as careful as possible, but you can never completely avoid the potential risk of something going wrong during or after the treatment. It can be either by 3 following scenarios:

1. You committed an error during the procedure. It can be due to a faulty diagnosis or mistake during the dental procedure. As a result, the patient implicates you and your practice for negligence in the court of law.
2. It can also be a case where a patient falsely implicates the dental surgeon of malpractice and files a consumer case against the doctor and his/her set up.
3. There can also be a case where an error in the dental procedure arose due to fault in the machines or dental equipment in your clinic.

In all the above scenarios, the dental surgeon stands a chance of financial loss due to litigations.

Where can this policy be used?

This policy is meant for professionals to cover liability falling on them as a result of errors and omissions committed by them whilst rendering professional service.

The policy offers a benefit of a retroactive period on continuous renewal of policy whereby claims reported in subsequent renewal but pertaining to the earlier period after the first inception of the policy, also become payable.Group policies can also be issued covering members of one profession. (in case you have employed other dental surgeons in your dental clinic) Group discount in premium is available depending upon the number of members covered.

Scope of this Insurance

The policy covers all sums which the insured professional becomes legally liable to pay as damages to a third party in respect of any error and/or omission on his/her part committed whilst rendering professional service. Legal cost and expenses incurred in defense of the case, with the prior consent of the insurance company, are also payable, subject to the overall limit of indemnity selected.

Only civil liability claims are covered. Any liability arising out of any criminal act or act committed in violation of any law or ordinance is not covered.

Who can Use this Insurance?

This insurance is meant for professionals.

1. Doctors, Dental surgeons and medical practitioners – which covers registered medical practitioners like physicians, surgeons, cardiologists, pathologists etc.
2. Medical establishments – which covers legal liability falling on the medical establishment such as hospitals and nursing homes, as a result of error or omission committed by any named professional or qualified assistants engaged by the medical establishment.

General third-party liability:

A commercial general liability plan covers a range of liabilities faced by a business. The major protections available are against bodily injury (includes mental ailments resulting from physical injury), damage to property, advertising injury (liabilities arising from the insured advertising his goods or services such as libel, invasion of privacy, copyright infringement, and so on) and legal liability for the insured business because of a personal injury to a third party (such as charges of harassment and discrimination).

Workmen compensation policy:

According to the Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1923, and Fatal Accidents Act, 1855, the employer is legally bound to pay compensation to employees for bodily injury, disability or death caused due to accidents that happen during the course of their employment and provide compensation for occupational hazards of a job. A workmen’s compensation policy covers these monetary liabilities.

So if you are employing other dental surgeons, technicians to work in your clinic or you are having a chain of clinics employing a group of doctors and technicians, then in the case of any injury to your employees at your workplace, you are supposed to pay the compensation.

So, if you work alone in the clinic then you need not worry about this insurance. But if you are employing other doctors and technicians/nurses then you need to think about this insurance. So, consult your lawyers regarding this.

Please note: Many insurance companies provide this policy and each will be slightly different from each other. Not every plan will be suitable for you. So, research properly and minutely the plans of every company. In the case of any confusion, take help of experienced doctors or lawyers/insurance agents.

See Next the Insurances for Dentists and their family. 

You as dental surgeon work hard for the comfort and happiness of your family. Your living depends on your skill as a dentist. So, what are the insurances that you must have, in the case of the loss of life of a dentist or disability to work as a dentist?

See next page to know