It is not unusual for a physician to be appointed or named as a medical director, outside his or her own medical practice, or at a program where he or she volunteers. That role may present a far different exposure in terms of professional liability health insurance.
Generally speaking, your individual medical malpractice insurance policy will not respond to claims that may arise from your services as a Medical Director in a non-practice setting. Your exposure in that role goes beyond the care you would provide in your normal clinical work, or for the practice that you own, as you may well be called upon to act as a consultant on patient care policies, establish protocols, oversee credentialing, weigh in on staff training, negotiate contractual issues and otherwise deal with the realm of administrative challenges that abound in the healthcare setting.
Most care facilities of a certain size will have some type of coverage in place for the medical directorship coverage, under their own Professional Liability corporate policy or under their Directors and Officers insurance policy. In these cases, the prudent physician will ask the facility for a Certificate of Insurance that states the physician appointed as medical director is, in fact, protected under the facility's liability insurance.
Physicians may be asked to perform as medical director for their son's summer camp or as part of their volunteer service in a free clinic setting. In these cases, it is best to assume there is no coverage in place for that Medical Directorship. While the summer camp may have some liability insurance, or even some Directors & Officers Liability Insurance, the "medical" director exposure is often specifically excluded in these non-health care pursuits.
The good news is that coverage can be purchased through a variety of sources. Contact your medical malpractice provider to discuss your particular medical directorship situation. Physicians may be able to purchase a medical director endorsement to their professional liability policy, at a very minimal cost, which solves many problems for our senior volunteer physicians and other doctors who actively help their communities by participating professionally at the schools, camps, fundraising events and similar volunteer opportunities.
Kathleen Finnerty-Schroth, CIC
Vice President, Agency Operations
PIAM/Physicians Insurance Agency of Massachusetts
