Do you carry your own liability insurance??? Well, you should.

[NUEMT]

Do you know the difference between criminal, civil and administrative liability?

Critmedic did a great podcast covering this issue and I think it is something medics and EMTs need to be aware of. Medicine can be litigious and there are not always the guarantees you think there might be in terms of your service protecting you.

 

[MrJones]

If it's a choice between saving their *** or yours, virtually every service known to man will throw you under the bus. That's why it's important that you carry your own errors and omissions (malpractice) insurance. Healthcare Providers Service Organization (HPSO) is a good place to start if you're looking for a policy.

Pro Tip: If you're an EMS educator or speaker, add the consulting services liability endorsement.

 

[NUEMT]

HPSO holds my policy and I am very happy with their service.
Disclosure: I have no interest in this company.

 

[MrJones]

HPSO holds my policy and I am very happy with their service.
Disclosure: I have no interest in this company.

Now that you mention it, I have no financial interest in HPSO, either.

 

[NomadicMedic]

HPSO for me as well.

 

[DesertMedic66]

HPSO again

 

[MrJones]

Come to think of it - what other company even offers E&O insurance for EMTs and Paramedics?

 

[TransportJockey]

None that I'm aware of. HPSO for me too

 

[NUEMT]

Good to see some folks on here with individual policies.

 

[Chris07]

I've got one from HSPO as well. $100 a year is more than reasonable in my opinion.

 

[akflightmedic]

I am waiting on actual case studies where paramedics have been successfully sued and endured wage garnishments. When the majority of government public services are self-insured or have very large carriers, any accusations of wrongdoing that are proven to have actual merit are typically settled before an actual trial takes place. I personally have not seen, heard or read of an individual being sued unless they actually deserved it (gross negligence in the cases I have read).

I have been named in suits and was subsequently dropped from the suit. I had no money at the time and the claim was BS anyways (one was a vehicle crash while responding to a call, the second was a frivolous claim which I have written about before as a warning) the county settled on both between vehicle insurance and their own self insured policy. There is the argument that if you carry policy then you now have a pocket to dip in versus being dropped from the suit while they pursue the bigger prize.

Just a flip side of the discussion...

 

[Carlos Danger]

I am waiting on actual case studies where paramedics have been successfully sued and endured wage garnishments. When the majority of government public services are self-insured or have very large carriers, any accusations of wrongdoing that are proven to have actual merit are typically settled before an actual trial takes place. I personally have not seen, heard or read of an individual being sued unless they actually deserved it (gross negligence in the cases I have read).

I have been named in suits and was subsequently dropped from the suit. I had no money at the time and the claim was BS anyways (one was a vehicle crash while responding to a call, the second was a frivolous claim which I have written about before as a warning) the county settled on both between vehicle insurance and their own self insured policy. There is the argument that if you carry policy then you now have a pocket to dip in versus being dropped from the suit while they pursue the bigger prize.

Just a flip side of the discussion...

Excellent points.

Suits go where the money is. Paramedics typically don't have much money. Their employers and medical directors and insurers do, however, or at least that's the perception.

 

[Bullets]

I am waiting on actual case studies where paramedics have been successfully sued and endured wage garnishments. When the majority of government public services are self-insured or have very large carriers, any accusations of wrongdoing that are proven to have actual merit are typically settled before an actual trial takes place. I personally have not seen, heard or read of an individual being sued unless they actually deserved it (gross negligence in the cases I have read).

I have been named in suits and was subsequently dropped from the suit. I had no money at the time and the claim was BS anyways (one was a vehicle crash while responding to a call, the second was a frivolous claim which I have written about before as a warning) the county settled on both between vehicle insurance and their own self insured policy. There is the argument that if you carry policy then you now have a pocket to dip in versus being dropped from the suit while they pursue the bigger prize.

Just a flip side of the discussion...

i Have HPSO as well, started when i was an EMT and began using it after i started working for a lot of private event medical companies. While the money for these "adventure races" was fun and easy, since were werent technically acting as EMTs and i dont trust the companies if something were to happen, i thought it prudent to get personal coverage.

It was also very easy to transition to paramedic coverage and for like $100 a year its a bah-gin

 

[medicsb]

Got sued for an MVC that I got into while driving an ambulance. I was an EMT at the time. No one I spoke to really thought that I was really at fault, but by the letter of the law, I was. The suit was frivolous in my opinion and in the opinion of others, but that didn't matter. I did not have my own insurance and did not need it as I was covered by my former employer. Ultimately, I was dropped from the suit and the judgement was against the employer. I don't think personal insurance is needed, but I think everyone should make sure that they'd be covered if they were sued after employment ceased (for any reason).

 

[akflightmedic]

Not sure why you quote my post Bullets...you said nothing to address any of it. Just curious if there was a missed thought?

 

[Bullets]

Sorry i guess i didnt complete my thought. If i am working for my employer, i trust that any suit with me named in it will give me a decent representation and coverage.

However when i am working for these contracted small event medical companies, set and construction medic gigs, i dont feel that way. After that guy drowned in the Virginia Tough Mudder, i dont trust these types of companies to back up their workers, so having personal insurance makes me feel better about picking up this kind of temp work

 

[zzyzx]

Over the years, I've spoken to a couple of lawyers that work in medical malpractice, and none of them felt very strongly about paramedics (or nurses) having their own liability insurance.

 

[SpecialK]

I am curious, how does having to have insurance against being sued and such an environment affect you?

Ambulance personnel in this part of the world are protected from suit for treatment injury by universal accident compensation legislation and from personal proceedings by both the insurance (and legal services) of the ambulance service and the union. As far as claiming a civil judgement for negligence not related to treatment injury (for example for lack of treatment or referral) against the individual personnel, not only will the ambulance service and union defend you but the applicable tribunal would likely never agree to arbitrate such a case. In fact, the District Court (disputes tribunal) recently ruled in favour of the ambulance service regarding a part-charge dispute.

The Health and Disability Commissioner can find against the ambulance service, and against individual ambulance personnel, as has happened recently, however they can only recommend changes and actions but cannot award any form of punishment, civil or otherwise.

I have personally been the subject of an HDC complaint, it's not a nice experience, but by all means it was quite painless and unremarkable. I am quite happy we have such a mechanism, we carry stocks of those patients' rights brochures and I have told people, both verbally and in writing, they can make a complaint against me, or the service I work for, and how to do so! I would never, ever discourage anybody from doing so, in fact, I legally cannot, it's their legal right under the HDC Act!

I will go my entire career and not have to worry about being named in a legal case (the Coroners Court excluded) from a professional standpoint. It's simply never even entered my mind, ever, nor do I ever imagine it would in any way, shape or form.

 

[mgr22]

Sorry i guess i didnt complete my thought. If i am working for my employer, i trust that any suit with me named in it will give me a decent representation and coverage.

Sounds naïve to me, which doesn't make you a bad person; just a poor one, perhaps. I definitely wouldn't assume your employer is going to have enough concern about your welfare to represent you. I've been there.

Why all this uncertainty about carrying personal liability insurance? It's cheap enough to be a no-brainer, isn't it?

 

[Summit]

In a way, having liability insurance provides deep pockets.... your insurers. You might be kept in the case where you might have been dropped (SOP to name everyone then drop those who are poor targets (no deep pockets or no real liability).