Medical Malpractice Insurance for Dermatologists

A dermatologist is a physician who has acquired a dermatology degree from an established medical academic institution and specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of skin disorders. Dermatologists also study the structure and functions of the skin, and the relationship between skin pathologies and malfunctions of other organs of the body. Because there is a unique combination of diagnosis and aesthetic treatment, Dermatologists are at high risk for frequent medical malpractice insurance claims.

Trained dermatologists usually combine several activities - seeing patients in public hospital clinics and/or in private practices, acting as consultants to other specialists, teaching, and delving into clinical or basic research. This broad base of work, combined with an increasing presence of skin disorders, disease and, of course, skin cancers has the incidence of dermatology claims rising.

The practice of dermatology bridges many fields including internal medicine, resolving life threatening diseases and cancers, cosmetic enhancements, repairing disfiguring traumas or burns, and helping to create life changing and emotional breakthroughs, restoring confidence, dignity and health from the inside out. Dermatologists see an entire age range of patients, from children, to teens, to adults. The most common procedure performed by members of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery is skin cancer surgery.

Most dermatology procedures are assigned a low level of malpractice risk, and indeed the rate of serious complications is low. Dermatology surgeons tend to operate alone, outside the hospital setting, so there is a comparative lack of data on the risks of dermatology procedures. The Doctors’ Company has data that supports the specialty is doing a nice job of holding down risk.

There are still, other conditions that are responsible for an outsized number of claims against dermatologists are malignant neoplasmasms of the skin, acne, dyschromia and psoriasis. Dermatologists should take extra care with these risky conditions, and be sure to employ effective risk management techniques.

Risk management and Patient safety can help reduce the likelihood off being named in a claim. One of the most important of these techniques is effective documentation. Records should be clear, thorough and standardized. Good documentation can be a deciding factor if there is an allegation of malpractice. Also important is communication. By being clear and avoiding misunderstandings, physicians can significantly reduce the likelihood of a lawsuit.

Our representatives will help explain how medical malpractice insurance for dermatologists works, assist throughout the application process, and obtain your policy from the medical malpractice insurance carrier. Our goal is to make sure your dermatology medical malpractice insurance policies are set up with the least amount of time and effort on your part as possible.

The Doctors’ Insurance Agency works with our Dermatologists and practice m managers to bring patient safety experts into the office and through email to partner the offices. Regular work with our patient safety directors is like bringing a free educational and risk consultant into your office. In times when it is difficult for physicians to practice in solo practices or small groups due to lack of resources to compete.

The patient safety department and partnership brings this important help to the office, education and continuing medical education creditsto the physicians and an improved loss experience to the office as a whole. When the patient safety relationship from The Doctors’ Company is strong with Dermatologist’s offices, the medical malpractice insurance premium is lower.

Cosmetic dermatology, dermatopathology, immunodermatology, most surgery, pediatric dermatology and teledermatology are the subspecialties of dermatology.

Why do dermatologists need medical malpractice insurance?

Aside from the obvious answer that everyone needs medical malpractice insurance in order to provide care, to be credentialed at hospitals and managed care organizations across states, While dermatology is still a low-risk medical specialty, performing well over the past years, dermatologists are advised to take certain steps to decrease the chance of being on the wrong end of a malpractice claim. Many of these steps involve informing the public and patients about realistic expectations from treatment. Unrealistic expectations produce patient dissatisfaction and provide material for lawsuits.

Dermatologists face exposure to medical malpractice claims that can last longer than other claims because they see children in their practice. Once a claim is reported, it can take years before it is resolved. A medical malpractice insurance policy is usually written on a claims made basis. By definition, inherently, claims made policies defer some of the cost. The typical policy provides coverage for damages and defense in connection with covered claims reported to the insurance company during the policy period and resulting from a medical incident which took place on or after the retroactive date. And, then, when the physician is ready to cancel (for many reasons), the insurance company can bill tail. Tail resolves the need for ongoing premium, while allowing the company to provide indefinite coverage for any claims that may be presented for medical malpractice insurance.

As every medical malpractice insurance policy is different, it is important for dermatologists to review the policy exclusions and the additional coverage’s offered before selecting an insurance company. More importantly than anything perhaps, it is important to review the financial structure and whether the company is registered to do business in the state, whether the company is ‘filed’ for business and regulated by the sate department of insurance.

It is important for dermatologists to research malpractice insurance policies available to them. There are ten of us, professional, licensed agents at The Doctors Insurance Agency ready to go to bat for you, to bring our knowledge to this issue so that you can leave it to us. Selecting the dermatology medical malpractice insurance quotes that will protect you when you need the coverage most is crucial to protecting your practice.

The Doctors Insurance Agency helps dermatology physicians sift through the various medical malpractice insurance companies in an effort to find the most suitable plans at the lowest premiums. We also stick on an issue, for days, working until the premium is at the lowest possible point, reflecting all available discounts offered by the company. We have helped Dermatologists across the country lower their medical malpractice insurance rates by working with The Doctors’ Company when the risk fits and by referring to and researching the right company with the best premium when TDC just doesn’t have a solution. By getting multiple quotes from each of the nationwide insurance carriers, as well as the regional and specialized carriers in your state, we are risking losing the business to a competitor, and we want to stay at the top of the market. This shopping exercise is the only way we can do that. We then use those quotes to lower the price even further by having the insurance carriers compete for your business.

For more information regarding medical malpractice insurance for dermatologists, contact us or fill out the form to receive customized dermatology medical malpractice insurance quote.