Physiotherapy Liability Insurance

Insurance for physiotherapists could include several coverages which make up the policy package. Most importantly, physiotherapy insurance includes Medical Malpractice Insurance. This is a type of professional liability insurance that covers the legal costs, medical fees and other related fees from claims of negligence that result in causing third-party bodily injury.

Common claims typically fall within the following areas:

• Failure to attend to a patient;
• Failures in diagnosis;
• Failures in referral or consultation;
• Failure to protect or warn third parties; or,
• Substandard treatment

Suppose you’re helping a patient regain strength in their legs after a car accident that confined them to a wheelchair for six months. You’re confident they can stand for a moment without support after a great session last week. When you let go of their hands, they become unsteady and fall backwards, hurting their back. In this case, the patient could sue you for your professional oversight. Medical Malpractice Insurance could cover the legal fees and any medical costs should the patient make a claim.

Additional coverage listed below is recommended for physiotherapists too. These coverages offer protection from the general risks of running a physiotherapy clinic:

• Commercial General Liability (CGL) Insurance, also known as ‘slip and fall insurance,’ CGL protects your business from the risks that could be encountered during day-to-day business operations. This includes claims for things such as third-party property damage or bodily injuries. For example, your patient uses a resistance band to build up strength in their arms. The band is a few years old and snaps while they’re using it. They injure their wrist and successfully sue you for bodily injury. Your Commercial General Liability policy could cover the legal fees and medical expenses.

• Commercial Property Insurance protects your physiotherapy clinic and the contents you own should a risk occur such as a fire, theft, flood or vandalism. Say pipe bursts in your clinic, flooding the carpet and destroying some fixtures. Commercial Property Insurance could offer coverage to replace the carpet and other damaged property.
  • Commercial Property Insurance often includes business interruption coverage too. This provides reimbursement for net income lost if you had to close for repairs following an insured event.

• Cyber Liability Insurance is essential for any physiotherapist that stores patient information online or conducts virtual consultations. It’s your legal obligation to protect your patients’ confidential information. Cyber Liability Insurance covers costs associated with electronic incidents involving your technology systems and patient data, such as incident response and breach management fees. For example, a hacker attacked your online booking system and held your patient’s data for ransom. In this case, Cyber Liability Insurance could cover the cost of the ransom, the cost to notify patients of the breach and any other fees required to restore data.