Optometrist Professional Liability Insurance

If you work as an optometrist, medical malpractice coverage insures you against claims of negligence or of making a mistake that caused bodily harm to another. This includes providing you with a lawyer to defend yourself and the funds you can use to pay judgments or settlements.*

AMOUNT COVERED:
Typical limits of liability range from $500,000 per claim/$1 million aggregate to $2 million per claim/$6 million aggregate

EXAMPLE:
A patient sues you for medical malpractice, along with the entire team involved in their care. In this case, Berxi retains a lawyer for you and pays the lawyer’s fees.

*All instances provided that the complaint is covered under this policy.

If a claim is filed against you, we’ll retain a lawyer for you from our network of defense attorneys who specialize in medical malpractice. We’ll also pay for related defense costs (e.g., lawyer fees, court fees, expert witness costs).

Note that these defense costs are outside the limits of your insurance. This means that their services don’t cut into the settlement fees you may need to pay after a ruling.*

AMOUNT COVERED:
Provided in addition to your policy’s limits of insurance

EXAMPLE:
You’re a self-employed OD, and you decide to select policy limits of $1 million (per claim)/$3 million (for all claims). One day, someone files a claim of malpractice against you. As part of your policy, we’ll retain an attorney for you; this lawyer works specifically on your behalf and with your best interests in mind. Because this is your personal defense counsel, you get to decide whether the case goes to trial or ends in a settlement. And you won’t need to worry about the bill at the end — the lawyer’s fees are included in your coverage and won’t impact how much of the $1 million you have for paying settlements.

*All instances provided that the complaint is covered under this policy.

We work with your defense attorney to reach the best possible outcome for you. We won’t settle a claim without your approval.

Your policy applies on a worldwide basis, as long as a claim is brought against you in the United States (which includes any U.S. territories or possessions).

If you provide professional care to someone who is not your patient in a first aid or emergency situation, and that person files a claim against you, your policy would still apply.

If a claim alleges that you violated privacy rules in connection with private health information, we provide you with access to counsel and will reimburse you for costs related to HIPAA proceedings — including relevant HIPAA fines.

AMOUNT COVERED:
$25,000 per policy period

If you’re involved in a licensing board action or proceeding, our policy provides you with legal counsel.*

AMOUNT COVERED:
$25,000 per policy period

EXAMPLE:
Your patient comes to you with a painful red lump on his eyelid. You examine it and determine that it’s a run-of-the-mill sty, so you tell him to apply warm compresses for a week and to call you if it doesn’t get better. A month goes by and you don’t hear from him. Then, one day, you get a call from that patient, saying that his condition hasn’t gotten any better and that his friend said that you should’ve prescribed him an antibiotic instead of telling him to do the compresses. The patient makes a complaint to the local Medical Board regarding your care, and you receive a letter from them regarding the claim. You know that you did everything right, but you still want to have a lawyer by your side to guide you through the process with the Board.

*All instances provided that the complaint is covered under this policy.

If we ask you to attend litigation activities (e.g., a deposition), our policy will reimburse you for actual lost wages and any necessary expenses you incur (e.g., travel, meals).

AMOUNT COVERED:
Up to $1,000 per day

If you face a threat to your professional reputation, we can provide you with a crisis management/public relations consultant to help clear your name.*

AMOUNT COVERED:
$50,000 per claim

EXAMPLE:
You’ve been caring for an elderly patient with dementia. One day, his children stop by to pay him a visit. When asked how he’s doing, the patient mentions that you never wrote him a new prescription for his glaucoma medication that he was expecting months ago. Outraged, they decide to bring a claim of negligence against you, alleging that you’ve failed to provide their father with care. On top of that, they undertake an aggressive campaign to publicize your alleged negligence via social media, warning people against becoming your patients.

We will retain a crisis management firm to aid you in responding to the threats made to your professional reputation.

*All instances provided that the complaint is covered under this policy.

The policy applies if someone files a claim against you alleging that your premises or operations caused them bodily injury or harm.

AMOUNT COVERED:
$1 million occurrence/$1 million aggregate

If you’re audited by either Medicare or Medicaid, we offer reimbursement for related accountant or attorney costs that result from the investigation or defense of the audit proceedings.

AMOUNT COVERED:
$30,000 for a covered audit and related expenses