Tail Coverage Question

[PolakPA]

Potentially starting prn UC job and received this response when asking about tail coverage? 

""All urgent cares policy's will cover Physicians , health care provider as PA , NP , and staff while they are employed by the urgent cares and after they leave employments . insurance carrier does not issue tail coverage for each employee when they leave employment, they are automatically covered under the master policy of the urgent care."

Can anyone fill me in on how the master vs individual policy is important? 

[sas5814]

Master policy for the UC (and I'd want some kind of proof) covers every provider for everything they do and continues to cover even after you are gone. It is a blanket policy for everyone. It is a type of "occurrence" policy that cover providers no matter when the event occurred or if the provider is still with the practice.

Individual coverage is your choice. I always carried a policy of my own because the clinic policy is going to look after the clinic and not you. So, unless it is spelled out differently, they can settle a claim against you without your agreement. I worked for a small hospital that allowed me to decide whether I wanted to agree to a proposed settlement or not. If I said no and we lost the case I was personally liable for the difference between what the settlement would have been and what the final loss was.

If you have an individual policy you always have a company representing your interests and not the clinic or practice's.

[SedRate]

On 2/23/2023 at 8:44 AM, PolakPA said:

Potentially starting prn UC job and received this response when asking about tail coverage? 

""All urgent cares policy's will cover Physicians , health care provider as PA , NP , and staff while they are employed by the urgent cares and after they leave employments . insurance carrier does not issue tail coverage for each employee when they leave employment, they are automatically covered under the master policy of the urgent care."

Can anyone fill me in on how the master vs individual policy is important? 

I believe this is similar to an umbrella policy. As long as the UC stays in business and maintains coverage, you will be covered. Hospitals do something similar. 

[ventana]

Yup had a few jobs that had this.  Only worry is if corp closes but I figure there is enough deep pockets at top of corp that they would purchase a tail if they closed.  

[CAAdmission]

Where is this info from? If it is built into a contract, it has some force of law behind it. But you should make certain it's not just the opinion of some office manager sent to you in an email.

As @ventana notes, if something like bankruptcy of the group happens, it could expose you. This probably is not a significant worry with the statute of limitation in most places. But if you are seeing peds, you often own everything that you did to them until they turn 18.