Medical malpractice insurance covers medical practitioners against claims resulting from allegations of wrong site surgery, misdiagnosis, surgical errors, medication errors, childbirth-related injuries and other claims of wrongdoing. Being a type of professional indemnity insurance plan, it provides coverage against a patient's claim of negligence.
Medical malpractice insurance provides coverage to both physicians and other medical professionals for liability that results in any patient injury or death. If a healthcare provider is sued for medical malpractice, insurance companies will pay for a lawyer to defend them. The types of costs covered under a malpractice policy are wide. They include all legal fees, such as lawyer fees, settlement and arbitration costs, medical damages, and punitive damages.