Does your acupuncture business need malpractice insurance?

Alternative health care practitioners, including acupuncturists, can benefit from malpractice insurance. This insurance, sometimes called professional liability insurance or errors and omissions insurance, protects the acupuncturist in the event that a patient makes a claim that they were damaged or injured by the services or advice provided. 

Traditional health care practitioners, such as doctors and dentists, are required to have malpractice insurance, but it’s just as critical – if not more so – for acupuncturists and other alternative providers. Patients may not be as familiar with alternative procedures and may be more willing to sue if the results do not meet their expectations, even if the practitioner has not made a mistake. 

What could go wrong?

There are a number of things that can go wrong during acupuncture treatment which may cause a patient to sue. Here are some examples.

• An acupuncture patient develops an infection at the site of insertion. The patient sues the acupuncturist, alleging that the needles were not adequately sterilized, which caused the infection. 
• A patient who felt they should have been referred elsewhere but was not could sue the acupuncturist. Acupuncturists are responsible for assessing the patient’s condition and referring them to another health care professional when warranted.
• A patient who suffered an injury during a treatment could sue, claiming that the acupuncturist caused the injury by inserting the needle incorrectly. 

Protecting your acupuncture practice

Professional liability insurance, sometimes called malpractice insurance or errors and omissions (E&O) coverage, protects your acupuncture practice against claims that you did something you shouldn’t have, or didn’t do something you should have, in the course of providing services. 

If a client makes a claim or files a lawsuit against you, a Hiscox professional liability policy could cover your defense costs as well as any settlement or judgment. Even if the claim is found to be baseless, your policy will cover your costs. 

Lawsuits from injured patients represent just one of the reasons acupuncturists need to protect their business with liability insurance. There are also risks associated with having clients come to your location, or traveling to their home or office. General liability insurance can protect your acupuncture practice from claims by others of bodily injury, such as a slip and fall accident, and damage to their property. 

Hiscox offers insurance tailored to the specific risks acupuncturists face, protecting the business you’ve worked so hard to build. Visit Hiscox.com for a fast, free quote – your business could be covered today.