As a GP practising in Ireland you can choose from two types of professional indemnity protection: occurrence based or claims made.
The scope of the protection and benefits is dependent on who is providing your protection; however there are important fundamental differences between the two types of protection that you should bear in mind.
OCCURRENCE-BASED PROTECTION
With our occurrence-based protection, you can request assistance for any complaint or claim that arises from your professional practice during your Medical Protection membership.
This means that if you’re a member at the time an adverse incident occurs, you can ask for assistance with the medicolegal consequences at any time – even if it’s years later, you’re no longer a member of Medical Protection, or you‘re no longer practising.
Occurrence-based protection offers maximum peace of mind, as you don’t have to make any further financial arrangements after you leave membership or stop practising.
CLAIMS-MADE PROTECTION
Your ability to access the benefits of membership if you have claims-made protection will depend on both the date on which an adverse incident occurs and the date that the matter is reported.
In order to receive assistance with medicolegal consequences, you need to have been a member on the date that the adverse incident occurred and the date that the matter is reported, or you must have purchased extended reporting benefits, often referred to as ’tail’ or ’run-off’ payments.
The subscription fee for claims-made protection is often lower than occurrence-based subscriptions in the early years. However, there are additional costs upon leaving claims-made protection (such as in retirement, switching to another indemnity provider or if you stop practising). The overall cost for both types of protection is therefore likely to be broadly similar over the course of your career.
MPS v OTHER PROVIDERS
Other indemnity providers in Ireland offer claims-made protection for GPs, and the differences between these products can vary greatly.
Our ethos to personally assist our members sets us apart from other organisations. We are not an insurance company so can focus our attention on members, without external shareholders to answer to. In every instance, members’ needs are our priority, and we assist where we can.
We believe every request for assistance is personal and we stand alongside our members to provide expert advice, guidance, and education to help them through the complex world of clinical negligence and medicolegal matters.
Our occurrence-based protection for GPs in Ireland has no caps or excess on our indemnity, and no requirement to pay additional ‘run-off’ or ‘tail-cover’ when you leave Medical Protection membership.
We have a long-term commitment to our members, not a short-term focus on profits.
As a member of Medical Protection you receive much more than defence. Your membership gives you access to a whole host of additional benefits that provide you with advice and support at every stage of your career.