Many medical and dental providers incorrectly assume they are covered for employment-related issues by their malpractice insurance coverage. Malpractice policies typically don’t respond to allegations of harassment, discrimination, retaliation or termination from an employee or third party.
Medical professional policies are designed to protect against claims arising from patient care, not claims involving employees, making the purchase of employment practices liability (EPL) an important part of any practice’s risk management plan. Many practices seek EPL coverage after their first employment-related issue or patient alleging discrimination or harassment. By then, it can be too late. Even the most well-managed practices and well-intentioned doctors/dentists can face costly defense expenses surrounding hiring/firing, performance, discipline and even age/gender related disputes and harassment.
What’s the Damage?
Damages from an employment-related allegation can be expensive to defend, even in cases of “frivolous” or unfounded employment-related claims or circumstances. For cases that require settlement or jury awards, most practices will underestimate how expensive employment litigation becomes, as well as the importance of an experienced attorney and claims team. In addition to monetary damages, there can be a loss of productivity across the team and a negative impact on the reputation of the practice.
What’s the Opportunity?
There are over 395,000 physician group practices and approximately 135,000 dental practices in the U.S. With ample opportunity and an ever-increasing need for EPL, there has never been a better time to sell this coverage.
Industry Trends
- In 2026, medical practices have been impacted by changes to how Americans access their healthcare: more concierge medicine, more urgent and ambulatory care, advancements in technology and increases in telehealth and remote patient monitoring options. This can all impact employment practices-related claims.
- There has been a surge in applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy practices for children — speech, physical and occupational-related therapies have been on the rise since 2020, with many practices offering both office and in-home services.
- As efforts to raise awareness about mental health issues have increased, so has the rise in mental health counseling centers (both in-person and telehealth). Some practices have even franchised and made carrying EPL a contractual requirement.
What Does USLI Offer?
Our Medical Providers EPL product has comprehensive coverage for medical practices ranging from 3-200 full-time equivalent employees. Product highlights include:
- EPL including third-party discrimination and third-party harassment*
- $250,000 separate limit for defense costs for allegations of patient molestation included automatically*
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) $100,000 sublimit for defense costs and loss (all states except Florida and California)
- Defense outside the limit if a $500,000 limit or higher is purchased (does not apply to allegations of patient molestation or violations of FLSA)
- $50,000 of workplace violence, identity theft and kidnapping expense coverage included on all quotes
- Optional $50,000 limit for privacy breach expense available
- Free and unlimited HR consulting hotline and online HR toolkit included — most small medical practices don’t have their own HR department, and many of these tools can help practices reduce the likelihood of claims before they occur.
*included on most classes of business
Please contact a USLI employment practices liability underwriter to learn more or to get a quote today!
Get a quote fast — your way
ONLINE SNAP.USLI.COM
PHONE 888-773-8754
EMAIL PROFLINES@USLI.COM
