Malpractice Insurance for Dentists

MDA Insurance Programs

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    • Medicare Seminar
  • Dental Insurance
• Life & Disability
  • Life Insurance for Dentists
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  • Business Overhead
  • Disability Income Insurance for Dental Students
• Long-Term Care, Short-Term recovery, Final Expense
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• Liability & Property
  • Malpractice Insurance for Dentists
  • Malpractice for Hygienists
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• Accident/Critical Illness/Hospital Recovery Insurance
• After Hours Claims Numbers
• Staff Directory

Claims-made vs. Occurrence coverage

The MDA-endorsed Professional Protector Plan® offers malpractice insurance in both claims-made and occurrence forms.  Before making a decision on which form better suits your needs, it’s important to understand a few basics about each.

Occurrence policy forms provide coverage for an injury or damage that takes place during the policy period, regardless of when the claim is made and reported.  Provided the incident takes place while the policy is active, claims may be submitted to the insurance carrier at any time in the future.  The limits of insurance in force at the time of the incident will apply.

Claims-made policy forms provide coverage for an injury or damage that takes place during the policy period, provided the claim is made and reported while the policy is active.  Coverage is not automatically available for claims submitted after the claims-made policy is cancelled or no longer in-force.  Because of this, claims-made policies offer a special endorsement when cancelled, commonly called tail coverage, which allows claims made after cancellation to be considered for coverage.  The limits of insurance at the time the claim is made and reported will apply.

The other major difference is pricing.  Occurrence policies are more expensive in the early years of coverage, but do not require purchasing tail coverage upon cancellation.  Claims-made policies are less expensive up front, but may require the purchase of tail coverage when the policy is cancelled (although many carriers offer provisions whereby tail coverage can be obtained at no cost).

Call us for more details or assistance in determining which form of coverage would better fit your needs.  Our toll-free number is 800.860.2272.

Helpful Resources

Visit this section often to find risk management information and other resource materials.

• Take your Dental Professional Liability Risk Management course online.
• Employee Handbooks: Common Legal Mistakes
• Beyond HR, an interactive Web-based platform for employee training on human resource topics. Available only to PPP policyholders.
• H.R. Helpline for PPP policyholders only. Call 1-800-262-3751 and have your policy number ready.
• Staff Matters Complete Human Resources System for Michigan Dental Offices, by Jodi Schafer
• Get help Human Resources help from the MDA (MDA members only)