Malpractice Insurance for Anesthesiologists

Malpractice insurance provides financial protection against claims of negligence or malpractice, covering legal defense costs, settlements, and judgments. This protection is essential not only for safeguarding the anesthesiologist’s financial stability but also for maintaining their professional standing and ability to practice.

At Homewood Insurance, we specialize in helping anesthesiologists secure malpractice coverage that meets the highest-risk profile in medicine.

This page provides the following:

What Insurance Includes– detailed PL protections (GL rarely applies except for office-based practices).
Cost of Coverage– state-based premium ranges and drivers.
Higher-Risk Exposures– scenarios that elevate premiums or trigger claims. Coverage Denials and Premium Increases – when carriers may decline coverage or raise rates significantly.
Why Work With Homewood– how we secure strong coverage in tough markets.

Get a Free Quote Now

The fastest way to find the most suitable insurance coverage for anesthesiologists is to fill out our quick quote form. We’ll compare multiple carriers to deliver a tailored malpractice policy that protects your practice and livelihood.

Anesthesiologists Professional Liability Insurance can include:

Protection for airway management, anesthesia administration, and sedation complications.
Coverage for adverse drug reactions, delayed emergence, and intraoperative injury.
Liability for general, regional, spinal/epidural, and procedural sedation.
Available for hospital-based, ASC, and office-based anesthesia practices.
Standard limits of $1M per claim / $3M aggregate, with tail and retroactive coverage.

Insurance for Anesthesiologists can include:

Malpractice or liability insurance can provide essential protection against these risks:

Professional Liability (Malpractice) Insurance

Claims from general anesthesia, regional blocks, MAC, and procedural sedation.
Legal defense for respiratory/cardiac complications, drug errors, failure to monitor vitals.
Protection for airway mismanagement, nerve injury, inadequate pain control.
Coverage for pre-op evaluation errors, contraindication oversight, surgical team communication failures.
Entity/supervisory liability for group practices, CRNA supervision, and perioperative care teams.
Endorsements for locum tenens, multi-hospital coverage, and group-owned anesthesia entities.

General Liability Insurance

Usually minimal exposure, but may apply to office-based anesthesia practices.
Covers third-party bodily injury (e.g., slips/falls in office waiting areas).
Not a major rating factor for hospital-based anesthesiologists.

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The Cost of Insurance for Anesthesiologists:

Premiums are highly sensitive to geography, litigation climate, claim history, and practice type.

Professional Liability (Malpractice) Insurance – Estimated Ranges

High-risk urban states (e.g., NY, FL): $50,000–$55,000 annually.
Moderate markets (e.g., Midwest): $20,000–$30,000 annually.
Lower-risk states (e.g., SD, NE): $14,000–$17,000 annually.
States with patient compensation funds (e.g., KS, IN): Base premiums ~$17,000 plus fund assessments.
Occurrence policies cost more (20–35% higher) but provide long-tail protection.
Tail coverage is essential at retirement or when leaving a claims-made policy.

General Liability Insurance – Estimated Ranges:

For office-based practices: $500–$2,000 annually depending on patient volume and premises risks.
Hospital-based anesthesiologists usually do not need standalone GL.

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High-Risk Procedures and their Impact on your Premiums

Carriers underwrite anesthesiologists carefully due to the severity of anesthesia-related claims.:

Exposure Category	Examples	Why Higher Risk?	Insurance Impact
Airway Management	Intubation, extubation, difficult airway cases	Failure to secure airway is a leading cause of anesthesia-related death	Major driver of claims; higher premiums in high-severity states
Sedation & Monitoring	MAC, procedural sedation in ASC or office	Failure to monitor vitals can lead to respiratory/cardiac arrest	Underwriting review of monitoring protocols; office settings often surcharged
Regional & Neuraxial Blocks	Spinal, epidural, peripheral nerve blocks	Risk of nerve injury, paralysis, post-dural puncture headache	Premium impact if frequent; carriers check credentialing and complication rates
Medication & Drug Errors	Wrong dose, wrong drug, adverse interactions	Can lead to hypoxia, cardiac arrest, death	Premiums rise if history of med-related incidents; training lowers exposure
Postoperative Pain Management	Opioid prescribing, PCA pumps, inadequate pain relief	Over-sedation, addiction, undertreatment claims	Adds malpractice exposure; may require coverage extensions
Awareness Under Anesthesia	Patients waking during surgery	Rare but traumatic; leads to PTSD and large settlements	Tracked closely; higher PL rates in jurisdictions with nuclear verdicts
Supervisory & Group Liability	CRNA supervision, anesthesia group ownership	Entity may be liable for staff errors and systemic issues	Group premiums scale with CRNA count and claim history

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Other Insurance Anesthesiologists may need

General Liability Insurance

General Liability covers medical expenses and attorney fees which result from bodily injuries and property damage that your facility or organization could be legally responsible for.

Professional Liability Insurance

Also known as malpractice insurance, this protects Anesthesiologists against claims related to malpractice, negligence, or injury resulting from patient care.

Sexual Abuse and Molestation Insurance

Provides coverage against claims arising from alleged sexual misconduct or molestation by an employee or other representative of your organization.

Commercial Property Insurance

This protects your practice against damage or loss to buildings, equipment, and other property from risks such as fire, theft, or vandalism.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Workers’ Compensation Insurance is usually mandated by law. It protects practices and employees in case of work-related injuries or illnesses.

Cyber Liability Insurance

Covers financial losses associated with data breaches, cyber attacks, and other cyber incidents.

Why Work With Homewood

We match anesthesiologists with carriers suited to their practice type and location. Our support includes:

Reviewing claims history and underwriting red flags to improve submissions
Explaining state-specific fund requirements (e.g., HCSF, PCF) and how they affect pricing
Securing tail coverage and flexible endorsements for locums, group practices, and supervision models

Call 947-274-3093 or Fill Out the Form

Ralph Schiller

Ralph specializes in sourcing the most suitable insurance for Anesthesiologists at the best price. You can call him or fill out the form and he will get your message directly.