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Malpractice Insurance for Respiratory Therapists

Malpractice insurance for respiratory therapists 

Respiratory Therapists (RTs) manage airways, ventilation, and cardiopulmonary therapies across ICUs, EDs, NICUs, transport teams, rehab, and home health. Because small setup or monitoring errors can have big consequences, RTs benefit from malpractice policies tailored to high-acuity environments, rapid-response work, and cross-disciplinary care.

Homewood Insurance secures liability coverage that reflects real-world respiratory practice—from ventilator management and nebulized medications to transport and sleep studies.

Below you’ll find the following:

Get a Free Quote Now

The fastest way to find the most suitable insurance coverage for respiratory therapists is to fill out our quick quote form, so we can give you an idea of the type of insurance coverage that best suits you.

Homewood Insurance works with a number of different carriers to ensure you have the most suitable insurance coverage at the best price.

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Malpractice Insurance for Respiratory Therapists can include:

  • Covers malpractice claims related to airway management, oxygen therapy, and ventilator support.
  • Protection for allegations of improper intubation, medication errors, or failure to respond to distress.
  • Applies to therapists working in hospitals, long-term care, rehab, transport, or home health.
  • Includes liability for documentation errors, scope-of-practice concerns, and cross-disciplinary communication.
  • Limits up to $1M per claim / $3M aggregate; tail and retroactive coverage available.

More information

Insurance for Respiratory Therapists can include:

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

  1. Professional Liability (Malpractice) Insurance

    1. Covers alleged errors/omissions in respiratory care: airway support, ventilator setup/titration, oxygen therapy, suctioning, and medication delivery.
    2. Defense & indemnity for claims of delayed response to distress, improper alarm management, or failure to follow provider orders.
    3. Protection for documentation errors, incomplete charting, and handoff miscommunication.
    4. Applies across ICU/NICU/PICU, ED, step-down, rehab, outpatient, transport, sleep labs, and home health.
    5. License defense and board/peer review response coverage available.
    6. Claims-made or occurrence structures; limits up to $1,000,000 per claim / $3,000,000 aggregate with tail and prior-acts options.
    7. Portable for per-diem, multi-facility, travel, and agency roles.

  2. General Liability Insurance

    1. Third-party bodily injury/property damage unrelated to clinical acts (e.g., visitor slip/fall in clinic, oxygen tank damages a wall).
    2. Personal & advertising injury (defamation).
    3. Medical payments and defense outside the limits available on some forms.
    4. Pair with Property and Business Interruption for clinic or sleep-lab owners.

Recommended Add-Ons

  • Cyber Liability Insurance (HIPAA/PHI breach, ransomware; especially for sleep labs and home-care platforms).
  • Regulatory/License Defense (audits, board actions, peer review).
  • Sexual Abuse & Molestation Insurance (SAM) limited coverage for peds/NICU exposure (per entity policy).
  • Professional Entity Coverage (for LLC/PC) and Hired/Non-Owned Auto for transport/home visits.
  • Umbrella/Excess (add $1M–$5M for hospital systems or multi-site providers).

 

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The cost of Insurance for Respiratory Therapists:

Professional Liability (Malpractice) Insurance – Estimated Ranges

  • Employed RT (hospital/clinic), PL only: $140–$450
  • PL + GL bundle (outpatient, sleep, or home services): $250–$700
  • Independent/contract RT or transport-heavy roles: $400–$1,500+ (procedure mix and settings drive variance)
  • Small entity (sleep lab/home respiratory company): Starting $1,200–$4,000+ (entity PL/GL), plus Property/Cyber as needed

Key Pricing Factors:

  • Setting & acuity: ICU/NICU/ED and transport raise rates vs. outpatient/rehab.
  • Scope & procedures: Frequent ventilator titration, intubation assistance, or invasive diagnostics increase exposure.
  • Hours & role: Per-diem/part-time discounts; supervisors/educators priced by clinical duties.
  • Claims history: Prior paid claims or board actions can double premiums or require higher deductibles.
  • Location & limits: High-litigation states and higher limits (e.g., $2M/$4M) cost more.
  • Risk controls: Competency checklists, alarm-management policies, and ADR logs can earn 5–10% credits.

 

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High-Risk Procedures and their Impact on your Premiums

While chemotherapy and standard radiation are widely covered, carriers closely review other services that carry elevated risk:

Procedure Description & Risks Insurance Impact
Airway Management & Intubation Assistance Assisting with ETT placement, confirming position, securing the airway. Risks include trauma, esophageal intubation, hypoxia, and aspiration—often cited in high-severity claims. +20–40% PL surcharge in high-acuity settings; some carriers require documentation of competencies/simulation training or limit independent intubation to endorsed scopes.
Mechanical Ventilation Initiation & Titration Setting modes/parameters, weaning, alarms. Exposure to barotrauma/volutrauma, VAP, delayed response to alarms, or failure to escalate care. +15–30% PL increase for ICU/NICU roles; entity policies may require quality metrics (VAP bundle compliance, alarm audits) to avoid higher deductibles.
Medication Delivery (Nebulizers, Inhalers) Bronchodilators, anticholinergics, steroids; risks include dosing errors, contraindications, adverse reactions, and incomplete monitoring post-administration. +10–20% when high-volume or independent protocols are used; carriers may ask for formulary, double-check procedures, and ADR documentation.
Invasive Diagnostics (e.g., ABG Puncture) Arterial puncture with risk of hematoma, nerve/arterial injury, infection, or delay in acting on critical results. +10–15% PL adjustment with frequent ABGs; endorsements sometimes required for line placement where within scope.
Transport & Emergency Response Interfacility/ED transport, codes, rapid response. Risks from equipment failures, handoff errors, and environmental constraints during movement. +15–30% PL/GL combined exposure; carriers look for transport protocols, handoff checklists, and equipment check logs.
Sleep Studies & PAP Titration In-lab polysomnography, CPAP/BiPAP titration. Risks: mis-scoring, poor follow-up, mask-related injury in fragile skin, missed central apnea. Minimal to +10% if standalone sleep lab; may require separate entity coverage and data-security add-ons.
Home Oxygen & Home Health Support Home setup, education, and follow-up. Risks: improper flow settings, equipment misuse, trip hazards, or delayed escalation. +10–20% for off-site liability; GL needed for in-home exposures and sub-limits for rented equipment.

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What types of Insurance do Respiratory Therapists need?

 
General Liability Insurance

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.
 
 
Business owner's policy (BOP insurance)

Business owner's policy (BOP) insurance

A Business Owner’s Policy (BOP) is a comprehensive insurance package designed for respiratory therapists with small to medium-sized businesses. It provides a blend of liability protection and property insurance.
 
 
Professional Liability Insurance

Professional Liability Insurance

Professional Liability Insurance overs any negligence or mistakes made by the individual respiratory therapists during their practice. It differs from General Liability insurance, which covers the practice itself. 
 
 
Commercial Auto Insurance

Commercial Auto Insurance

This is relevant for respiratory therapists who use a vehicle for practice-related tasks. This insurance covers you against auto accidents, theft, and other vehicle-related incidents.
 
 
workers compensation insurance

Workers Compensation Insurance

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

Cyber Liability Insurance

Covers you against financial losses associated with data breaches, cyber attacks, and other cyber incidents. Insurers will usually conduct rigorous testing of your online system to fix vulnerabilities as part of this policy.
 

Why Work With Homewood

  • We place allied-health and acute-care risks daily—ICU/NICU, transport, sleep labs, and home-respiratory providers.
  • Access to A-rated carriers that understand RT scopes by state and setting.
  • We align claims-made vs. occurrence, tail, and entity options to your career path.
  • Proactive quoting across multiple markets routinely saves clients 10–25% while adding critical endorsements.

Call: 608-395-7545 or
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Chris-for-web

Chris Worley

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