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Malpractice Insurance

Gavel Official Statement

The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is an agency of the State of Iowa, which self insures the tort liability of the State and its employees under the provisions of the State Tort Claims Act, Chapter 669, Code of Iowa. Resident and Fellow Physicians at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics are State employees for the purposes of the State Tort Claims Act. The coverage provided to Resident and Fellow Physicians by the State Tort Claims Act is occurrence coverage.

Explanation

House staff physicians and dentists, under contract as house staff members with the UIHC, are covered by Iowa's State Tort Claims Act when they are providing services within the scope of their training during assigned rotations at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and assigned rotations elsewhere in Iowa. If a claim is made against a house staff member arising out of an act or omission within the scope of the residency or fellowship training, the Attorney General's Office will defend the house staff member and the state will pay any settlement or judgment awarded. The State Tort Claims Act provides the house staff member with liability protection, without dollar limits, for clinical services rendered in Iowa within the scope of the training program. The State Tort Claims Act is the equivalent of an occurrence malpractice policy, and no tail coverage is required.

Fellow Associates

Fellow Associates (Fellows in non-accredited programs with billing privileges) are covered by the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine’s UIP malpractice insurance. Inquiries should be directed to: University of Iowa Physicians, Risk Management, Carver College of Medicine, Medicine Administration, 200 CMAB, Iowa City, IA 52242. Phone: 319-335-8070. Fax: 319-335-8318.

FAQs and Responses

  • Name of company: State of Iowa/UI Hospitals and Clinics
  • Street: Department of Legal Services/200 Hawkins Drive
  • City, state, zip: Iowa City, IA 52242-1009
  • Policy number: N/A
  • Dates of coverage Start of your contract to the end of your contract (or end of training)
  • Underwriter: State of Iowa
  • Institution affiliation: University of Iowa
  • Amount of coverage per occurrence: Unlimited
  • Amount of coverage aggregate: Unlimited
  • Tail Coverage Not Needed

Moonlighting

Should the house staff member be engaged in any moonlighting activity outside the scope of the training program, that house staff member is personally responsible for assuring that he/she has adequate liability coverage and for obtaining and maintaining that coverage (see Policy and Procedures Regarding Professional Activity Outside the Training Program by House Staff Physicians and Dentists).

Electives

If the house staff member engages in an elective rotation outside the State of Iowa, liability protection is also NOT provided and the house staff member is responsible for obtaining his/her own short-term liability coverage.