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Forensics
 Psychiatrists are pursuing forensic work in ever
increasing numbers. As a result, courts, medical boards, and professional associations are becoming more interested in evaluating and holding physicians accountable for forensic activities. Psychiatrists involved in forensics should be aware of this emerging malpractice liability trend.
It is essential that a psychiatrist providing forensic services be insured by a medical malpractice insurance policy that covers these
activities. Many insurance carriers classify forensic
services as non-medical because this professional
activity by a psychiatrist does not involve the direct treatment or care of a patient. Thus, these insurance carriers do not cover claims arising out of forensic services.
Some of the common areas of forensic psychiatric practice include:
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· Performing court-ordered child custody and child abuse evaluations.
· Reviewing medical records for insurance companies
· Evaluating defendants in criminal cases
· Providing an expert psychiatric opinion in a civil trial on behalf of a plaintiff
· Performing fitness-for-duty-evaluations for public safety agencies or licensing boards
· Evaluating housing placement of accused sexual offenders in prison systems.
Take a close look at your current insurance policy.
You may be surprised to find you do not have coverage for your forensic work. The Psychiatrists' Program, however, recognizes the specific exposures in the practice of psychiatry and includes coverage for forensic psychiatric services as part of the policy.
Request your complimentary copy of "Malpractice Liability for Forensic Activities: Liability in the Absence of a Treatment Relationship." This article contains risk management guidance about performing independent medical examinations and providing testimony, the two most common forensic activities for which liability risk may exist.
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