Physiotherapist

Would your PI cover extend to your working overseas?

Guild Insurance has received enquiries from practitioners about whether their current professional indemnity insurance will cover them when they are treating Australian athletes or team members outside of Australia.

Read more: Would your PI cover extend to your working overseas?

 

Competition Winner

Congratulations to Elizabeth Wilson from Bacchus Marsh VIC who won an Apple iPad at the Australian Physiotherapy Association Congress held on the Gold Coast from 27 – 31 October 2010
 

The risks outside your practice door

Imagine… your patient leaves the practice on a drizzly and dark winter night and slips where water has pooled, re-aggravating the injury you have been treating. Not only do you lose a loyal customer, they turn around and sue you for negligence.

Your duty of care to your patient doesn’t finish in the treatment room but extends to the entire premises. Whether leased or owned, as an occupier of a premises, any foreseeable risks to patients, visitors, or even employees could see you liable for damages if they are not addressed.

Read more: The risks outside your practice door

 

Instilling confidence and giving fair warning

As a trained health professional, you have a right to display confidence in your ability to treat patients and to expect to see the positive results of your skilled intervention. However, you also would know that there are no guarantees in life, and that there is bound to be some degree of variability in treatment outcomes from patient to patient. Finding the right balance between showing confidence in your treatment plans and giving fair warning of any risk associated with your treatment is key to obtaining informed consent from your patients.

Read more: Instilling confidence and giving fair warning

 

Do I need my own cover?

Is professional indemnity (PI) insurance cover best held by the employer or the individual practitioner?

Guild Insurance provides cover on an individual practitioner basis as we view this as the best way for physiotherapists to meet their PI insurance requirements.

Read more: Do I need my own cover?

 

Are you at risk in public practice?

By Michael Woger, Risk Manager, Guild Insurance Limited

Physiotherapists in public practice experience a range of issues that can place their professional reputation at risk. The complex operating dynamics of the public healthcare system, especially in hospital settings, creates particular challenges for physiotherapists. Below are four risks that warrant consideration from public practitioners.

Read more: Are you at risk in public practice?

 

Many roads to recovery – take the fast one

Severe weather incidents have wreaked havoc across Australia already this year. Hail the size of golf balls, tropical cyclones and storm water have caused significant damage and costs for businesses in affected areas. It provides a timely reminder of how adverse events can affect anyone and the need for the right protection.

Read more: Many roads to recovery – take the fast one

 

What support do you have in defending your reputation?

Receiving a complaint from a patient or an inquiry from the registration board can be a stressful experience. When your professional ability is brought into question and your reputation is at stake, you need the best support and advice available.

Read more: What support do you have in defending your reputation?