Protecting your assets, licenses, and name that Allied Non Physician Healthcare workers have achieved for themselves means having Professional Liability Insurance. Many people do not realize that not only doctors need professional liability insurance but any profession that encounters consumers may need it. Professional Liability Insurance protects professionals against negligence claims made against them. Professional Liability Insurance is as known as “Errors and Omissions Coverage” that physicians, insurance agents, accountants, attorneys, etc. all need. Pharmacists are one profession that needs professional liability insurance due to the continuous risk pharmacist’s face on an everyday basis. Pharmacist needs additional coverage in the profession because relying solely on the employers insurance may not be adequate protection for you. Most employer coverage’s protect their interest first and always, so it is a pharmacist responsibility to ensure they have a backup plan. Considering a pharmacist career, reputation, and licenses at stake; a malpractice lawsuit can impact someone’s financial well-being completely. A pharmacist can have their own coverage through Healthcare Providers Service Organization (HPSO) that will ensure protection needed as a licensed pharmacist. HPSO offers more malpractice protection that exceeds the limitations of many employer plans. HPSO cover legal costs, court settlements, license protection for up to one million dollars in coverage (HPSO, N.D). In the past, a pharmacist would receive a prescription written or verbal and fill the prescription as to doctor’s order and if anything negligent occurred it was held accountable to the physician due to learned intermediary doctrine. Learned intermediary doctrine means the party who possesses the most knowledge assumes the liability and responsibility of any mistakes. Currently, that belief has changed because a pharmacist is the expert in medications and drug therapy and will be held responsible of any mistakes. Pharmacists now experience more lawsuits than ever before due to healthcare facility errors that were looked over, giving a prescription to the wrong customer, writing the wrong directions on a prescription, putting the wrong drug in the correct bottle for a patient, etc. (Rx Recruiters, (N.D.). I have worked in a pharmacy over many years and have seen many mistakes happen with a good and bad ending. The two most common mistakes that are not the fault of the pharmacist are giving the wrong prescription to the wrong customer at check out and not following HIPPA standards. There are many cases where customers can have common names and are given the wrong prescription due to lack of verification. I have personally heard of a customer calling back because they realized they have the wrong medication. An instance of such could go in a very bad direction if a customer takes the medication and causes health problems or death, which would result in a malpractice lawsuit. Although it was not the pharmacist error because it was an employee working under the pharmacist, the pharmacist could lose their license and much money due to this mistake. As long as the pharmacist has professional liability insurance this mistake would be covered and licenses would not be threatened to be taken. Another main area for possible lawsuits would be disregarding or not following HIPPA regulations properly. In a pharmacy atmosphere, not abiding by HIPPA regulations can be violated easily examples: not having sign off for prescription or drug therapy/ advice, giving information over the phone when not authorized, having private information in eye sight, etc. When a HIPPA regulation is not followed it can cause a fine, loss of licenses, flawed reputation, and worse of all having a facility closed. Obtaining and maintaining professional liability insurance will assist in any cost or removal of licenses because it will cover violation under errors and omissions. An insurance company would have the duty to defend and pay for any damages that the policyholder becomes legally obligated to pay and respond to allegations of violations of statues that protect the right of privacy (Law and Ellison. (October, 2007). It is important that all pharmacy professionals should have additional professional liability insurance to limit their risk considering all that they have worked to accomplish in their career. Only having the employer’s insurance coverage means your best interest is not first thought and if it is found you did not comply with company’s regulations and procedures then a pharmacist would not be covered. All professionals need professional liability insurance as coverage for licenses, assets, and reputation.

References
HPSO, (N.D.). Protect Your Career and Your Financial Future - Pharmacist Individual
Professional Liability Insurance. Retrieved on March 31, 2013 from http://www.hpso.com/profession/pharmacist.jsp Law, Timothy P. and Ellison, John N. (October, 2007). Alleged Violations of Laws Protecting Privacy--Will Your General Liability Insurance Pay? Retrieved on March 31, 2013 from http://www.hpso.com/profession/pharmacist.jsp
Rx Recruiters, (N.D.). Pharmacist Liability Insurance. Retrieved on March 31, 2013 from http://www.rxrecruiters.com/pharmacist-liability-insurance.htm