Doctors · Dentists · Allied Health

Medical Practice Insurance NZ

Cover written for the specific exposures of medical, dental, and allied-health practice — medical indemnity, treatment injury coordination, practice liability, cyber, and the business risks that sit alongside patient care.

Discuss Your Practice Insurance Call 09 307 1295

Why Medical Practice Needs Specialist Insurance

A medical, dental or allied-health practice combines high-consequence clinical exposure with an operating business. On the clinical side, treatment injury, disciplinary processes, and complaints to HDC or the Medical Council can arise from a single interaction — often years after the event. On the business side, the practice carries the same property, liability, employee, cyber and business-interruption risks as any other SME, plus a duty to protect patient health information under the Privacy Act 2020 and the HIPC Code. Standard commercial insurance rarely addresses either side properly. We structure programmes that cover medical indemnity, practice operations, and cyber together — so a single event does not fall between policies.

Medical Indemnity & Treatment Injury

Medical indemnity responds to the personal, professional and disciplinary consequences of clinical care — investigations, disciplinary hearings, coronial inquiries, HDC complaints, and civil claims not otherwise covered by ACC. In New Zealand ACC covers most treatment injury on a no-fault basis, but the practitioner still faces reputational, regulatory and disciplinary exposure alongside any ACC process. We coordinate medical indemnity cover (typically arranged through the practitioner's college or a specialist medical indemnity provider) with the practice's business insurance, so notification, defence-cost triggers and admissions are handled consistently.

The Business Side of a Practice

A practice is also a business — fit-out, medical equipment, patient records, staff, and revenue that depends on the practitioner being able to work. We arrange practice-liability, statutory liability (H&S Act), management liability, cyber liability (patient-data breach response), business interruption tied to practitioner incapacity, and property and equipment cover. For group practices and DHB-adjacent providers, we also structure D&O and employment-practices cover for the governance side.

What We Cover

Our medical-practice programmes are built to cover both the clinical and the commercial side of running a practice — with careful attention to how each policy interacts with ACC, disciplinary processes and college indemnity.

Cover Types

Medical / Dental Indemnity (Practitioner)

Practice Public Liability

Statutory Liability (H&S Act)

Management Liability / D&O

Cyber Liability & Patient-Data Breach

Employment Practices Liability

Property, Equipment & Fit-Out

Business Interruption (Practitioner Incapacity)

Employers' Liability

Prosecution Defence Costs

Locum & Wage Continuance

Run-off Cover (Retirement / Sale)

Who Is This For?

GP and specialist medical practices

Dental and orthodontic practices

Physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic clinics

Allied-health providers (psychology, podiatry, speech-language, occupational therapy)

Medical specialists and consulting rooms

Aesthetic and cosmetic-medicine clinics

Retiring practitioners needing run-off cover

Why Exclusive Insurance Services?

Coordinated with college / medical indemnity providers (MPS, MAS, MDA)

Cyber cover written for patient data and HIPC obligations

Business-interruption tied to practitioner incapacity, not just property

Claims advocacy across ACC, HDC, disciplinary and civil channels

Structured for sole practitioners through to group practices

Talk to an Adviser

Get specialist advice tailored to your situation. No obligation, no pressure.

Start Insurance Review 09 307 1295

What Insurers Typically Need

Information an insurer may require

Underwriters generally ask for the following when quoting or renewing this class of risk. Being ready with accurate information usually improves outcomes on price and wording.

Practitioner details: scope of practice, registration status, disciplinary history

Existing medical indemnity arrangements (college / MPS / MAS / MDA)

Practice details: services offered, patient throughput, revenue

Fit-out and equipment values, imaging and specialist devices

Patient-record system, cyber controls, backup and access management

Prior claims, HDC complaints, coronial or disciplinary notifications

Staff numbers, employment arrangements and contractor practitioners

When Something Happens

Claims considerations

We help manage the claims process from notification through to settlement, coordinating with you, the insurer and other parties involved and advocating for your interests throughout. Things that commonly affect a claim in this area:

Notify the medical indemnity provider and the practice insurer as soon as an incident or complaint arises — claims-made triggers apply on both sides.

ACC treatment-injury processes run in parallel with HDC and disciplinary processes; do not make admissions before advice.

Preserve clinical notes, imaging and communications immediately — they are the primary evidence in any subsequent claim or investigation.

Cyber incidents affecting patient data trigger notification obligations under the Privacy Act 2020 as well as insurer notification — sequence matters.

Business-interruption from practitioner incapacity depends on the specific benefit trigger; check whether a locum benefit or wage continuance applies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ACC cover mean I don't need medical indemnity?

No. ACC covers treatment injury on a no-fault basis for the patient, but it does not cover the practitioner's legal costs at HDC, disciplinary or coronial hearings, and it does not protect the practice against civil claims that fall outside ACC. Medical indemnity — usually arranged through your college or a specialist provider — is still essential.

What is medical indemnity vs medical malpractice?

In New Zealand the term "medical indemnity" is more accurate than "malpractice". It covers the practitioner's legal defence and representation across HDC complaints, disciplinary processes, coronial inquiries, and civil claims that ACC does not resolve. Practice-level policies then sit alongside to cover the business.

Do dental practices need cyber insurance?

Yes. Dental practices hold sensitive patient records and radiographic images, and are increasingly targeted by ransomware. Cyber cover responds to incident-response costs, notification obligations under the Privacy Act 2020, business interruption while systems are restored, and any regulatory investigation.

What happens if a practitioner retires or sells the practice?

Claims can arise years after treatment. Run-off cover keeps medical indemnity and practice-level PI responsive to future notifications after the practice ceases trading. This should be arranged before the sale or retirement, not after, and the length of run-off should match the relevant limitation periods.

Can I cover locum costs if I can't work?

Yes. Business-interruption cover for medical practices can include a locum or wage-continuance section, so the practice's revenue and payroll are protected while the practitioner is unable to work due to illness, injury or a disciplinary suspension (subject to policy terms).