Colorado Physician Assistant Malpractice Insurance
Colorado makes malpractice coverage a condition of an active physician assistant (PA) license: at least $1 million per incident and $3 million a year, and the board won't issue or renew without proof (C.R.S. 13-64-301). The statute also says plainly that a PA is liable for the care they provide (12-240-107). Quote online from Denver, Colorado Springs or Aurora and get same-day proof.
Why Colorado PAs Need Their Own Policy
In Colorado a lapse is a licensing problem, not just a contract problem, and two reported judgments or settlements within 12 months double your required minimum to $2M/$6M (13-64-301(3)). Noneconomic caps are rising every year under HB24-1472: $530,000 for 2026 care, up from $300,000 before 2024. Newer PAs work under a supervisory-style agreement until 5,000 hours. A policy in your own name keeps the license proof in your hands when you change employers.
How much does malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants cost in Colorado?
Costs are based on specialties as well as full vs part- time hours:
Average $1M/$3M Coverage Premium - Part Time (less than 24 hours/week):
$1,012 - P1 (lower-risk outpatient specialties like family practice or dermatology)
$1,317 - P2 (hospital ER, urgent care, OR work under 10 hours/week)
$1,611 - P3 (surgical or OB/GYN without L&D, trauma, pain management)
Average $1M/$3M Coverage Premium - Full Time (greater than 24 hours/week):
$1,523 - P1 (lower-risk outpatient specialties like family practice or dermatology)
$1,988 - P2 (hospital ER, urgent care, OR work under 10 hours/week)
$2,426 - P3 (surgical or OB/GYN without L&D, trauma, pain management)
Sample rates only. Premium will be underwritten for your exact situation when using our Instant Online Quote portal.
Physician Assistant Insurance cost varies depending on:
* Scope of services provided
* Claims-made vs. occurrence form
* Policy limits (standard limits are $1/$3M, but $100k/$300k, $250k/$500k, $500k/$1M and $2M/$4M limits available
* Prior claims history
**Note:** Rates will be underwritten for your exact situation.
Colorado PA Practice Rules
Coverage rule: PAs must carry at least $1M per incident and $3M aggregate with an authorized or eligible insurer, or an approved bond or deposit (C.R.S. 13-64-301). Public employees under the Governmental Immunity Act are exempt, and the board may set lower standards for federal, occasional, part-time or volunteer practice. Damages: noneconomic cap $530,000 for 2026 acts (13-64-302). Deadline: 2 years from discovery, 3-year repose (13-80-102.5).
Colorado PAs need a written collaborative agreement with a physician or physician group (C.R.S. 12-240-114.5, as changed by SB23-083). Under 5,000 practice hours, or under 3,000 in a new practice area, it works as a supervisory agreement: the first 160 hours of collaboration in person or by technology, and performance evaluations at 6 and 12 months. Level I or II trauma ED agreements stay supervisory indefinitely.
Colorado Physician Assistant (PA) FAQs
Do physician assistants need their own malpractice insurance in Colorado?
Yes, in Colorado. Under C.R.S. 13-64-301, a PA must establish financial responsibility of at least $1M per incident and $3M per year as a condition of an active license, and the license isn't issued or renewed without proof. Public employees covered by the Governmental Immunity Act are exempt.
At least $1M/$3M by law. In Colorado, if the board receives two or more judgment or settlement reports about you within 12 months, your minimum doubles to $2M/$6M, unless the board reduces it (13-64-301(3)). Some surgical and ED groups require more by contract.
What are typical PA malpractice limits in Colorado?
How much does malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants cost in Colorado?
Premiums for PAs in Colorado may begin around $972 per year at the $100,000/$300,000 level. At the more common $1,000,000/$3,000,000 limits, average annual premiums are roughly $1523 for Tier P1 (behavioral health, pediatrics, family practice, dermatology), $1988 for Tier P2 (ER, urgent care, surgical centers or OR work <10 hours/week), and $2426 for Tier P3 (OB/GYN without labor & delivery, trauma, pain management, higher-risk surgical). Part-time Physician Assistants in Colorado usually see lower rates, averaging $1012, $1317, and $1611 across the same P1P3 tiers. Final premiums vary by specialty, procedures, hours worked, and individual claims history.
Am I covered under my supervising physician's policy as a Colorado PA?
The statute requires that you maintain the coverage; it doesn't say who pays in Colorado. An employer policy can work if it insures you individually at $1M/$3M or more. Get a certificate naming you, and plan for what happens to license proof and tail when you leave.
It hires and pays your defense team and pays the claim up to your limits. For Colorado PAs, look for consent-to-settle wording and coverage for telehealth, procedures and every practice location.
What does malpractice coverage for Colorado physician assistants include?
Can physician assistants practice independently in Colorado?
Partly. Every Colorado PA needs a written collaborative agreement with a physician or physician group (C.R.S. 12-240-114.5, as changed by SB23-083). Under 5,000 practice hours, or 3,000 in a new practice area, it works as a supervisory agreement with 160 hours of initial collaboration and evaluations at 6 and 12 months. Agreements in Level I or II trauma emergency departments stay supervisory.
Yes, with a collaborative agreement and DEA registration in Colorado (12-240-107(6)(b)). A first opioid prescription to a patient is limited to a 7-day supply with one optional second fill, subject to exceptions (12-30-109), and you must query the PDMP before prescribing an opioid or a benzodiazepine (12-280-404(4)).
Can physician assistants in Colorado prescribe opioids and other controlled drugs?
What is the statute of limitations for medical malpractice in Colorado?
Two years from when the patient discovers the injury, and generally no more than 3 years from the act, in Colorado (C.R.S. 13-80-102.5). Plaintiffs also need a certificate of review from a qualified expert early in the case.
Does Colorado limit how much a patient can recover in a malpractice suit?
For acts in 2026, noneconomic damages are capped at $530,000, or $810,000 in a wrongful death claim in Colorado (13-64-302, HB24-1472). The figures rise each January through 2029, then adjust for inflation every 2 years. Economic damages can exceed the total cap on good cause.
Do Colorado PAs get coverage from a state malpractice fund?
No. Colorado has no fund that pays above a PA's limits. Its approach is the mandatory $1M/$3M floor plus damage caps (13-64-302). A judge can exceed the total cap for economic damages on good cause, so policy limits still matter.
What is tail coverage and do PAs need it in Colorado?
On claims-made, yes. In Colorado, claims must be filed within 2 years of discovery and no later than 3 years after the act, but a child injured before age 6 has until age 8, and concealed acts extend the clock (13-80-102.5). Tail keeps both your history and your license proof intact.
Claims-made or occurrence malpractice insurance for a Colorado physician assistant?
Both satisfy 13-64-301 if limits are $1M/$3M. Occurrence avoids tail; claims-made is cheaper early. Colorado's 3-year repose keeps adult tail exposure short, but rising caps through 2029 mean future claims can be worth more.
What should a new-grad PA in Colorado know about malpractice insurance?
You need proof of $1M/$3M to get the license itself, so bind coverage before applying in Colorado. Then sign a supervisory-style collaborative agreement, kept at your primary practice location (12-240-107(6)(c)), and expect performance evaluations at 6 and 12 months.
Does PA malpractice insurance cover telehealth in Colorado?
Only for the states the policy covers. Colorado is listed as a PA Licensure Compact member state, but each patient's state sets its own rules. Keep your Colorado $1M/$3M policy active and confirm its territory includes Utah, New Mexico or wherever patients are.
Does my policy pay for a lawyer if the Colorado board investigates me?
Usually, as a separate and smaller limit. Most individual PA policies pay a lawyer when the Colorado Medical Board opens a complaint, even with no lawsuit. Many employer group plans leave it out.
What is the risk of practicing as a PA in Colorado without malpractice insurance?
Your license can't be issued or renewed without proof of coverage (13-64-301(2)), and practicing without it violates 12-240-107(6)(k). Beyond board action, you'd fund your own defense, since Colorado law states a PA is liable for the care they provide.
Are PA malpractice payments in Colorado reported to the board and the NPDB?
Yes. Malpractice judgments and settlements are reported to the Colorado Medical Board under 13-64-303, and two in 12 months double your required limits. Payments are also reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank under 45 CFR 60.7.
How do I get a PA malpractice quote in Colorado?
Minutes to quote, often same-day to bind. Have your Colorado license number, start date, specialty and claims history ready, then use the instant online quote.
What extra rules apply to newer Colorado PAs?
Yes, in Colorado. Under 5,000 practice hours, or 3,000 in a new practice area, the agreement is a supervisory agreement with in-person or tech collaboration for the first 160 hours and evaluations at 6 and 12 months (12-240-114.5(2)(b)). PAs licensed before Aug. 7, 2023 can prove hours by affidavit.
Colorado PAs may perform only acts within their education, experience and competency (12-240-107(6)(b)), and the collaborative agreement can add limits. If aesthetics is a new practice area, the 3,000-hour supervisory rule can apply. List neurotoxins, fillers and lasers on the policy.
Do Colorado PAs who do aesthetic injections need extra coverage?
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Helpful Links:
- Physician assistant (PA) insurance guide
- PA malpractice insurance cost by state
- Instant PA insurance quotes
- Am I covered under my supervising physician's policy?
- Tail coverage for physician assistants
- Claims-made vs occurrence for PAs
- Utah PA malpractice insurance
- New Mexico PA malpractice insurance
- Kansas PA malpractice insurance
- Wyoming PA malpractice insurance
Colorado sources: