Georgia Physician Assistant Malpractice Insurance
A physician assistant (PA) in Georgia works under a job description signed by the primary supervising physician and approved by the Georgia Composite Medical Board (O.C.G.A. 43-34-103). Georgia sets no PA insurance requirement and, since a 2010 Supreme Court ruling, has no cap on noneconomic damages, so hospitals and groups set your limits. Quote online from Atlanta, Augusta or Savannah and get same-day proof.
Why Georgia PAs Need Their Own Policy
Georgia courts have held that the PA Act does not make a supervising physician vicariously liable for a PA's negligence (Zeh v. Maso, 2023), so a claim can land on you and your employer, not the physician's policy. A plaintiff must file an expert affidavit naming at least one negligent act, and PAs are a listed profession (9-11-9.1). In a hospital emergency department, liability needs clear and convincing proof of gross negligence (51-1-29.5).
How much does malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants cost in Georgia?
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.
Georgia PA Practice Rules
Coverage rule: the Georgia PA Act (43-34-100 to 43-34-110) contains no malpractice insurance requirement; hospital bylaws and employers set limits, usually $1M/$3M. Damages: the noneconomic cap in 51-13-1 was struck down in Atlanta Oculoplastic Surgery v. Nestlehutt (2010), and there is no patient compensation fund. Deadline: 2 years from injury, 5-year repose (9-3-71).
Georgia PAs may provide services only under a job description, signed by the PA and the primary supervising physician, approved by the board and limited to the physician's scope of practice (43-34-102, 43-34-103). The physician names alternate supervisors in writing and must periodically review prescribing records; a sampling is allowed (43-34-103(e.1)).
Georgia Physician Assistant (PA) FAQs
Does Georgia require PAs to carry malpractice insurance?
Not by statute. None of the sections in the PA Act, O.C.G.A. 43-34-100 to 43-34-110, requires coverage. Georgia hospitals, health systems and groups require it for credentialing and employment, usually at $1M per claim and $3M aggregate.
$1M/$3M is the common contract minimum. Because Nestlehutt (2010) removed Georgia's noneconomic damages cap, groups in surgery, emergency medicine and obstetrics sometimes ask for more. Your contract or bylaws set the number, not the board.
How much malpractice coverage does a PA need in Georgia?
How much does malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants cost in Georgia?
In Georgia, Physician Assistant malpractice coverage can start as low as $972 annually for $100,000/$300,000 limits. 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). If practicing part-time in Georgia, premiums are commonly about $1012 for P1, $1317 for P2, and $1611 for P3. Premiums ultimately reflect specialty, procedures, venue, and malpractice history.
If my Georgia employer insures me, do I still need my own PA policy?
Partly. Supervising physicians' own policies rarely extend to a Georgia PA, and employer plans can share one aggregate among all providers. Your own policy keeps limits that nobody else can use up.
Patient injury claims tied to your clinical work in Georgia, including defense even when the suit has no merit. Many policies also cover board investigations and depositions where you are only a witness.
What does professional liability insurance pay for if a Georgia PA is sued?
Can physician assistants practice independently in Georgia?
No. Georgia PAs may practice only under a board-approved job description signed with a primary supervising physician and limited to that physician's scope (O.C.G.A. 43-34-102, 43-34-103). The physician names alternate supervisors in writing and periodically reviews your prescribing records.
Schedule III to V, if delegated in the job description in Georgia. Since July 1, 2024 (HB 557), a PA with 1 year of post-licensure experience may also be delegated hydrocodone or oxycodone in emergencies: initial order only, up to 5 days, adults only, after examining the patient (43-34-103(e.1)). No other Schedule II.
Can PAs prescribe controlled substances in Georgia?
What is the statute of limitations for medical malpractice in Georgia?
Two years from the date of injury in Georgia, and no more than 5 years from the negligent act (O.C.G.A. 9-3-71). The complaint must include an expert affidavit naming at least one negligent act, and PAs are expressly listed (9-11-9.1).
Does Georgia cap malpractice damages or have a patient compensation fund?
Neither. The Georgia Supreme Court held the 2005 noneconomic caps in 51-13-1 unconstitutional in Atlanta Oculoplastic Surgery v. Nestlehutt (2010) because they nullified jury findings. No state fund pays above your limits.
Do Georgia PAs need tail insurance when changing jobs?
On claims-made, yes. Georgia claims must be filed within 2 years of the injury and never more than 5 years after the act (9-3-71); foreign-object claims run 1 year from discovery. Buy tail or prior acts to cover that 5-year window.
Occurrence vs claims-made: which is better for a Georgia PA?
Occurrence covers each policy year's incidents for good. Claims-made starts cheaper but needs tail. Georgia's 5-year repose sets how long a claims-made gap can hurt you, which makes occurrence attractive for PAs who move often.
Should a newly licensed Georgia PA buy their own malpractice policy?
Yes. New grads are not exempt from lawsuits or Georgia Composite Medical Board complaints. Get the employer's coverage terms in writing, including tail, before you sign your first Georgia contract.
Does PA malpractice insurance cover telehealth in Georgia?
Only within the policy territory. Georgia lets PAs work outside the physician's physical presence (43-34-103(d)), but Georgia is not listed as a PA Licensure Compact member, so patients in other states may require a license there and coverage for that state.
Is license defense included in PA malpractice insurance in Georgia?
It should. Individual Georgia PA policies normally fund defense in investigations and hearings by the Georgia Composite Medical Board under a license protection sublimit. Confirm it before a complaint arrives.
What is the risk of practicing as a PA in Georgia without malpractice insurance?
No statute bars it, but credentialing will in Georgia. With no damage cap and no vicarious liability through the PA Act, a judgment against you personally is paid from your own assets.
Do malpractice settlements get reported to the Georgia PA licensing board?
Payments are reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank under 45 CFR 60.7 in Georgia. Court risk is separate: in Rockefeller v. Kaiser (Ga. App. 2001), a PA's prescribing without the supervision the PA Act requires was negligence per se.
How long does it take to get PA malpractice coverage in Georgia?
Quickly. Most Georgia PAs can be quoted online in minutes and covered the same day; apply a few days before your start date if a hospital needs specific certificate wording.
Do Georgia PAs need their own malpractice policy for locum tenens work?
Often. In Georgia, each new supervising physician needs a job description on file, though a substantially similar one is deemed approved on submission (43-34-103(c)). Agency coverage varies, so confirm limits, tail and every site in writing before the first shift.
Is there a higher standard for suing a Georgia PA over emergency room care?
Yes, in Georgia. For emergency care in a hospital emergency department or obstetrical unit, a plaintiff must prove gross negligence by clear and convincing evidence (51-1-29.5). The Court of Appeals applied it to a PA's emergency department care in Buckelew v. Womack (2025).
Since May 1, 2024 (HB 1046), a primary supervising physician may have job descriptions with, and supervise at one time, no more than the combined equivalent of 8 PAs and APRNs in Georgia. The limit doesn't apply in hospitals, colleges, public health, FQHCs and some other settings (43-34-103(b)).
How many PAs can one physician supervise in Georgia?
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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
- Florida PA malpractice insurance
- Alabama PA malpractice insurance
- South Carolina PA malpractice insurance
- Tennessee PA malpractice insurance
Georgia sources:
- Georgia Composite Medical Board: PAs and AAs
- O.C.G.A. 43-34-100 to 43-34-110 (PA Act)
- O.C.G.A. 43-34-103 (job description, ratio, prescribing)
- O.C.G.A. 9-3-71 (filing deadline)
- O.C.G.A. 9-11-9.1 (expert affidavit)
- O.C.G.A. 51-1-29.5 (emergency care standard)
- O.C.G.A. 16-13-63 (PDMP review)
- Atlanta Oculoplastic Surgery v. Nestlehutt (2010)