Louisiana Physician Assistant Malpractice Insurance
A physician assistant (PA) in Louisiana is licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners and practices under a supervising physician, under written clinical practice guidelines reviewed every year (La. R.S. 37:1360.22(8), 37:1360.31). With $100,000 of primary coverage and the Patient's Compensation Fund surcharge, you get the Medical Malpractice Act's limits. Quote online from New Orleans, Baton Rouge or Shreveport and get same-day proof.
Why Louisiana PAs Need Their Own Policy
If you're qualified, your share of any one patient's claim stops at $100,000 and the Patient's Compensation Fund pays the rest up to the $500,000 cap, with future medical care outside the cap (La. R.S. 40:1231.2). Your enrollment depends on a $100,000 policy and a surcharge paid on time, and the Fund warns that a late payment creates a gap. Seeing Texas or Mississippi patients by video? Each state needs its own license.
How much does malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants cost in Louisiana?
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.
Louisiana PA Practice Rules
Coverage rule: Louisiana's PA law (La. R.S. 37:1360.21 et seq.) sets no insurance requirement, but qualifying for the Medical Malpractice Act takes $100,000 per claim and the Fund surcharge (40:1231.2(A), (E)). Damages: $500,000 cap plus future medical; $100,000 provider share. Deadline: 1 year, 3-year repose (9:5628).
Louisiana PAs work under a supervising physician approved by the Board. The level and method of supervision is set by the physician and PA, documented and reviewed every year, and care follows written clinical practice guidelines. The physician must be reachable by phone or other telecommunication (La. R.S. 37:1360.22(8)).
Louisiana Physician Assistant (PA) FAQs
Is malpractice insurance required for PAs in Louisiana?
No statute requires it, but without at least $100,000 of coverage and the Fund surcharge you can't qualify under the Medical Malpractice Act in Louisiana (La. R.S. 40:1231.2). Your employer or hospital contract sets the limits you carry.
$100,000 per claim is the minimum to qualify, and a qualified provider isn't liable for more than $100,000 per patient and the Fund pays the excess up to $500,000 in Louisiana (La. R.S. 40:1231.2(B)). Some contracts still ask for $1M/$3M, so check yours.
How much liability coverage is standard for a physician assistant in Louisiana?
How much does malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants cost in Louisiana?
Premiums for PAs in Louisiana may begin around $972 per year at the $100,000/$300,000 level. Full-time coverage at the standard $1M/$3M level often averages $1523 for P1 (lower-risk outpatient specialties like family practice or dermatology), $1988 for P2 (hospital ER, urgent care, OR work under 10 hours/week), and $2426 for P3 (surgical or OB/GYN without L&D, trauma, pain management). Part-time Physician Assistants in Louisiana usually see lower rates, averaging $1012, $1317, and $1611 across the same P1P3 tiers. Actual rates depend on your specialty focus, practice hours, procedures performed, and any prior claims.
Can a Louisiana PA rely on the employer's malpractice insurance?
Often only partly. Many Louisiana employer policies cover the entity first and you second, may leave out license defense, and stop the day you resign. Get the declarations page, not just a verbal yes.
It hires and pays your defense team and pays the claim up to your limits. For Louisiana PAs, look for consent-to-settle wording and coverage for telehealth, procedures and every practice location.
What does malpractice coverage for Louisiana physician assistants include?
Can physician assistants practice independently in Louisiana?
No. Louisiana PAs work under a Board-approved supervising physician. You and the physician set and document the level and method of supervision, review it every year and follow written clinical practice guidelines, and the physician must be reachable by phone or other telecommunication (La. R.S. 37:1360.22(8)).
Yes, Schedules II to V and legend drugs, to the extent your supervising physician delegates. You need 500 clinical training hours in your PA program, a Louisiana CDS license from the Board of Pharmacy and DEA registration (La. R.S. 37:1360.31(C)).
Can physician assistants in Louisiana prescribe opioids and other controlled drugs?
What is the statute of limitations for medical malpractice in Louisiana?
One year from the act or from discovery, but no more than 3 years from the act, and the rule applies to minors too in Louisiana (La. R.S. 9:5628(A)-(B)). It covers providers defined in the Medical Malpractice Act whether or not they qualified (9:5628(C)).
Does Louisiana limit how much a patient can recover in a malpractice suit?
All malpractice claims for injury to or death of one patient, excluding future medical care and related benefits, are capped at $500,000 plus interest and costs in Louisiana (La. R.S. 40:1231.2(B)(1)). Bills in 2026 proposed raising it, but the statute still reads $500,000.
Do Louisiana PAs get coverage from a state malpractice fund?
Yes. The Louisiana Patient's Compensation Fund pays judgments and settlements above a qualified provider's $100,000 up to the $500,000 total, and it pays future medical care without regard to the cap (La. R.S. 40:1231.2(B)(3), 40:1231.3).
Do I need tail coverage when I leave a PA job in Louisiana?
If you leave a claims-made policy, you need tail for both the primary policy and the Fund in Louisiana. The Fund notes no corporate surcharge is due for vicarious tail when an enrolled employee leaves without buying Fund tail (2026 rate manual). Ask your carrier about both layers.
Is occurrence or claims-made coverage better for Louisiana PAs?
Occurrence covers each year's incidents permanently in Louisiana. Claims-made starts cheaper but needs tail. The Fund surcharge is priced by class and by claims-made year or occurrence, so ask for quotes both ways.
Do I need malpractice insurance for my first PA job in Louisiana?
Yes, from your first patient. A new Louisiana PA should confirm before day one that the employer policy names them, or bind a personal policy. Many carriers step-rate new PAs, so early premiums are often lower.
Does PA malpractice insurance cover telehealth in Louisiana?
It should. Louisiana isn't in the PA Licensure Compact, so you need a license in each patient's state. Confirm your policy covers telehealth, and remember the Medical Malpractice Act and Fund protect care given as a Louisiana qualified provider.
Does my policy pay for a lawyer if the Louisiana board investigates me?
Usually, as a separate and smaller limit. Most individual PA policies pay a lawyer when the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners opens a complaint, even with no lawsuit. Many employer group plans leave it out.
What is the risk of practicing as a PA in Louisiana without malpractice insurance?
No law bars it, but you can't be a qualified provider without $100,000 of coverage or a $125,000 self-insurance deposit in Louisiana (La. R.S. 40:1231.2(E)). You then lose the $100,000 limit, and most employers and hospitals won't credential you.
Are PA malpractice payments in Louisiana reported to the board and the NPDB?
Filing a request for a medical review panel isn't reportable to the Louisiana Board, other states' boards or credentialing bodies (La. R.S. 40:1231.8(A)(1)(a)). Paid claims still go to the NPDB, so tell your carrier when you get a panel notice.
How do I get a PA malpractice quote in Louisiana?
Minutes to quote, often same-day to bind. Have your Louisiana license number, start date, specialty and claims history ready, then use the instant online quote.
Can a Louisiana PA enroll in the Patient's Compensation Fund?
Yes, in Louisiana. The Fund's rate manual lists Physicians Assistant as an enrollable class (code 80310). You file proof of at least $100,000 per claim and pay the surcharge, and qualification starts when the insurer accepts the surcharge payment (La. R.S. 40:1231.2(A), (E)).
Before a malpractice suit against a qualified provider can be filed in court, the claim goes to a panel of 3 providers and 1 attorney who give a written opinion on the standard of care, which is admissible later in Louisiana (La. R.S. 40:1231.8). Your policy should provide defense counsel from the panel stage.
What is Louisiana's medical review panel?
Get Covered in Louisiana
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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
- Texas PA malpractice insurance
- Mississippi PA malpractice insurance
- Arkansas PA malpractice insurance
Louisiana sources:
- Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners: physician assistants
- La. R.S. 37:1360.31 (PA services and prescribing)
- La. R.S. 37:1360.22 (supervision defined)
- La. R.S. 40:1231.2 (limitation of recovery)
- La. R.S. 40:1231.8 (medical review panel)
- La. R.S. 9:5628 (deadlines)
- Patient's Compensation Fund rate manual (eff. Sept. 2, 2025)