Mississippi Physician Assistant Malpractice Insurance
A physician assistant (PA) in Mississippi is licensed by the State Board of Medical Licensure and practices under a protocol you and your supervising physician agree on, reported to the Board before you start. Before supervision begins, an insurance carrier must send the Board a certificate of insurance (Part 2615, Rule 1.11). Quote online from Jackson, Gulfport or Southaven and get same-day proof.
Why Mississippi PAs Need Their Own Policy
Mississippi caps noneconomic damages at $500,000 in malpractice actions against health care providers; the jury isn't told and the judge reduces the award (Miss. Code 11-1-60). Economic damages aren't capped. Board rules treat you as your supervising physician's agent (Rule 1.1). Seeing Alabama, Louisiana or Tennessee patients by video? Each state needs its own license.
How much does malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants cost in Mississippi?
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.
Mississippi PA Practice Rules
Coverage rule: no statute sets a PA minimum, but a carrier must file a certificate of insurance with the Board before supervision starts (Part 2615, Rule 1.11); Jackson, Gulfport and Southaven contracts usually ask for $1M/$3M. Damages: $500,000 noneconomic cap (11-1-60); no patient compensation fund. Deadline: 2 years from discovery, 7-year repose (15-1-36).
Mississippi PAs practice with physician supervision under a mutually agreed protocol covering procedures, drug categories and backup coverage (Rule 1.5). Practice is limited to sites within 75 miles of the physician's primary office unless the Board approves a protocol, with exemptions for hospitals, FQHCs and qualifying primary care (Rule 1.6).
Mississippi Physician Assistant (PA) FAQs
Are Mississippi physician assistants required to have liability insurance?
Some coverage must be on file. In Mississippi, no statute sets a minimum, but before a physician supervises you, your or the physician's insurance carrier must forward a certificate of insurance to the Board (Part 2615, Rule 1.11). Employers usually require $1M per claim and $3M aggregate.
$1M/$3M is the usual contract minimum in Mississippi. Noneconomic damages are capped at $500,000 in malpractice actions against health care providers (Miss. Code 11-1-60(2)(a)), but medical costs and lost earnings aren't, so surgical and emergency PAs may want more.
What policy limits do Mississippi hospitals expect PAs to carry?
How much does malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants cost in Mississippi?
Premiums for PAs in Mississippi 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 work in Mississippi often brings reduced premiums, roughly $1012 for Tier P1, $1317 for Tier P2, and $1611 for Tier P3. Actual rates depend on your specialty focus, practice hours, procedures performed, and any prior claims.
If my Mississippi employer insures me, do I still need my own PA policy?
Partly. Supervising physicians' own policies rarely extend to a Mississippi PA, and employer plans can share one aggregate among all providers. Your own policy keeps limits that nobody else can use up.
It hires and pays your defense team and pays the claim up to your limits. For Mississippi PAs, look for consent-to-settle wording and coverage for telehealth, procedures and every practice location.
What does malpractice coverage for Mississippi physician assistants include?
Can a PA practice without a supervising physician in Mississippi?
No. Mississippi PAs practice with a Board-approved supervising physician under a mutually agreed protocol covering procedures, drug categories and backup coverage (Board Part 2615, Rule 1.5). Practice is limited to sites within 75 miles of the physician's primary office unless the Board approves a protocol, with exemptions for hospitals, FQHCs and qualifying primary care (Rule 1.6).
Yes, Schedules II to V, after a Board-approved education program, a Board application and DEA registration in Mississippi (Part 2615, Rule 1.5). PAs may not dispense medications or receive controlled-substance samples, and Part 2640 physician prescribing rules apply.
Can physician assistants in Mississippi prescribe opioids and other controlled drugs?
What is the deadline to file a malpractice claim against a PA in Mississippi?
The statute covers physicians, nurses and other listed providers: 2 years from discovery and no more than 7 years after the act in Mississippi (Miss. Code 15-1-36). PAs aren't listed, so ask counsel. Any suit against a health care provider needs 60 days' written notice first (15-1-36(15)).
Are malpractice damages limited in Mississippi, and is there a state fund?
No. Mississippi has no patient compensation fund. It relies on the $500,000 noneconomic cap for health care providers, which applies to actions filed on or after September 1, 2004 (Miss. Code 11-1-60).
Is tail coverage required for PAs in Mississippi?
On a claims-made policy, yes; on occurrence, never. Tail covers claims filed after the policy ends for care you already gave. In Mississippi, plan for claims up to 7 years after the act (Miss. Code 15-1-36).
What is the difference between claims-made and occurrence for PAs in Mississippi?
Occurrence covers each year's incidents permanently in Mississippi. Claims-made costs less at first but needs tail. A child 6 or younger can sue until 2 years after the sixth birthday (Miss. Code 15-1-36(3)), so tail or prior-acts cover should run long enough.
How long must a new graduate PA in Mississippi work with a physician on site?
New graduates and PAs whose first license is Mississippi's need a supervising physician on site for 120 days (Miss. Code 73-26-3(6)), or 960 hours under Board rules, which may be reduced if your clerkship was with the same physician (Rule 1.6).
Does a Mississippi PA's malpractice policy cover virtual visits?
It should. Mississippi isn't in the PA Licensure Compact, so you need a license in each patient's state. List telehealth and every state on your policy.
Does my policy pay for a lawyer if the Mississippi board investigates me?
Usually, as a separate and smaller limit. Most individual PA policies pay a lawyer when the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure opens a complaint, even with no lawsuit. Many employer group plans leave it out.
What is the risk of practicing as a PA in Mississippi without malpractice insurance?
Board rules require a certificate of insurance from your or your physician's carrier before supervision begins in Mississippi (Rule 1.11). If only the physician's policy is on file, check that it names you; any judgment it doesn't cover would fall on you.
Are PA malpractice payments in Mississippi reported to the board and the NPDB?
Payments made for you go to the NPDB in Mississippi. Separately, you must tell the Board in writing immediately about termination, your physician's retirement or any change in employment (Rule 1.7). Notify your carrier when you get the 60-day notice of a claim.
How do I get a PA malpractice quote in Mississippi?
Minutes to quote, often same-day to bind. Have your Mississippi license number, start date, specialty and claims history ready, then use the instant online quote.
Do Mississippi PAs in rural health clinics need their own malpractice policy?
Consider one. Primary care PAs can practice without a mileage limit when the physician is in a compatible practice, shares the EMR and practices in Mississippi at least 20 hours a week (Rule 1.6). With the physician off site, confirm whose policy covers you there.
Does a new Mississippi practice site need Board approval?
Only beyond 75 miles. In Mississippi, you may practice at the physician's primary office or facilities within 75 miles where the physician has privileges; farther sites need a protocol presented to and approved by the Board, unless they're hospitals, health department sites, FQHCs or volunteer clinics (Rule 1.6).
Consider it. In Mississippi, you may only provide services within your training that are part of your physician's scope (Rule 1.1), and no PA may administer general inhaled, epidural, spinal or monitored anesthesia (Miss. Code 73-26-5). List aesthetic work on your policy.
Do Mississippi PAs who do aesthetic injections need extra coverage?
Get Covered in Mississippi
Join thousands of physician assistants (PAs) who trust us for fast, affordable protection.
✔ Online quotes ✔ Top-rated carriers ✔ Instant proof of coverage
Our partnerships give Mississippi PAs access to A-rated carriers at competitive pricing. Get your Mississippi PA quote online.
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
- Alabama PA malpractice insurance
- Louisiana PA malpractice insurance
- Tennessee PA malpractice insurance
Mississippi sources: