Tennessee Physician Assistant Malpractice Insurance
A physician assistant (PA) in Tennessee is licensed by the Board of Physician Assistants and performs medical services only in collaboration with a licensed physician, under a written protocol kept at your practice location (Tenn. Code 63-19-106). Quote online from Nashville, Memphis or Knoxville and get same-day proof.
Why Tennessee PAs Need Their Own Policy
Tennessee caps noneconomic damages at $750,000 per plaintiff, or $1M for catastrophic injuries such as paralysis (Tenn. Code 29-39-102), and gives patients just 1 year to sue in most cases. Public Chapter 1042 (2024) will let PAs with 6,000 hours seek an endorsement and practice under a collaborative agreement, but only once joint Board rules take effect. Tennessee is a PA Licensure Compact member; Kentucky, Georgia or North Carolina patients still need a license or privilege.
How much does malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants cost in Tennessee?
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.
Tennessee PA Practice Rules
Coverage rule: no Tennessee statute or Board rule requires PAs to carry malpractice insurance; Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville health systems usually ask for $1M/$3M. Damages: noneconomic damages capped at $750,000, $1M if catastrophic, with exceptions for intent, record destruction or intoxication (29-39-102). Deadline: 1 year from injury or discovery, 3-year repose (29-26-116).
Your collaborating physician keeps active and continuous overview without needing to be present, and your protocol sets your range of services (Tenn. Code 63-19-106). You name a primary collaborating physician to the Board and report changes within 15 days; the physician sets how many PAs they collaborate with at the practice level (63-19-107).
Tennessee Physician Assistant (PA) FAQs
Do I need my own malpractice policy as a PA in Tennessee?
No statute requires it. In Tennessee, your collaborating physician has control of and responsibility for your services (Tenn. Code 63-19-106(b)), but claims name PAs directly, and Nashville and Memphis employers require $1M per claim and $3M aggregate.
$1M/$3M is the usual contract minimum in Tennessee. With noneconomic damages capped at $750,000 ($1M catastrophic) under Tenn. Code 29-39-102 and economic damages uncapped, $1M per claim is a practical floor.
What malpractice limits should a Tennessee PA carry?
How much does malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants cost in Tennessee?
For Tennessee, malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants can be priced from about $972 per year at entry-level $100,000/$300,000 limits. For standard $1M/$3M coverage, expect typical costs of about $1523 for P1 specialties (pediatrics, behavioral health, dermatology, family practice), $1988 for P2 (ER, urgent care, surgical centers under 10 hrs/week), and $2426 for P3 (OB/GYN excluding labor & delivery, trauma, high-risk surgical). Part-time work in Tennessee often brings reduced premiums, roughly $1012 for Tier P1, $1317 for Tier P2, and $1611 for Tier P3. Premiums ultimately reflect specialty, procedures, venue, and malpractice history.
Does my employer's malpractice policy cover me as a PA in Tennessee?
It can be enough if it names you individually with your own limits and the tail terms are in writing. If either is missing, Tennessee PAs usually add an individual policy.
It hires and pays your defense team and pays the claim up to your limits. For Tennessee PAs, look for consent-to-settle wording and coverage for telehealth, procedures and every practice location.
What does malpractice coverage for Tennessee physician assistants include?
Can physician assistants practice independently in Tennessee?
No. Tennessee PAs practice with a collaborating physician, who keeps active and continuous overview without needing to be present, and your protocol sets your range of services (Tenn. Code 63-19-106). You name a primary collaborating physician to the Board and report changes within 15 days (63-19-107). Public Chapter 1042 would let PAs with 6,000 postgraduate hours use a collaborative agreement instead of a protocol once it takes effect.
Yes, if your collaborating physician delegates it: Schedules II to V, with DEA registration and a formulary filed with the Board in Tennessee. Schedule II or III opioids are capped at a nonrefillable 30-day course outside hospitals unless pre-approved (Tenn. Code 63-19-107(2)).
Can physician assistants in Tennessee prescribe opioids and other controlled drugs?
What is the statute of limitations for medical malpractice in Tennessee?
1 year from the injury, or 1 year from discovery, and never more than 3 years from the act except for fraudulent concealment or a foreign object in Tennessee (Tenn. Code 29-26-116). A proper pre-suit notice adds 120 days (29-26-121(c)).
Does Tennessee limit how much a patient can recover in a malpractice suit?
$750,000 in noneconomic damages per injured plaintiff, or $1M for catastrophic injuries such as paraplegia or a parent's wrongful death, under Tenn. Code 29-39-102 in Tennessee. The jury isn't told; the court applies it.
Do Tennessee PAs get coverage from a state malpractice fund?
No. Tennessee has no patient compensation or excess fund. The statutory cap limits pain and suffering, but medical costs and lost earnings are paid from your limits.
Does a Tennessee PA need tail coverage after leaving a job?
It depends on the policy form. Claims-made coverage stops covering past care when it ends unless tail or prior acts is bought; occurrence coverage needs no tail. In Tennessee, claims are due 1 year from injury or discovery, with a 3-year repose except for concealment or foreign objects (Tenn. Code 29-26-116).
Should a PA in Tennessee buy claims-made or occurrence coverage?
Occurrence covers each year's incidents permanently. Claims-made costs less at first but needs tail. Tennessee's 3-year repose (Tenn. Code 29-26-116) keeps tail exposure shorter than in many states.
Is malpractice insurance cheaper for new graduate PAs in Tennessee?
Often, yes. Many carriers price new graduates lower and step rates up over a few years. A Tennessee PA starting out should compare that to the employer's plan and its tail terms.
Does PA malpractice insurance cover telehealth in Tennessee?
It should. Tennessee is a PA Licensure Compact member state, but you need a license or privilege where each patient is. Telehealth-only PAs may arrange chart review electronically (Tenn. Code 63-19-107(2)(H)); list telehealth on your policy.
Does my policy pay for a lawyer if the Tennessee board investigates me?
Usually, as a separate and smaller limit. Most individual PA policies pay a lawyer when the Tennessee Board of Physician Assistants opens a complaint, even with no lawsuit. Many employer group plans leave it out.
What is the risk of practicing as a PA in Tennessee without malpractice insurance?
In Tennessee, no statute forbids it, but employers won't credential you, and economic damages plus up to $750,000 in noneconomic damages (Tenn. Code 29-39-102) could reach your personal assets.
Are PA malpractice payments in Tennessee reported to the board and the NPDB?
Payments made for you go to the NPDB, and complaints against PAs go to the Division of Health Related Boards in Tennessee (Tenn. Code 63-19-107(2)(D)). Call your carrier the day a 60-day pre-suit notice arrives.
How do I get a PA malpractice quote in Tennessee?
Minutes to quote, often same-day to bind. Have your Tennessee license number, start date, specialty and claims history ready, then use the instant online quote.
Do Tennessee PAs in telehealth jobs need multistate coverage?
Yes. Each patient's state governs the visit, so list Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi or any other state you reach by video. Tennessee's cap and 1-year deadline won't apply to suits filed elsewhere.
In Tennessee, the claimant sends written notice with a HIPAA authorization to each provider at least 60 days before filing (Tenn. Code 29-26-121), then files a certificate of good faith that an expert supports the claim (29-26-122).
What must happen before a Tennessee malpractice suit is filed?
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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
- Kentucky PA malpractice insurance
- Georgia PA malpractice insurance
- North Carolina PA malpractice insurance
- Alabama PA malpractice insurance
- Arkansas PA malpractice insurance
Tennessee sources: