Utah Physician Assistant Malpractice Insurance
Utah PAs practice in Salt Lake City, Provo and Ogden and in rural southern Utah clinics. Utah physician assistants (PAs) are licensed by the Utah Division of Professional Licensing and Physician Assistant Licensing Board and practice under collaboration with a physician until the PA passes 10,000 hours. Quote online from Salt Lake City, West Valley City or Provo and get same-day proof.
How much does malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants cost in Utah?
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.
Utah
Physician Assistant Specific Laws and Regulations
No Utah statute requires PA malpractice coverage, and the PA rules (Utah Code Title 58, ch. 70a) set no minimum. In Salt Lake City, West Valley City and Provo, credentialing contracts set the requirement, usually $1M/$3M.
Utah PAs collaborate with physicians based on experience: PAs under 4,000 practice hours need a written policy for collaboration, and PAs past 10,000 hours are no longer bound by the collaboration rules. Source: Utah Division of Professional Licensing and Physician Assistant Licensing Board, Utah Code Title 58, ch. 70a. See: https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title58/Chapter70A/58-70a-S501.html
Utah
Physician Assistant Frequently Asked Questions
Do Utah PAs need malpractice insurance?
Not by law, though Salt Lake City and West Valley City employers of physician assistants (PAs) require it.
$1M/$3M is typical; Salt Lake City, West Valley City and Provo contracts set it.
What limits do Utah PAs carry?
How much does malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants cost in Utah?
In Utah, Physician Assistant malpractice coverage can start as low as $972 annually for $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 Utah 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.
Does Utah have a PA excess fund?
No. Salt Lake City and Provo PAs rely on their own limits.
The Utah Division of Professional Licensing and Physician Assistant Licensing Board, under Utah Code Title 58, ch. 70a.
Who licenses Utah PAs?
Can Utah PAs prescribe controlled substances?
Controlled-substance prescribing needs a Utah controlled substance license and DEA registration.
Yes. As Utah PAs pass 4,000 and then 10,000 hours, they make more decisions alone. Many open their own practices at that point, where no employer policy exists, so carry coverage in your own name.
Does Utah's hour scale change a PA's coverage needs?
Do Utah anesthesiologist assistants (AAs) need coverage?
Usually. Utah licenses AAs, and Salt Lake City or West Valley City anesthesia groups may not name you; ask, or buy your own.
Do Utah PAs need coverage for prelitigation review?
Utah sends medical claims through a prelitigation panel. Salt Lake City and Provo PAs named there need counsel early, so check your policy covers it.
What happens if a Physician Assistant in Utah practices without malpractice insurance?
In Utah, a PA who practices without active malpractice coverage takes on personal liability for any claim that emerges. That financial exposure is often the smallest of the consequences - employment contracts, hospital credentialing, and insurer panel agreements almost always require continuous coverage, and a lapse can mean termination, loss of privileges, or panel removal. Depending on the circumstances, the licensing board may also become involved.
Are malpractice claims against Physician Assistants reportable to the state board in Utah?
PAs in Utah should assume that significant malpractice settlements and judgments will be reportable, both to the state licensing board and to the federal National Practitioner Data Bank. Specific thresholds and timelines vary; the controlling references are your state board's reporting rules and the NPDB reporting requirements. Follow the disclosure language on license applications and renewals exactly - omissions there can generate their own discipline exposure.
Do Physician Assistants in Utah need higher limits for med spa or aesthetic procedures?
PAs in Utah who work in med spa or aesthetic settings should expect heightened scrutiny on coverage, and sometimes specific limit requirements. Procedures like laser treatments, neurotoxin injections, dermal fillers, and chemical peels generate distinct liability profiles that some facilities address through higher per-claim limits. Match your policy to the procedures you actually perform, and confirm that any aesthetic services are explicitly within the scope of coverage rather than excluded.
Does malpractice insurance for Physician Assistants in Utah cover telemedicine?
An Utah PA practicing telemedicine has coverage when the policy's territory includes telehealth services and the PA is properly authorized in the patient's state at the time of the visit. Both elements matter - a license without policy coverage or a covered policy without proper licensure leaves a gap. For cross-state telehealth, verify with the carrier which jurisdictions are in scope and whether any endorsements are needed.
Do supervising or collaborating physicians in Utah share liability for a Physician Assistants services?
Vicarious liability for an Utah PA's clinical actions can attach to a supervising or collaborating physician depending on the supervisory model, the documentation of the relationship, and the specific allegations involved. It is fact-specific, not automatic. The PA's personal liability for their own professional acts is a separate matter and is not eliminated by any vicarious exposure on the physician's side.
Can a Physician Assistant in Utah be added as an additional insured on a physicians policy?
It is common in Utah for PAs to be listed as additional insureds on a supervising physician's or practice policy, where the carrier permits it. That listing can provide narrow contractual protection, but it does not stand in for the PA's own named-insured coverage. Most credentialing bodies still expect to see a personal policy with the PA listed as the named insured, regardless of any additional-insured status elsewhere.
What malpractice coverage do outpatient clinics in Utah typically expect for Physician Assistants?
Most outpatient clinics in Utah require PA coverage of at least $1M/$3M. Ambulatory surgery centers, aesthetic practices, and other specialty settings may set the bar higher - the specific requirement will be in the contract or credentialing materials. For PAs working across multiple practice sites, confirming each location's minimum limits separately is a smart practice.
How does malpractice insurance work for new graduate Physician Assistants in Utah?
New-graduate PAs in Utah can typically obtain $1M/$3M coverage right out of training, often with a first-year discount that recognizes the lower exposure of new practice. The first major coverage decision is claims-made versus occurrence. Claims-made dominates the PA market but requires careful handling of retro dates and tail every time you change jobs; occurrence is simpler but less widely sold.
What should a Physician Assistant in Utah do about prior acts or retro dates when moving employers?
When an Utah PA changes employers, the priority is preserving the retroactive date on the existing claims-made coverage. Two paths get you there: buy tail (an extended reporting period) from the departing carrier, or obtain prior-acts coverage from the new carrier that picks up your existing retro date. Either approach closes the same gap; the choice often comes down to cost and which carrier is willing to do which.
How are malpractice premiums calculated for Physician Assistants in Utah?
Premium calculations for Utah PAs reflect a familiar set of variables: limits, location, specialty, procedures performed, claims history, and policy form (claims-made or occurrence). Whether the policy includes prior-acts coverage from a previous carrier affects price as well. On claims-made coverage, the premium typically steps up each year for the first several years until the policy matures.
For PAs in Utah, the levers that meaningfully move premium without compromising protection include: selecting limits matched to your actual exposure rather than over-buying, choosing a higher deductible where offered, taking risk-management or CME courses that qualify for credits, and maintaining a clean claims record. Multi-policy bundling and staying with one carrier through policy maturation are additional, slower-moving levers. Avoid the temptation to cut limits below what your contracts and credentialing require.
How can Physician Assistants in Utah lower their malpractice premiums without losing protection?
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