Mistake #1: Assuming the Agency's Coverage Is Enough
Most locum staffing agencies provide malpractice coverage as part of the assignment. On the surface, this seems like one less thing to worry about. But the details matter — and most physicians never read them.
Agency-provided policies are typically "claims-made" policies, which means they only cover claims filed while the policy is active. When the assignment ends and the policy lapses, any claims filed after that date — even for incidents that occurred during the assignment — may not be covered. This gap is called "tail coverage," and it's one of the most commonly overlooked risks in locum practice.
Mistake #2: Not Understanding Claims-Made vs. Occurrence
The difference between claims-made and occurrence-based malpractice policies is one of the most consequential distinctions in physician risk management — and one of the least understood.
An occurrence policy covers any incident that occurs during the policy period, regardless of when the claim is filed. A claims-made policy only covers claims filed during the active policy period. For a locum physician moving between assignments (and between agency-provided policies), claims-made coverage can create dangerous gaps.
Understanding which type of coverage you have — and whether tail coverage is included — should be a non-negotiable part of every contract review.
Mistake #3: Not Coordinating Coverage Across Assignments
A locum physician working multiple assignments per year may have multiple malpractice policies from multiple agencies, each with different terms, different coverage limits, and different tail provisions. Without someone coordinating across all of those policies, gaps and overlaps are almost inevitable.
The coordination problem gets worse over time. A physician who has worked twenty assignments over five years may have coverage from a dozen different carriers. Tracking which policies had tail coverage, which didn't, and which incidents are covered by which policy becomes a full-time job.
The Fix
The solution isn't necessarily to buy your own standalone malpractice policy — though that's sometimes the right answer. The solution is to have someone who understands the full landscape of your coverage, reviews every agency policy before you sign, and ensures there are no gaps. That's what a coordinated protection strategy provides.