Blog opinions or advice.

Does a doctor need liability insurance if they are providing information on a website like a blog?

• I've heard about doctors being very concerned about writing anything down that would be considered "advice" on a blog or website for fear of being sued.  Is there any justification for this concern and do doctors need liability insurance to express their opinions or is this just being too conservative?

• Answer:

  Hi, I was a med mal underwriter for a number of years and am familiar with the typical exposures and contract language. I don't think there is much exposure to liability if the writing is not provided as part of the doc's practice and if the writing is offered to the general public as informational only, and not solicited or contracted as a request or offering of specific advice in the doc's professional capacity. Of course someone could try to file a malpractice claim based upon a physician's article or blog post, but it would be a nuisance claim.  Check your malpractice policy for any exclusions related to authorship or any activities not related to your physical practice on a regular basis. The insurance carrier may exclude such nuisance claims from any duty to defend. From an underwriting and claims perspective it seems highly unlikely that anybody claiming injury from something read on the internet will be taken seriously.