Professional liability insurance—often referred to as E&O Insurance—offers numerous potential benefits to health professionals, such as coverage for negligence, defense costs, personal injury (libel and slander), and claims against past-rendered services. Events such as fraudulent acts, bodily injury, and property damage are not covered by professional liability insurance; however, this form of insurance is essential for anyone who regularly provides professional services or advises clients, including most health professionals. 

Client injury: A massage therapist performs a deep tissue massage on a client who mentioned some shoulder pain before the massage but assured the therapist it was nothing. While performing a shoulder stretch during the massage, the patient winces and asks the therapist to stop. A day later the client accuses the therapist of causing a torn ligament in his shoulder, which will require costly surgery to fix. Professional liability insurance could protect you if such a claim is made. 

Faulty advice: A nutritionist is advising a patient on a weight loss program, but after a few months of treatment the patient is diagnosed as pre-diabetic. The patient blames the nutritionist and sues. Professional liability insurance (errors and omissions) could protect you in such a situation. 

Should clients react negatively to treatment, accuse you of breaching a confidentiality agreement, or otherwise feel that they have been damaged in some way by your services, the risk of being sued most certainly exists. You can protect yourself by getting professional liability insurance—an important tool for providing peace of mind.