Nurse Practitioner Professional Liability: A Synopsis of the CNA HealthPro Claims Study and NSO Survey

This article presents highlights of a study authored by two major providers of nurse practitioner (NP) professional liability insurance. CNA HealthPro described CNA-insured NP liability claims between 1998-2008. Nurses Service Organization (NSO) surveyed its insured APNs (95% NPs) to compare APNs with and without claims on a variety of factors. An increase in ultimate average indemnity and expense payments for NPs was identified, and strategies to mitigate risk were suggested. The NSO survey response rate was 12.8% (n = 3,037) and included 287 APNs reporting a claim within 5 years and 2,750 non-claim responses. APNs with claims were more likely than non-claim APNs to respond that their state regulations require direct physician supervision. As NPs continue to occupy a central role in healthcare, it is important to explore NP liability claims in order to develop useful risk-management strategies.