Yes, Locum Tenens is extended as part of our standard coverage at no additional charge on your policy.

Yes. DDI offers a Stand Alone Tail option for physicians seeking an alternative proposal to what their incumbent carrier has presented. DDI also offers Extended Reporting Period coverage/“Tail” to all physicians canceling their DDI coverage as required by law.

A “tail” — or extended reporting period coverage — is coverage that extends past the date on which your final policy period ends. There are numerous ways that you can qualify for or obtain a “tail.”

• Doctors can purchase a “tail” at the end of their policy period with DDI.
• Doctors can earn a “free retirement tail” when they turn 55 years old and have been insured by DDI for five consecutive years and have retired completely from the practice of medicine.
• “Free tails” are also offered in the event of death or total disability.

The most common reason requiring you to purchase tail coverage is when you join or leave a group. Many group contracts demand that when you join the group, you do so without any prior-acts exposure; which means you must buy a tail policy from the existing carrier if you want your prior coverage to remain in place. Conversely, if you leave a group you are often required to purchase a tail policy from the group’s insurer to satisfy the group’s concern about completing your coverage during the time you were practising with them.

Yes. There will be no charge for an Extended Reporting Period Endorsement should any of the following events occur while the policyholder or insured physician is actively insured with us:

1. Death of the insured physician
2. Insured physician becomes disabled and cannot continue the practice of medicine
3. Insured physician fully retires from the practice of medicine at any age and has been continuously insured by us for the five years preceding retirement.

Yes. DDI Insurance will provide “prior acts coverage”. With prior acts coverage, we cover all incidents that occur after your retroactive date and that are reported to us while your policy is in force.

All legal costs and claims expenses are fully paid by DDI

Yes. DDI Company does offer separate limits for the insured’s corporation.

DDI is truly a collaborative effort of insurance and medical professionals. In light of this, we feel that a “hammer clause” — one where an insurance company can exercise its right to settle without asking for the permission of the doctor — is unfair and displays a lack of trust in its insureds. Rather, our policy includes “consent to settle” language that requires DDI to obtain consent of the doctor before agreeing to offer any reasonable settlement.

At DDI, we consider a claim to have been reported as soon as an insured reports the medical incident that could give rise to a claim. We feel that this policy for handling claims favors our doctors because the early reporting of medical incidents can often serve to defuse potentially volatile situations. In addition, the advice of our team of attorneys and risk management experts may help you avoid a lawsuit with early intervention.

“Claims made” relates to the way that DDI provides coverage for claims against its insureds. Specifically, a “claims made policy” covers you, as the physician, for any claim that is made during the annual period in which you are insured by DDI related to treatment that you provided to a patient on or after your retroactive date.