Functional Medicine Malpractice Insurance

MyMedicalMalpracticeInsurance.com understands that Functional Medicine Physicians take a different approach to medicine then typical primary care physicians. A team member at MyMedicalMalpracticeInsurance.com turned to a Functional Medicine Physician when there was no one offering results for his fiance. She struggled from migraines 2-3 times a week. With the careful guidance of a Functional Medicine Physician, she was diagnosed with celiacs disease and now is migraine free. We can help Functional Medicine Doctors get the lowest price on their medical malpractice insurance. Request your free quote below.

Medical Malpractice Insurance for Functional Medicine Physicians

Functional medicine, more a general approach to clinical medical care than a traditional medical specialty, is a young field based on the application of basic science to medicine. Functional medicine focuses on the underlying causes and prevention of disease in general, rather than on treating the symptoms of specific diseases. Proponents of functional medicine view the body as one integrated system, attempting to analyze how each component of the body interacts with the environment.

The Institute for Functional Medicine is the primary organized body in the field. In its definition of functional medicine, the Institute lists core imbalances that can occur in the integrated system of the body. These include hormone and neurotransmitter imbalances, oxidation-reduction imbalances, immune imbalances and inflammatory imbalances. The key tool for treating these imbalances is the “patient story,” which clinicians can use to integrate diagnosis, signs and symptoms as well as evidence of imbalances, and then to provide treatment in order to correct the imbalances.(1)

Recently, some medical schools have taken a greater interest in teaching some aspects of functional medicine as well as other forms of alternative medicine. With more than 40 percent of Americans using some form of nontraditional medicine, medical schools including the University of California – San Francisco and the Loma Linda University School of Medicine have added electives in areas such as functional medicine. In 2006, the Institute of Functional Medicine became accredited to offer CME credit to physicians. The Institute can also offer AMA PRA Category 1 credit.

Malpractice insurers do not typically recognize functional medicine as a unique specialty, so most practitioners of functional medicine would be classified as internists or primary care physicians. This means that medical malpractice insurance rates for physicians focusing on functional medicine will be relatively low, when compared to the higher rates paid by specialists like surgeons and obstetricians. Premiums vary widely among individuals based on factors like geographic location, hours worked per week, patients seen per week, previous claims history, specific procedures and treatments performed as well as other details of the practice. Medical malpractice insurance premiums are significantly higher in states where the legal climate is hostile and tort reform measures are not in place, such as New York and Florida. Some studies suggest that physicians practicing functional medicine or other forms of nontraditional medicine may be less likely to be sued for malpractice. As further research becomes available, insurance companies may reevaluate the rates they charge to physicians in functional medicine.

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