The clinic and the practitioner may have different insurance needs
A regulated health professional may carry professional liability through an association, employer or individual policy. That coverage may not insure the clinic entity for premises liability, staff actions, property damage, privacy incidents or interrupted operations. Confirm the named insureds and scope of every policy rather than assuming the practitioner’s protection extends to the business.
Medical, dental, therapy and allied-health offices also differ by services, procedures, equipment and regulatory college. The submission should describe the actual practice.
Build the clinic’s commercial program
Coverage areas can include:
- Commercial general liability for covered premises and operations claims
- Professional liability for the entity and practitioners where required and available
- Property coverage for furnishings, stock, tenant improvements and medical equipment
- Equipment breakdown, spoilage or temperature-change coverage for qualifying equipment and supplies
- Business interruption and extra expense after a covered loss
- Cyber, privacy and network-security coverage
- Crime coverage for employee dishonesty or funds-transfer exposures
Confirm how contractors, locums, students and shared-space practitioners are insured. Review leases, service agreements and referral arrangements for insurance and indemnity requirements.
Health information creates specific privacy duties
Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner states that health information custodians must take reasonable steps to protect personal health information against theft, loss and unauthorized use or disclosure. Certain breaches must be reported to the IPC, and affected individuals have separate notification rights under PHIPA.
Maintain role-based access, strong authentication, encrypted devices, secure disposal, staff training, vendor agreements, tested backups and a written privacy-breach protocol. Cyber insurance can fund defined response services, but it does not decide legal obligations or replace privacy compliance.
Document equipment and continuity dependencies
List diagnostic, treatment, sterilization, refrigeration and IT equipment with replacement values and lead times. Identify calibration, maintenance, backup power and alternate service arrangements. Explain how long the clinic could operate without records, scheduling, payment systems or a particular device.
Review this information with equipment breakdown, business interruption and cyber insurance.
Coordinate coverage without creating false assumptions
Contact Westoak with the clinic ownership, practitioner roster, services, privacy controls and equipment schedule. We can help identify available commercial coverage and questions that must be confirmed with professional associations, colleges, legal counsel or privacy specialists.