Advanced Practice Professionals: Understanding Your Exposure to Liability

Advanced practice professionals (APPs), including nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), can improve patient satisfaction, healthcare access and quality, and can reduce physician burnout. However, APPs can also increase liability risk exposure for their physician supervisors and employers. Exceeding scope of practice and deviating from the standard of care are common themes in malpractice lawsuits filed against APPs, their supervising/collaborating physicians, and their employers. Physicians can become liable for patient injuries even if they are not directly involved in an injured patient’s care. For example, physicians can be vicariously liable for the acts or omissions of an APP based upon an employment relationship. This article provides risk reduction strategies and resources to help decrease professional liability risk while allowing APPs to practice to the full extent of their education and training.