The Injured Physician: Is Your Work Ethic Hurting You and Your Patients?
Disability insurance attorneys Edward O. Comitz and Patrick T. Stanley recently had their article “The Injured Physician: Is Your Work Ethic Hurting You and Your Patients?” published in the Winter 2013 edition of AzMedicine, the quarterly publication of the Arizona Medical Association.
In the article, Mr. Comitz and Mr. Stanley review some of the unintended consequences, both professional and personal, of a physician continuing to work through adversity, and the potential impact on his or her disability insurance coverage. For example, a physician who has modified his practice or work schedule in an effort to accommodate a disability may effectively change his occupational definition as it is defined in his “own occupation” disability insurance policy, making it difficult, if not impossible, to collect benefits when they are most needed.
The article also analyzes some of the pitfalls of “residual disability” or “partial disability” riders, such as the manner in which the insurer will determine the amount of benefits paid and differences in how long the insurance company is required to pay benefits.
The Arizona Medical Association periodically updates its website with recent editions of AzMedicine, or you may contact our office to obtain a copy of the full article and/or to speak with a disability insurance attorney.
