Patient Claimed Stroke After Adjustment: How Chiro Malpractice Insurance Defended the DC
The Worst Phone Call of My Career
Dr. Miller felt sick when a lawyer called. A patient she adjusted for neck pain two days prior had suffered a stroke. The lawsuit claimed her cervical adjustment caused it. She called her insurer, NCMIC, in a panic. They immediately assigned a top legal team and hired independent neurologists as expert witnesses. The experts proved the patient’s vertebral artery was already dissecting before the visit, and the stroke was tragically inevitable. After a year and over $100,000 in legal fees—all covered by her policy—Dr. Miller was exonerated, her career saved by a robust defense.
Protecting Your Chiropractic Practice: Malpractice Insurance Essentials
The Shield for Your Life’s Work
Fresh out of school, Dr. Chen saw her $2,000 malpractice premium as just a painful expense. Her mentor disagreed. He told her about a simple adjustment that led to a patient’s rib fracture. It should have been a minor issue, but the patient was litigious. The legal fight lasted two years and cost $60,000 before it was dropped. His insurance covered every dime, protecting his practice and home. “The policy isn’t for if you make a mistake,” he said. “It’s for when someone says you did. It’s the shield for your life’s work.”
Common Claims Against Chiropractors: Vertebral Artery Dissection (VAD), Rib Fractures, Failure to Diagnose
When Headaches Aren’t Just Headaches
Dr. Avery’s new patient complained of severe headaches. After an exam, he suspected it was more than just a subluxation and referred the patient to the ER with a note of his concern. The patient was diagnosed with a vertebral artery dissection (VAD) unrelated to any adjustment. A week later, he heard about another local DC being sued for “failure to diagnose” after treating a patient with similar symptoms who later had a stroke. It was a chilling reminder that knowing when not to adjust is as critical as knowing how.
Comparing Chiropractic Malpractice Insurance Providers (NCMIC, ChiroSecure)
The “Consent to Settle” Clause That Changed Everything
Starting her practice, Dr. Diaz compared insurance quotes. ChiroSecure was slightly cheaper, but NCMIC had a feature she couldn’t ignore: a strong “consent to settle” clause. Her mentor explained its importance. An insurer might want to settle a frivolous claim for $20,000 to avoid legal costs, but that settlement becomes a permanent mark on your record. With her NCMIC policy, the insurer couldn’t settle without her explicit permission. She chose NCMIC, deciding that protecting her reputation was worth more than a small premium savings.
How Much Malpractice Coverage Do Chiropractors Need?
When One Million Dollars Isn’t Enough
Dr. Benitez felt secure with his $1 million malpractice policy limit. Then came the nightmare lawsuit. A patient suffered a severe, disabling stroke and claimed it was from his adjustment. The case was complex, but the patient’s lifetime care costs were projected to be enormous. The case ultimately settled for $1.5 million. His insurance paid its limit, but Dr. Benitez was personally responsible for the remaining $500,000, forcing him to liquidate his retirement savings. He learned a hard lesson: in a worst-case scenario, even a million-dollar limit can be breached.
Does Malpractice Insurance Cover Wellness or Maintenance Care Claims?
The Maintenance Plan That Went Wrong
Dr. Walters had a long-time wellness patient he saw monthly. The patient began developing subtle leg weakness, which he attributed to his chronic back issues. When the weakness suddenly worsened, he was diagnosed with cauda equina syndrome. He sued Dr. Walters, claiming the routine maintenance care created a false sense of security and delayed a necessary medical referral. The insurer defended the claim, but it was a stressful lesson: even with low-force wellness care, meticulous re-evaluations and documenting any new symptoms are critical lines of defense.
Informed Consent for Cervical Adjustments: Critical for Risk Management
The Initials That Saved Me
I was sued after a patient developed vertigo following a cervical adjustment. Her lawyer’s main argument was that I never warned her of any risks. During my deposition, my attorney produced my signed informed consent form. He didn’t just point to the signature; he highlighted the section detailing the remote risks of stroke and dizziness. Next to that specific paragraph was the patient’s own initial, proving we had reviewed it. The case lost all its momentum. That simple checkmark was my most powerful defense.
Filing a Claim: Working with Insurers on Chiropractic-Specific Cases
The Phone Call That Stopped the Panic
When the process server handed Dr. Lee the lawsuit, his world stopped. He felt completely alone and terrified. He found the number for his malpractice carrier and called, his voice shaking. The claims specialist on the other end was incredibly calm. She knew chiropractic. She asked specific questions about his technique and documentation, and assured him a defense lawyer specializing in chiropractic cases would call him within 24 hours. That single, knowledgeable conversation transformed his panic into a feeling that he now had a powerful team in his corner.
Coverage for Additional Therapies Offered (Massage, Acupuncture)? Check Policy.
The Acupuncture Rider I Forgot to Add
To grow his practice, Dr. Pham hired a licensed acupuncturist. He assumed his comprehensive chiropractic malpractice policy would cover the new service. Six months later, a patient suffered a minor pneumothorax from an acupuncture needle and sued the practice. When Dr. Pham filed the claim, his insurer informed him that acupuncture was not a covered service unless he had specifically added it as a rider to his policy—which he hadn’t. Suddenly, he was facing an expensive, uninsured claim that could have been avoided with a single phone call.
My Patient Fell Off the Adjustment Table: Malpractice Insurance Response
The Slip That Wasn’t a Malpractice Claim
An elderly patient was getting up from the adjustment table, felt dizzy, and fell, fracturing her wrist. It had nothing to do with the adjustment itself; it was just an unfortunate accident. My patient was kind but now had medical bills. I called my insurer, and they explained that my policy included general liability coverage for incidents on the premises. They handled the patient’s medical bills directly under this provision. It resolved the issue quickly and amicably, preventing a simple fall from escalating into a much larger and more contentious lawsuit.
Risk Management Seminars for Chiropractors: Premium Discounts?
The Easiest Money I Ever Saved
My malpractice insurer, NCMIC, offered a 5% premium discount for attending their 8-hour risk management seminar. I almost didn’t go, but the savings were over $150. I’m so glad I did. Not only did I get the discount, but I learned a new documentation protocol for high-risk patients that I immediately implemented. A year later, that exact protocol helped my defense team shut down a potential claim before it even became a lawsuit. The seminar didn’t just save me money; it made me a safer, more defensible doctor.
Protecting Your Practice from Adjustment-Related Lawsuits
The Freedom to Do Your Job
As a young chiropractor, every time I performed a cervical adjustment, a small voice in the back of my head whispered, “What if?” What if this is the one-in-a-million case? That fear can be paralyzing. But my malpractice policy is what silences that voice. Knowing that I have a multi-million-dollar defense team on standby allows me to put that fear aside. It gives me the mental freedom to focus completely on the patient in front of me and deliver the best care possible, without being haunted by the financial “what ifs.”
Does Insurance Cover Claims Related to Nutritional Advice or Supplements?
The Supplement That Caused a Reaction
Dr. Kim started offering nutritional counseling and selling high-quality supplements in her office. She recommended a particular anti-inflammatory product to a patient, who then had a severe and unexpected allergic reaction requiring a hospital visit. The patient sued. Dr. Kim was relieved to learn that her malpractice policy included a rider covering her nutritional advice and product sales. Without that specific coverage extension, she would have been paying the patient’s six-figure hospital bills and legal fees entirely out of her own pocket.
Tail Coverage Considerations for Retiring Chiropractors
The Last Big Bill
After 35 years of practice, Dr. Garcia was ready to retire. He had a “claims-made” policy, which meant he needed to buy “tail coverage” to protect himself from any future claims arising from his decades of work. He had planned for the expense, but the final bill was still a shock: a one-time premium of nearly $40,000. It was a significant final cost, a stark reminder that for DCs on this type of policy, the cost of safely hanging up your white coat is a major expense you need to save for throughout your career.
Chiropractic Malpractice Insurance: Covering Your Hands-On Practice
The Partner in Every Adjustment
Imagine building a thriving practice over 30 years, helping thousands of patients. Now imagine it all being threatened by one lawsuit from one single adjustment. Malpractice insurance is the silent, essential partner that stands with you in every treatment room. It’s a promise that if the unexpected happens, you won’t face financial ruin. It provides the expert lawyers, the court fees, and the settlement money so that you don’t have to. For a hands-on profession, it’s the non-negotiable cost of having the confidence to lay hands on patients and help them heal.