TERM | DEFINITION |
Affirmative-Defenses | Defenses used by defendants in medical professional liability suits that allow the accused to present factual evidence that the patient's condition was caused by some factor other than the defendant's negligence. |
Assumption-of-Risk | A legal defense that holds the defendant is not guilty of a negligent act, since the plaintiff knew of and accepted beforehand any risks involved. |
Claims-Made-Insurance | A type of liability insurance that covers the insured only for those claims made (not for any injury occurring) while the policy is in force. |
Comparative-Negligence | An affirmative defense claimed by the defendant, alleging that the plaintiff contributed to the injury by a certain degree. |
Contributory-Negligence | An affirmative defense that alleges that the plaintiff, through a lack of care, caused or contributed to his or her own injury. |
Denial | A defense that claims innocence of the charges or that one or more of the four Ds of negligence are lacking. |
Emergency | A type of affirmative defense in which the person who comes to the aid of a victim in an emergency is not held liable under certain circumstances. |
Liability-Insurance | Contract coverage for potential damages incurred as a result of a negligent act. |
Occurrence-Insurance | A type of liability insurance that covers the insured for any claims arising from an incident that occurred, or is alleged to have occurred, during the time the policy is in force, regardless of when the claim is made. |
Prior-Acts-Insurance-Coverage | A supplement to a claims-made policy that can be purchased when health care practitioners change insurance carriers. |
Quality-Assurance | (same as quality improvement) A program of measures taken by health care providers and practitioners to uphold the quality of patient care. Also called quality assurance. |
Release-of-Tortfeasor | A technical defense to a lawsuit that prohibits a lawsuit against the person who caused an injury (the tortfeasor) if he or she was expressly released from further liability in the settlement of a suit. |
Res-Judicata | Literally, "The thing has been decided"; legal principle that a claim cannot be retried between the same parties if it has already been legally resolved. |
Risk-Management | The taking of steps to minimize danger, hazard, and liability. |
Self-Insurance-Coverage | An insurance coverage option whereby insured subscribers contribute to a trust fund to be used in paying potential damage awards. |
Self-Insurance Coverage | An insurance coverage option whereby insured subscribers contribute to a trust fund to be used in paying potential damage awards. |
Statute-of-Limitations | That period of time established by state law during which a lawsuit may be filed. |
Tail-Coverage | An insurance coverage option available for health care practitioners: when a claims-made policy is discontinued, it extends coverage for malpractice claims alleged to have occurred during those dates that claims-made coverage was in effect. |
Technical-Defenses | Defenses used in a lawsuit that are based upon legal technicalities. |