Professional liability insurance covers which of the following?

Professional liability insurance, often known as malpractice insurance, is specifically designed to protect healthcare professionals against claims of negligence arising from the services they provide. It covers errors and omissions that may occur during the standard course of medical care, allowing healthcare providers to defend themselves against allegations that could result in financial loss or damage to their reputation.

The focus of professional liability insurance is on the provision of care and the possibility that a healthcare provider did not meet the required standard of care, leading to harm to a patient. This can include mistakes in diagnosis, treatment, or general patient management.

In contrast, misdemeanor offenses, intentional release of protected health information (PHI), and criminal behavior typically fall outside the scope of coverage provided by professional liability insurance, as these actions are not related to the professional standards of practice within the healthcare field. Instead, such actions usually involve legal repercussions that are handled separately from malpractice claims. Therefore, the answer accurately reflects the nature of the coverage provided by professional liability insurance.