Insurance for Private Duty Nursing
Comprehensive insurance coverage for registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) providing skilled nursing care on a private-pay basis in patients’ homes.
- High-limit professional liability designed for skilled nursing services
- Complete coverage packages for private duty nursing practices
- Licensed in all 50 states with specialized nursing carriers
Understanding Private Duty Nursing
Private duty nurses are licensed registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) who provide skilled nursing care in patients’ homes on a private-pay basis, outside of Medicare-certified home health agencies. You deliver complex medical care including wound care, IV therapy, catheter care, medication administration, tube feedings, post-surgical care, and chronic disease management.
Unlike home health nurses who work for Medicare-certified agencies, you operate independently or through private duty staffing agencies serving clients who pay out-of-pocket or through private insurance. You may work as an independent contractor, run your own private nursing practice, or be employed by private duty nursing registries. Your patients often have complex medical needs requiring skilled interventions beyond what family caregivers or home health aides can provide.
- Skilled nursing assessments and care planning
- Wound care and dressing changes
- IV therapy and medication administration
- Catheter care and management
- Tube feeding and nutritional support
- Post-operative care and monitoring
- Chronic disease management (diabetes, COPD, CHF)
- Pain management
- Tracheostomy care
- Ventilator management
- End-of-life and hospice support
- Patient and family education
Essential Insurance Coverage for Private Duty Nurses
Professional Liability Insurance (Essential/Required)
What It Covers: Medical malpractice, medication errors, treatment mistakes, missed symptoms, inadequate assessments, improper procedures, documentation failures, care coordination errors
Why You Need It: Required by most private duty agencies and clients. Protects your nursing license and personal assets. Defense costs alone average $100,000-$200,000
Typical Cost: $2,000-$5,000 annually for $1M/$3M coverage (higher limits recommended)
General Liability Insurance (Required)
What It Covers: Patient falls and injuries, property damage in patient homes, equipment damage, visitor injuries, premises liability, bodily injury not related to professional services
Why You Need It: Required by agencies and many clients. Covers accidents and injuries separate from professional negligence. Protects against lawsuits
Typical Cost: $800-$2,000 annually for $1M/$2M coverage
Cyber Liability Insurance (Strongly Recommended)
What It Covers: Data breaches, lost devices with patient information, HIPAA violations, electronic health record compromises, ransomware attacks, breach notification costs
Why You Need It: You handle protected health information and medical records. HIPAA penalties are severe. Breach costs average $200,000+. Increasingly required
Typical Cost: $1,200-$3,000 annually for $1M coverage
Commercial Auto or Hired/Non-Owned Auto
What It Covers: Auto liability for vehicles used in your nursing practice. Commercial auto covers owned vehicles; hired/non-owned covers personal vehicle business use
Why You Need It: You drive between patients regularly. Personal auto insurance excludes business use. Covers accidents while traveling for work
Typical Cost: $600-$1,500 annually for hired/non-owned; $3,000+ for commercial auto
Workers Compensation (If You Have Employees)
What It Covers: Employee injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, rehabilitation costs for any nurses or administrative staff you employ
Why You Need It: Required by law in most states if you employ anyone. Covers workplace injuries including needle sticks, back injuries, exposures
Typical Cost: $2-$4 per $100 of nursing staff payroll
Umbrella Liability Insurance (Recommended)
What It Covers: Additional liability coverage above your professional and general liability limits. Provides $1M-$5M extra protection for catastrophic claims
Why You Need It: Skilled nursing services create exposure to large claims. If claims exceed primary limits, umbrella pays the excess. Relatively affordable
Typical Cost: $800-$2,000 annually for $1M-$2M additional coverage
Why Private Duty Nurses Need Specialized Insurance
Medical Errors and Treatment Complications
You perform complex medical procedures in home settings without the backup and resources of hospitals. Medication errors, improper wound care, missed clinical signs, incorrect IV administration, or errors in technical procedures can result in serious patient harm. As a licensed nurse, you’re held to professional nursing standards and are personally liable for care errors.
Real Scenario: RN administering IV antibiotics in patient’s home miscalculated drip rate, resulting in too-rapid infusion. Patient experienced adverse reaction and required emergency hospitalization. Family sued nurse for $750,000. Professional liability insurance provided legal defense and settled claim for $425,000.
Nursing License and Regulatory Risk
Your nursing license is your livelihood. Professional liability claims, patient complaints, or allegations of substandard care can trigger state board of nursing investigations. Even unfounded complaints require expensive legal defense and threaten your license. Without insurance covering regulatory defense, you pay all legal costs personally.
Real Scenario: Family filed complaint with state nursing board alleging LPN didn’t properly document medication administration and provided inadequate wound care. Board investigation required attorney representation and expert witnesses. Legal costs exceeded $45,000. Professional liability insurance covered all regulatory defense costs.
Patient Falls and Home Safety Issues
You work in patients’ homes with stairs, clutter, pets, and numerous fall hazards. Even with proper assessment and safety planning, falls happen. As the healthcare professional present, you face liability when patients are injured, whether during your care or between visits if you’re accused of inadequate assessment or prevention measures.
Real Scenario: Private duty nurse helping post-surgical patient to bathroom. Patient became dizzy and fell despite nurse’s assistance, breaking hip. Family alleged nurse should have used gait belt and had more help available. General liability claim settled for $180,000 plus $65,000 defense costs.
Scope of Practice and Clinical Judgment Claims
Working independently in homes, you make critical clinical decisions without immediate physician consultation. Claims can arise from allegations you exceeded your scope of practice, made poor clinical judgments, failed to recognize emergent conditions, didn’t notify physicians appropriately, or provided care beyond your competence level.
Real Scenario: LPN providing home care for ventilator-dependent patient. Patient experienced ventilator alarm and respiratory distress. LPN troubleshot issue but family claimed she should have called 911 immediately. Professional liability insurance defended claim that LPN acted within scope and appropriately, but legal defense cost $95,000.
What Does Private Duty Nursing Insurance Cost?
Insurance costs vary based on your services, experience, patient acuity, and whether you’re employed or independent. Here are typical package examples:
LPN – Employed by Agency
- Profile: LPN working for private duty agency, basic skilled care, supervised by RN, $40K-$50K income
- Coverage: $1M/$3M professional liability, $1M/$2M general liability, $1M hired/non-owned auto
- Typical Annual Cost: $2,500-$4,000
RN – Independent Contractor
- Profile: RN working independently, moderate acuity patients, wound care and med management, $70K-$90K income
- Coverage: $1M/$3M professional liability, $1M/$2M general liability, $1M cyber, $1M hired/non-owned auto
- Typical Annual Cost: $4,000-$6,500
RN – Private Practice Owner
- Profile: RN operating private nursing practice, complex patients (vents, IV therapy), 2-3 employee nurses, $150K+ revenue
- Coverage: $2M/$4M professional liability, $2M/$4M general liability, workers comp, $2M cyber, commercial auto, $2M umbrella
- Typical Annual Cost: $8,000-$15,000
These are estimates. Actual costs depend on specific factors.
Private Duty Nursing Insurance Specialists
We Specialize in Healthcare Professional Liability
We work exclusively with healthcare providers and understand the unique exposures private duty nurses face. We know the difference between LPN and RN scope of practice, understand clinical procedures and their risk levels, and work with carriers that specialize in nursing professional liability.
Access to High-Limit Coverage
Private duty nursing requires higher professional liability limits than basic home care. We work with carriers offering $1M/$3M, $2M/$4M, and even higher limits for complex nursing services. We can place coverage for high-acuity patients including ventilator care, IV therapy, and specialized procedures.
License Protection Coverage
Our professional liability policies include state board of nursing defense coverage, protecting your nursing license from complaints and investigations. This regulatory defense coverage can save you $50,000-$100,000+ if you face board actions.
Competitive Rates for Nurses
We shop your coverage with multiple carriers specializing in nursing professional liability to find the best combination of coverage and price. Our volume with these carriers often results in better rates than you’d get applying directly.
Fast Quotes and Binding
Most nursing professional liability applications are approved within 3-5 business days. We can provide certificates of insurance immediately upon binding for agency requirements or client requests.
Private Duty Nursing Insurance Questions
Minimum $1M/$3M for LPNs providing basic skilled care. For RNs providing complex care (IV therapy, ventilators, high-acuity patients), we recommend $2M/$4M or higher. Some high-risk services may require $3M/$5M. Check requirements from agencies or clients you work with, but higher limits are wise given exposure.
It depends. If you’re a W-2 employee of a private duty agency, their professional liability policy likely covers you while working within your job scope. However, coverage may not extend to side work, may have limitations, and won’t protect your license. Many nurses carry individual policies for added protection even when employed.
Claims-made covers claims filed during the policy period (requires continuous coverage or expensive tail coverage when you stop working or switch carriers). Occurrence covers incidents that happened during the policy period regardless of when claims are filed. Most nursing professional liability is claims-made. Never let claims-made coverage lapse.
If you handle ANY patient information electronically (even just email, texts, or photos on your phone), you face cyber risk and HIPAA liability. One lost phone with patient information can cost $50,000+ in breach response. If you document care, communicate with physicians, or store patient data digitally, you need cyber coverage.
Usually yes, though rates will be higher and some carriers may decline. We work with carriers experienced in nursing liability who understand claims happen. Rates may increase 25-100%+ depending on claim severity and outcome. Provide complete details on any prior claims when applying.
Coverage is available for part-time and per diem nurses. Some carriers have minimum premium requirements but most will insure nurses working as few as 8-10 hours per week. Premiums are typically lower for part-time work since exposure is reduced.
Get Your Private Duty Nursing Insurance Quote Today
We’ll assess your specific nursing services, patient acuity, and practice structure to recommend appropriate coverage and provide quotes from multiple nursing-specialized carriers.
What You Need to Get Started:
- Your nursing license type (RN, LPN) and state(s)
- Services you provide and patient acuity levels
- Whether you’re employed, independent contractor, or business owner
- Annual income or practice revenue
- Any agencies or registries you work with
- Current insurance information (if applicable)
Complete our quick nursing insurance form and receive your customized quote within 2-3 business days.
Speak with a nursing insurance expert who understands clinical practice and can guide you to the right coverage.
Private duty nursing requires the highest level of professional protection due to the skilled medical services you provide. Whether your nurses are RNs, LPNs, or specialized practitioners, having comprehensive insurance coverage protects both your agency and your nursing professionals while delivering quality patient care. For more information about private duty nursing standards and best practices, visit the National Association for Home Care & Hospice at nahc.org.
✓ Licensed in All 50 States | ✓ A+ Rated Carriers | ✓ 500+ Healthcare Professionals Insured | ✓ 20+ Years Experience | ✓ Nursing Liability Specialists