Policyholder Services

Will OMIC cover me for services I render at sporting events?

If you are considering expanding your practice to include ophthalmic or general care at sporting events, please notify your underwriting representative so that we may evaluate your request for coverage. Whether OMIC will extend coverage for these activities will depend in large part on the scope of services you may be expected to render. If services will be strictly limited to ophthalmic care, coverage may be available. In most situations, however, the ophthalmologist will be expected to render non-ophthalmic services which OMIC does not wish to cover.

While, from a clinical perspective, it may be appropriate for a competent, qualified ophthalmologist to provide non-ophthalmic services, doing so raises concerns from an insurance perspective. Sports medicine, such as serving as a ringside physician or team physician, presents significantly increased risk exposure. The nature of such cases is different than that of ophthalmology, and the potential severity of claims is generally higher.

OMIC has further concerns regarding coverage of sports medicine activities because our area of expertise lies in the underwriting and claims handling of ophthalmic care and treatment. Because we do not have the same level of knowledge and experience relating to non-ophthalmic exposures, we are generally not comfortable insuring such risks.