The NAFC has been working with a consulting group - The Triton Group, LLC - in assisting free clinics access to a recently established program offered by the federal government that provides malpractice coverage to volunteer health professionals that work at free clinics. Your organization may be eligible to receive the benefits of this program.

Our primary consultant has an extensive (20+years) background in free clinics and has been a founding member and first President of the NAFC.  The Triton Group is assisting the Health Resources and Services Administration/Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) in the implementation of the free clinic volunteer medical malpractice protection program. This program, defined in Section 194 of the HIPAA, is modeled after the program that has successfully provided malpractice protection for nearly 800 federally qualified health centers for over a decade. The program extends the benefits of the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) to certain volunteer health care practitioners in free clinics. BPHC is currently accepting applications from eligible free clinics for enrollment of volunteer health care professionals in a no-cost, medical malpractice insurance program.

 Already, many free clinics have been approved for coverage of “deemed” volunteers, and many more free clinics are preparing applications or are in the midst of the process. Several on-site trainings have also been arranged by groups of free clinics interested in program enrollment. For an application and BPHC's written guidelines to date, go to http://www.bphc.hrsa.gov/ and select "Medical Malpractice Coverage for Free Clinic Volunteers."The potential benefits of this program include reduced agency malpractice insurance premiums and a means to attract new health professional volunteers to your free clinic. This coverage is free of charge, as is any service that our consultants might be able to provide you in this regard. To learn more about the Free Clinic FTCA program, or for technical assistance in the program application process, contact Mr. Marty Hiller, Free Clinic Program Director, Triton Group, LLC, martyhiller@mac.com, (216) 382-4150.