Number 790 (Replaces Committee Opinion Number 567, July 2013)
Committee on Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
INTERIM UPDATE: This Committee Opinion has been updated to reflect content oversight by the Committee on Patient Safety and Quality Improvement.
ABSTRACT: Fellows of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists may choose to limit the scope of their practices to gynecology and, accordingly, may choose not to carry professional liability coverage for obstetrics. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists considers early pregnancy care to be within the scope of gynecology and gynecologic practice. Liability insurers that provide coverage for gynecology-only practices should provide coverage for clinical practice activities that involve the management of first-trimester and early second-trimester pregnancy and its complications.
Fellows of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists may choose to limit the scope of their practices to gynecology and, accordingly, may choose not to carry professional liability coverage for obstetrics. However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists considers early pregnancy care to be within the scope of gynecology and gynecologic practice. Management of early pregnancy failure, ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous or elective abortion, and early prenatal care may be properly undertaken in such practices. Liability insurers that provide coverage for gynecology-only practices should provide coverage for clinical practice activities that involve the management of first-trimester and early second-trimester pregnancy and its complications.
Published online on September 24, 2019.
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Professional liability and gynecology-only practice. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 790. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obstet Gynecol 2019;134:e115–6.
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