Business liability
Hospital liability cover protects against treatment errors by all employed doctors and nurses and against injury and property damage on the premises.
Insurance broker / Business types / Health and care
Insurance for private clinics, day clinics and hospitals in Germany
In a clinic a single treatment error can lead to claims lasting a whole lifetime, alongside medical equipment worth millions and IT without which no theatre schedule runs. Liability premiums for hospitals with obstetrics and surgical specialties have been rising for years, and not every insurer still writes them. This page sets out what matters and what you should expect to pay.
The question almost everyone asks first
Why are our liability premiums rising when we hardly have any claims?
Because individual large claims shape the whole line of business. A birth injury with lifelong care easily costs several million euros today, and claims are often made years later. Insurers therefore calculate cautiously, and few of them offer cover. What helps: documented risk management, a well reasoned deductible and a broker who approaches several insurers.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
Treatment errors
Mistakes in surgery, diagnosis or anaesthesia lead to damages for pain and suffering, loss of earnings and care costs. Severe cases reach seven figures.
- 02
Obstetrics
Lack of oxygen during birth is the most expensive single claim in healthcare. Hospitals with maternity units therefore pay far more.
- 03
Hygiene
Hospital-acquired infections and outbreaks trigger claims, ward closures and admission stops.
- 04
Medical equipment
MRI, CT, operating theatres and sterilisation cost millions. Water damage or a power surge can shut down entire departments.
- 05
Cyber attacks
Hospitals are targeted deliberately. Without the hospital information system, emergency departments stop taking ambulances and operations are postponed.
- 06
Staff and consent
Incomplete consent forms, shift handovers and staff shortages are frequent causes that courts attribute to the hospital.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Cyber insurance
An IT outage endangers patients and revenue; cyber cover pays for forensics, recovery, reporting duties and lost income.
Strongly advised
Electronic equipment
Insures large devices and medical equipment against breakage, water, power surges and operating errors.
Commercial buildings
Protects buildings and technical installations against fire, escape of water, storm and natural hazards.
Business interruption
Pays lost revenue and extra costs when wards or theatres are closed after property damage.
D&O insurance
Managing directors and supervisory board members are personally liable for the organisation, IT security and finances of the hospital.
Depends on the business
Machinery breakdown
For emergency power, air conditioning, medical gases and lifts against machinery breakdown.
Company pension (bAV)
Helps retain doctors and nurses and adds to the pension schemes set by collective agreements.
What it costs: example prices
Clinics are priced individually. What counts are the specialties, the number of beds and procedures, obstetrics, the claims history, risk management and the size of the deductible.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Business liability | Day clinic without surgical specialties, about 20 places | around 5,000 to 20,000 euros a year |
| Business liability | Surgical private clinic with about 20 beds, no obstetrics | around 40,000 to 150,000 euros a year |
| Electronic equipment | Medical equipment worth 3 million euros | around 9,000 to 25,000 euros a year |
| Cyber insurance | Private clinic with hospital information system, 2 million euros cover | around 8,000 to 30,000 euros a year |
| D&O insurance | Management of a clinic GmbH, 5 million euros cover | around 3,000 to 10,000 euros a year |
For comparison: Liability cover for a small surgical private clinic costs about as much a year as the revenue from five to twenty hip replacement operations.
Rough guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026, from our own quoting experience; there are no published tariff examples for clinics. The ranges are deliberately wide because specialty and claims history can multiply the premium. We obtain the exact quote for you.
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Day clinic
For: Day clinic or outpatient centre without overnight stays
- Business liability
- Electronic equipment
- Cyber insurance
Together around 10,000 to 35,000 euros a year
Request this package02
Private clinic
For: Surgical private clinic with beds and its own equipment
- Business liability
- Electronic equipment
- Business interruption
- Cyber insurance
- D&O insurance
Together from around 60,000 euros a year, calculated individually
Request this package03
Hospital
For: Hospital with its own building, emergency department and several specialist departments
- Business liability
- Commercial buildings
- Electronic equipment
- Machinery breakdown
- Business interruption
- Cyber insurance
- D&O insurance
Together individual, often six or seven figures
Request this packageThe worst day in a clinic
Six things that really happen in clinics, all on a single day. Tap through the day and see who pays.
Damage so far€2,285,000
-
The hospital information system is encrypted by ransomware. The emergency department stops taking patients and planned operations are cancelled.
-
After knee surgery a patient develops a severe infection and accuses the hospital of poor hygiene.
-
A patient falls out of bed at night; the bed rails had not been raised despite instructions.
-
A water pipe above the CT scanner bursts. The machine cannot be saved.
-
Until the replacement is installed, you send patients to other hospitals and rent a mobile CT unit.
-
A patient sues over a treatment error in an operation four years ago: permanent nerve damage.
Which package would you have had?
Illustrative amounts before any excess. Whether and how much is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
- Choose sums insured that match your specialties; with obstetrics and neurosurgery, 10 million euros per claim and more is usual.
- Clarify in writing which policy covers attending, freelance and consulting doctors.
- Document your clinical risk management with an incident reporting system and hygiene reports; it noticeably improves the terms you are offered.
- Consider a higher deductible if you can settle many small cases yourself; this often lowers the premium considerably.
- Link electronics and business interruption cover so that rented equipment and patient transfers after a machine failure are paid too.
- For cyber, look for business interruption cover with a long enough indemnity period and a crisis service that runs around the clock.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We approach the whole market
Only a few insurers write clinics. As a broker we prepare your documents and collect several quotes instead of simply renewing with one insurer.
We know claims handling from the inside
In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves. We know how deductibles, claims settlement authority and claims management work together.
Equipment, liability and interruption aligned
We make sure that liability, medical equipment, buildings and cyber cover fit together without gaps.
Family business since 1989
No cost to you, as the insurer pays our commission. Management and administration have fixed contacts.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is liability cover compulsory for clinics in Germany?
There is no uniform national duty for the operator, but some state laws and licences require it. Doctors under statutory health insurance contracts, medical care centres and attending doctors must be insured under § 95e SGB V.
What does hospital liability insurance cost?
Day clinics without surgical specialties start at around 5,000 euros a year. Surgical private clinics usually pay five or six figures, with obstetrics much more.
Are employed doctors covered by the clinic?
Yes, for their work in the hospital. For side jobs, expert reports and emergency doctor shifts outside, they often need their own professional indemnity.
What sum applies to a medical care centre (MVZ)?
Under § 95e SGB V at least 5 million euros for bodily injury and property damage per claim, capped at three times that amount per year. For individual contract doctors it is 3 million euros.
Does cyber insurance also pay for lost revenue?
If business interruption is included, yes. Check the indemnity period and the waiting period, which is often set too long for clinics.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Clinic
The recommended covers are already ticked. Change what does not fit; we obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. You can write in English.
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We will be in touch within one working day. If it is urgent: +49 3375 29 12 77.
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Official classification
This page covers the following classes of the German WZ 2025 (identical to NACE at four digits):
- 86.10 Krankenhäuser
- 86.94 Krankenpflege, Geburtshilfe und Hebammen
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), WZ 2025. All business types
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Boat insuranceNAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker. Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated