Membership

Exclusive insurance cover for APodA members

The Australian Podiatry Association (APodA) is partnered with BMS to offer the APodA Member Insurance Program. The program offers a range of insurance policies, from professional indemnity insurance, public liability insurance and more to help ensure you’re covered for all aspects of your work.

What cover is available to you?

Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance

You may face situations where your patients look to hold you responsible for injuries they believe are due to your professional service. This is where Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance can step in.

PI insurance protects you by ensuring that your legal defence is coordinated and paid for if a claim is made against you. Your PI insurance also covers the cost of patient compensation or damages.

Refer to the Policy Wording for full policy inclusions.

Public and Products Liability insurance

If a client slipped or fell in your clinic you could face a public liability claim. Public Liability insurance may support you in the event a patient becomes injured from an accident in your premises like the scenario described. Product Liability insurance can help in the event the use of a product you sell, supply, or manufacture causes injury to a patient.

Additional cover

If you currently hold a Professional Indemnity and Public & Products Liability policy with BMS, additional cover including Entity Insurance is available to you. Log in to the BMS Portal to purchase additional cover.

Public and Private Sector Insurance Definitions

Private Sector
The Professional Indemnity and Public & Products Liability policy with BMS provides cover for members working in the private sector for nail procedures performed under local anaesthesia, wart curettage and ulcer debridement. APodA members also receive cover for over 150 other approved modalities in which they are qualified. Members will need to have completed the appropriate training to undertake such activities for cover under the policy. For confirmation of the approved modalities list please contact the APodA.

If you do any volunteer podiatry work at a not for profit or charitable community event, then you’re covered for claims arising. Volunteer work can be in any sector, including but not limited to public, private, sporting clubs, sporting events, charities, associations, not for profit organisations, etc.

Public Sector
The APodA and BMS have designed a very competitive public sector member insurance cover to help “plug the gaps”. Your current public sector employer’s policy may not cover you for claims resulting from:

your services with any previous employer
your past, current or future private practice work
your services as a contractor, sub-contractor or consultant in the public sector
if you act outside your employment conditions
if you are sued by your employer
if you do any volunteer work
personal legal support for registration and disciplinary hearings, including coronial enquiries

Public Insurance Eligibility: Full-time Hospital, Aged Care and Community Health Sector

A permanent employee in a public or private hospital/community health/aged care/education provider; or works 18 hours or more a week in any capacity where the principal place of practice is one of the following organisations in which the employer carries PI insurance for all clinical staff in relation to their employment: public or private hospital/community health/aged care/education provider or a like employment setting. Excludes any person working in a temporary or contractor capacity.

You may work up to 4 hours per week on average in private practice and you must be registered or previously registered with the Podiatry Board of Australia.

Please select private if you practice in both public and private. Selecting public will not cover you for any private practice. Public insurance only allows a maximum of 4 hours a week in private practice.

Insurance Pricing

For detailed information on insurance pricing, please visit the pricing page.

How do I get covered?

As long as you hold a current APodA membership you can get cover in minutes.

Simply log in to the BMS Portal and register for an account to access cover or, if you already have cover, login to purchase additional cover.

BMS will email you all of your important insurance documents once your cover is confirmed. For more information, speak to a BMS broker on 1800 514 933 or email podiatry@bmsgroup.com

Who is BMS?

BMS is the official and exclusive broker for the APodA Member Insurance Program.

BMS is part of the wider BMS Group which is dedicated to providing coverage and value-added services to associations and their members.

The BMS group provides cover to healthcare and regulated professionals through associations across Australia, Canada, Europe and New Zealand. This experience gives BMS a unique insight and ability to create and deliver significantly enhanced and continuously evolving member centric insurance programs. This includes ensuring broad, market-leading coverage, evidence-based risk management and exceptional member service.

To find out more visit the BMS website for more information.

Related Information


FAQs	View
How to make a claim	View
BMS Terms of Engagement	View
BMS Professional Indemnity and Public & Products Liability Insurance Policy	View
BMS Member Schedule	View
BMS Entity Cover	View
Approved Modalities (Members only)	View
Scope of Practice (Member only)	View

Membership pricing options >

You must be a current Australian Podiatry Association (APodA) member to be eligible to register for the APodA Member Insurance Program. You must be part of the APodA Member Insurance program in order to access additional cover. If your membership ceases you will not be offered renewal when your policy expires. In offering this insurance to our members APodA is a distributor of BMS Risk Solutions Pty Ltd (BMS) AFSL 461594, ABN 45161187980. The insurance is issued by BMS under authority with the insurer. When acting under this authority BMS acts as agent for the insurer and not as your agent. This is general advice only and BMS has not considered whether it was suitable for your personal circumstances, current objectives, needs or financial situation. Please read the Policy Wording/Product Disclosure Statement and the BMS Terms of Engagement which contains the Financial Services Guide before making a decision about purchasing this policy. There is a Target Market Determination for the Personal Accident policy. As a distributor, APodA receives an annual payment from BMS which is used for insurance related marketing and professional development activities to support our members.