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A four-year boost from Australia's leading MDO

Avant understands that starting or joining a private practice can be expensive. This is why we created the Avant Getting Started in Private Practice (GSIPP) Program; to help ease financial pressures in the first years by offering substantial savings on your Avant Practitioner Indemnity Insurance Policy.  

The chart below highlights how the GSIPP program operates: 

5 year graph calculating the discounted premiums, premiums payable and cumulative savings

Find out if you are eligible by viewing Avant’s GSIPP member eligibility rules below.

Next steps?

Request an indicative quote for your practitioner indemnity insurance, or get a call back from our team at a time convenient for you.

GSIPP eligibility rules and FAQs

The Avant GSIPP discount is available to doctors starting out in private practice and is a progressive discount off your base Avant Practitioner Indemnity Insurance premium. That is, a sliding scale of reductions applied to your base premium over a four year period.

Avant offers a discretionary program. You may be eligible for Avant's GSIPP Program if you:

  • Hold or are applying for an Avant Practitioner Indemnity Insurance Policy
  • Are moving into a specialist category of practice, that is:
    • general practice categories
    • specialist non-surgical categories
    • surgeon categories (excluding Surgeon General including Bariatric, Orthopaedic Surgeon including Spinal and Neurosurgeon)
    • other medical category - defence forces or psychotherapy (non-specialist)
  • Pay your premium directly to Avant Insurance
  • Have not previously generated more than $25,000 in private practice billings in any 12 month period anywhere in the world.
  • Apply for the discount in the first year you become eligible. The first year you become eligible is defined as the first 12 month period in which you estimate your gross private practice billings at more than $25,000. 

IMPORTANT: Private practice billings you may have generated as a Doctor in Training (‘Registrar’) are exempt. 

Step into private practice with confidence knowing you’re protected by Avant’s comprehensive Practitioner Indemnity Insurance Policy.

Below are just some of the benefits covered by your policy:
(Please note: This is not a complete summary of the policy, terms and conditions that apply. Visit the Avant Practitioner Indemnity Insurance Policy page for more information).

Part A: Professional Indemnity Insurance, $20 million maximum policy limit
TypeCoverage
Civil liability protectionWe cover you in case you're sued by a patient or another person because of the health care you provide. Cover also includes the costs of lawyers to defend you in the case and legal costs of the other side (if you're ordered to pay those too). Civil liability cover is up to $20 million.
Part B: Cover for disciplinary and other matters
TypeCoverage
Disciplinary, coronial and criminal proceedings and investigations
(sub-limit $2 million)

The policy covers legal fees that we incur in relation to: 

  • defending a prosecution, responding to a commission, inquiry, inquest, investigation or complaint brought by or before a registration board, tribunal or complaints unit
  • defending or responding to a criminal inquiry, investigation or proceeding
  • investigations by the coroner or a commission.
Private health fund
defence
(sub-limit $2 million)
The policy covers legal fees that we incur defending a prosecution or responding to an inquiry brought by a health or medical benefit fund.
Medicare audit
(sub-limit $2 million)
The policy covers legal fees we incur for defending a civil or criminal action or responding to an investigation or complaint that is related to an allegation of inappropriate practice.
Tax audit
(sub-limit $50,000)
The policy covers accounting fees or legal fees and other expenses that we incur responding to an audit of you or your practice entity commenced by the Australian Taxation Office.
Part C: Communicable disease cover and away from work costs
TypeCoverage
Communicable disease coverYour policy provides you with communicable disease cover if, as a result of you being diagnosed with HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C during the policy period you retire due to disability, substantially modify your practice to enable you to continue to practise medicine or undergo substantial training or retraining to enable you to continue to practise medicine.
Away from work costsYour policy will cover you up to $50,000 ($500 per day) for reasonable travel and accommodation expenses (‘personal expenses’) and/or up to $125,000 ($2,000 per day) for lost earnings or income (‘interruption to earnings’) incurred when attending a court, tribunal, inquiry, investigation, inquest or disciplinary proceeding at Avant's request in relation to a matter covered under your policy.

We understand that starting or joining a private practice can be expensive. This is why we created the Avant GSIPP discount; to help take the pressure off your first years in private practice by offering substantial savings on your base Practitioner Indemnity Insurance premium.  

Avant is a financially strong mutual owned by and run for our members. Everything we do is for the benefit of our members, including the reinvestment of any financial surplus – this is why we can offer you member benefits like the Avant GSIPP discount.

The first year you become eligible is defined as the first 12 month period in which you estimate your gross private practice billings at more than $25,000.

No, unfortunately not. As per our eligibility criteria, you cannot have previously generated more than $25,000 in private practice billings in any 12 month period anywhere in the world.

If you are an existing member of Avant:

As an existing Avant member moving into private practice for the first time, you just need to speak with a service specialist in our Member Services team.

They will ask you questions such as your estimated gross billings for private practice and confirm other details such as your category of practice, principal place of practice etc. They will also run through the eligibility criteria for the GSIPP discount with you. If you meet the eligibility criteria, the GSIPP discount will be applied automatically.

If you are applying for membership with Avant:

On receipt of your Practitioner Indemnity Insurance Policy application, Avant will automatically assess your eligibility for the GSIPP discount. If you meet the eligibility criteria, the discount will be applied to your premium. You do not need to do anything.

If on assessing your application, we require any further information to help us determine your eligibly for the GSIPP discount, a service specialist will contact you directly.

Yes.

No. Should you cease private practice for a period of time, your GSIPP discount will be frozen rather than cancelled. When you return to private practice you just need to speak with a service specialist in our Member Services team, and advise them that you would like your discount reactivated.

Option 1: Members who have less than six months remaining.
No you cannot defer the GSIPP discount but this is not bad news. As you have less than six months remaining on your current policy, you will receive the discount for the remainder of the current policy and for the full year next policy period also. Your year two will start the year after that, and so on.

Option 2: Members who have more than six months remaining.
Unfortunately no, you cannot defer the GSIPP discount. You will receive the year one discount for the remainder of the current policy period and move to the year two discount at the time your policy is renewed.

No. You will still receive the same cover under Avant’s Practitioner Indemnity Insurance Policy.

Our GSIPP discount is just one of the many advantages you receive with Avant

Comprehensive protection

Designed by doctors for doctors, Avant gives you comprehensive professional indemnity cover with the unique needs of practitioners in mind.

Award-winning defence

Avant Law, our specialist law firm, gives members access to the largest in-house medico-legal team of any MDO in Australia. No Australian MDO has more resources than Avant to defend you.

Expert advice and support

Our medico-legal experts are available 24/7 in emergencies, to give you immediate and personalised advice that can help minimise the chances of a complaint or claim.

Ready to join?

Complete our online practitioner indemnity insurance application form 

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