Tail insurance isnt really an issue from my experience with "most" pathologists, key emphasis on most.
Most groups will NOT pay for it should you leave the practice, in fact I have never seen this offered in any state I have looked at. And it would be something they mention up front, I doubt once you are in the group and ready to leave you could somehow negotiate for it. Realize this: you do NOT need tail if you are moving from a self-insured practice like a VA hospital or county job to a private group AND you dont need tail if you are carrying a policy in your own name and simply move to a new group and keep your member number. That would cover the issue for 99% of pathologists.
For many of us this simply isnt an issue, if you are with a malpractice co. like Doctors or Norcal and are consistently a client for a number of years, when you retire, tail is free (or at least that is what I have been told..we will see). Regardless, I dont plan on retiring to a place where I can be "found" anyway so it isnt a concern.(and I will say a suprising number of physician do 'disappear' upon retirement, not many but some definitely do)
I will say this: there is a sort of finite window you are concerned with as a pathologist due to the delay factor of the profession, in my estimate it is about 6mos-5 years. Anything older than 5 years is really a non-issue.
You need to think of malpractice insurance similar to other insurance, the relationship is with YOU and underwriting. Not with the group and underwriting, nor with the hospital and underwriting. Therefore it moves as you move. Job hopping isnt particularly an issue unless you also hop carriers.
