While hyperbaric oxygen therapy was once limited to hospital-based settings for established medical uses like wound care, HBOT is an increasingly popular part of wellness, recovery and performance care at medical spas and wellness centers. Even the Philadelphia Phillies began deploying a mobile hyperbaric unit and clinical team at this year’s spring training.
Jumping on this treatment early by offering HBOT can help your practice stand out and grow. The specialized equipment also comes with high costs and is not without risks. In September, the former safety manager of a wellness center in Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced to 19 months’ prison over a child’s tragic death in a hyperbaric chamber. An Arizona clinic owner was killed inside a hyperbaric chamber that caught fire.
Adding HBOT doesn’t simply mean buying new equipment and marketing another wellness service. If you’re considering investing in this specialized equipment, here’s what you should consider first about the professional and operational risks of treating people in a pressurized, oxygen-rich environment.
Why HBOT Carries Unique Risk for Healthcare Practice Owners
During HBOT, a patient breathes oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber. That environment requires specific safety precautions. An FDA safety communication in 2025 followed reports of fires involving HBOT devices that resulted in serious injuries and deaths. The agency urged facilities and providers to follow manufacturer instructions, adhere to fire-prevention measures, perform recommended maintenance, train staff and monitor patients.
That means introducing this technology requires a deliberate approach to clinical safety, operations and insurance.
Before offering HBOT, you should consider three risk-related questions:
- Does your coverage protect you if something goes wrong with the service?
- What protects the expensive equipment your business depends on?
- What safety protocols do you need to put in place to operate the equipment?
Does Your Professional Liability Insurance Cover HBOT Services?
Any new service line you add to your practice should trigger a review of your professional liability coverage. This is especially true when the service requires significant capital investment and carries safety risks.
Professional liability insurance is designed to respond to certain claims arising from the professional services you provide. But don’t assume every new treatment or service you add is automatically included in your existing policy.
Before offering HBOT, ask your insurer directly whether your professional liability coverage applies to HBOT services as you intend to provide them.
You should also confirm applicable state scope-of-practice, supervision, facility and other regulatory requirements before investing in new equipment.
What Insurance Covers Your Hyperbaric Chamber and Equipment?
A hyperbaric chamber represents a significant investment for your practice. Don’t assume professional liability coverage protects the physical asset if the equipment itself is damaged or lost.
To cover expensive equipment, you likely need a business owner’s policy or commercial property policy.
If the equipment breaks and forces you to stop providing HBOT while repairs are made, you’ll need business interruption insurance.
That’s why you should evaluate the chamber as both clinical equipment and a business asset.
Protecting yourself against a professional liability claim and protecting the equipment your business relies on are different insurance conversations.
HBOT Safety Protocols Every Practice Owner Needs Before Treating Patients
Avoiding risk doesn’t just mean purchasing the right insurance policy. You also need to put strong risk-management practices in place.
Before introducing the equipment to your patients, you should set clear protocols for screening, informed consent, documentation, emergency procedures and equipment maintenance.
These practices can help protect patients while strengthening your business.
5 Insurance Questions to Ask Before Adding HBOT to Your Practice
Ask your insurer these questions directly to understand any applicable exclusions or conditions.
- Does my professional liability policy cover HBOT services?
- Am I meeting applicable scope-of-practice requirements?
- What insurance protects the chamber itself?
- What happens if an insured event makes the chamber unusable?
- Does my insurer understand how HBOT fits into my practice? Your coverage should reflect the services you’re actually providing.
HBOT can represent an important investment in the future of a practice. Protecting that investment means thinking beyond the chamber itself.
As your services and technology evolve, your insurance needs to keep up. CM&F has specialized in protecting healthcare professionals for more than 100 years. Reach out to talk to us about whether your coverage reflects your practice’s specific services and risks.
