PH Athletic Trainer Professional Liability and General Liability FAQs

COVERAGE FAQs:

What is professional liability?
Professional liability insurance, also known as medical malpractice insurance, offers protection to licensed or certified healthcare professionals against liability arising from wrongful practices that result in bodily injury, medical expenses, property damage, and the expenses associated with defending lawsuits related to such claims.

It is important to consider whether your employer's insurance will cover you adequately. While some employers do provide professional liability coverage, it's worth noting that there may be certain coverage gaps, including:

1. Insufficient policy limits that may not offer adequate protection for you and your colleagues.

2. Exclusions for coverage of lost wage reimbursement, reimbursement for licensing board hearings, and defense costs.

3. Lack of coverage for volunteer or part-time work performed outside of your primary workplace.

4. Potential exclusion of suits filed after you have terminated your employment.

It is essential to thoroughly review your employer's insurance policy to understand the extent of coverage provided. If you have concerns about potential gaps in coverage, it may be advisable to consider obtaining additional professional liability insurance to ensure comprehensive protection for yourself and your professional activities.

What is general liability?

General liability insurance is a type of insurance coverage designed to protect businesses and individuals from various liability risks associated with their day-to-day operations. It provides coverage for claims of bodily injury, property damage, personal injury, and advertising injury that may arise during the course of business activities.

Here are some key aspects of general liability insurance:

1. Bodily Injury Coverage: This aspect of general liability insurance covers the medical expenses, legal costs, and potential settlements or judgments if someone is injured as a result of your operations. For example, if a customer slips and falls in your store and sustains an injury, the policy may cover the associated costs.

2. Property Damage Coverage: General liability insurance also protects you in case your activities cause damage to someone else's property. This coverage helps pay for repairs, replacement, or legal expenses if you or your business is found responsible for damaging someone else's property.

3. Personal Injury Coverage: This aspect of coverage applies to non-physical injuries such as defamation, libel, slander, or invasion of privacy. If your business is accused of damaging someone's reputation or causing emotional distress, general liability insurance may cover the associated legal costs.

4. Advertising Injury Coverage: This coverage protects against claims of copyright infringement, false advertising, or similar offenses related to your business's advertising activities.

How long is the policy term?

Policies are issued a full 12- month annual term and the quote you receive online is the total due for the 12 month term.

Is coverage available immediately?

Individual policies immediately effective upon purchase..

What is the difference between a claims-made and an occurrence policy?

The terms used in insurance refer to the type of coverage you have, and they can impact when you can report a claim on your policy:

Claims-made: A claims-made policy offers coverage only if the policy is active at the time of the incident and when the lawsuit is reported. If the policy ends, you may have the option to purchase an Extended Reporting Period, also known as Tail Coverage, which extends the reporting period beyond the policy's expiration.

Occurrence: An occurrence policy provides coverage for any incident that takes place during the policy period, even if a claim is reported after the policy has expired.

The Players Health policy, through the Go4 Insurance Agency, is an occurrence policy.
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Do I need a Self-Employed or Employed policy?

These definitions will assist you in determining the appropriate type of policy you require:

Employed: This category applies to individuals who receive a W-2 form and are not owners of the legal entity that issues the W-2. Employed individuals typically receive their primary malpractice coverage through their employer. It is important to note that if an employer does not provide insurance or if their policy does not cover the employee, the individual will be subject to the self-employed rate.

Self-employed: This classification pertains to individual professionals who work independently on a full- or part-time basis as an independent contractor with private patients, or as a 1099 employee. It also includes individuals who do not receive primary malpractice coverage through their employer. If an individual professional is the sole owner of a business or corporation, such as an LLC with no employees or independent contractors, they may qualify for the self-employed status. In such cases, the business can be listed as an additional insured at no additional charge.

What does per-occurrence/aggregate limits mean?

The per occurrence limit refers to the maximum amount that the company will pay for each individual claim within the policy term. On the other hand, the Annual Aggregate limit is the maximum amount that the company will pay for multiple claims collectively during the policy term.

Does the policy include coverage for sale of products?

Product Sales made by the policy holder of products made by a manufacturer are covered. Sales of products made by the policy holder themselves are not covered.

Does the Players Health policy, sold through the Go4 Insurance Agency, provide coverage for damage to my property?

The general liability included in the Players Health PLI + GL policy provides coverage for damage to the insured’s property. 

CUSTOMER SERVICE/MANAGING ACCOUNT FAQs:

What payment options are available?

Payment is by credit card.

How do I cancel my policy?

Refunded amounts are prorated based on the length of time the insurer was covered and when the cancellation was finalized. To cancel your cancel your policy, email 

REPORTING A CLAIM FAQs

How do I report a claim or disciplinary action?

If you are named in a lawsuit, if an incident has occurred that you believe may lead to a claim, or if a complaint has been made to your licensing board, please call 1-908-370-7730

What do I need to know when filing a medical incident report?

When filing a medical incident report, please email your account of the incident and all supporting documentation to jayson.demarco@playershealth.com 

Telehealth/Telemedicine

The Policy with Players Health, offered by Go4 Insurance Agency, Inc., does not have any restrictions on telehealth/telemedicine services. If practitioners choose to deliver their professional services through telehealth/telemedicine, it is their duty to comply with all legal obligations and meet the specified requirements set by their state or federal licensing or regulatory boards. Additionally, they should practice within the defined scope and standards of their profession.

COVID-19 Claims

We understand that practitioners may have inquiries or apprehensions concerning COVID-19 claims and the coverage provided by the professional liability policy offered by Players Health through the Go4 Insurance Agency. While the terms and conditions of the policy always govern coverage for each claim, we want to assure you that there are no provisions in the policy that exclude coverage for claims arising from communicable diseases like the Coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. However, it's important to note that the availability of insurance coverage is heavily influenced by the specific circumstances surrounding each claim and the language of the insurance policy. Therefore, we cannot provide insights on hypothetical claim scenarios but can only analyze coverage for actual claims. If you have a claim, please promptly submit it to the Claims Department as outlined in your policy documents. We also recommend reviewing the policy to understand its terms, conditions, and exclusions.

Regarding concerns about the state and federal guidelines pertaining to COVID-19 and their impact on insurance coverage, we acknowledge that this is an important issue, especially as some states are resuming elective procedures despite recommendations from the CDC and other authorities. Insurance companies do not possess specialized knowledge about the standards of practice or the scope of your license as determined by healthcare industry regulators. We, like you, await clarity from regulators on these matters. However, we can provide the following information for your consideration:

Professional liability insurance aims to provide coverage for the professional services outlined in the policy that you are legally qualified to perform. However, coverage is contingent upon compliance with certification and/or licensure requirements in the state(s) where you practice.

Actions that you know to be illegal may be excluded from coverage, based on the terms and conditions of the policy or legal requirements.

If you have questions about licensure or practice issues, including the potential impact of federal guidance on your ability to practice in a specific state, we recommend contacting the State Licensing Boards in the relevant state(s) where you practice.