In 2020, due to the needs and impacts of COVID-19, most healthcare providers altered their services in some way and some took on new roles, while others discontinued services. Throughout the pandemic, the ability for providers to be flexible in order to best serve their communities and follow guidelines has been vital. For policyholders, this means that key practices and procedures may not be covered or properly covered by your current liability plan. For insurers, this means that it may be time to reassess risks and evaluate emerging trends in care. OmniSure is breaking down how to evaluate these services and take steps towards ensuring your partners know the needs and provide the proper coverage.
New Services: Healthcare Providers
If you are providing new services to your patients, now is the time to update your coverage and request an updated risk assessment. Your agent can help you determine which services are not covered by your current policy and which services may need reassessment.
New Services: Insurers
Insurers are most affected by new services at renewal or application time. What insurance providers need to know is that the questions you’re asking can become out of date more rapidly than you might expect. A clinical risk advisor like OmniSure can help you identify emerging risks and determine what questions you need to be asking applicants and renewals.
Discontinued and Altered Services: Healthcare Providers
When a service is discontinued, there are steps a healthcare provider needs to take to ensure patient safety and risk management. Transfer of care, patient hand-off communication, retention of records, and documentation are all things a clinical risk management partner like OmniSure can help with. You may also need to ask your broker about maintaining insurance for incidents or claims that are reported afterward. This is commonly called tail coverage.
Even a seemingly insignificant change to how procedures and services are performed can have an impact on the type of risk you are vulnerable to as a healthcare provider. It’s important to be aware of the impact that changes have on risk and ensure that you have access to advice-on-demand. You may also need your broker to determine if you are adequately covered.
Discontinued and Altered Services: Insurers
When services change, the related risks change. You will need to identify potential new risks to patient safety and whether coverage, policy language, and submission requirements are sufficient to cover those changes. An OmniSure specialist can help you identify the best questions to ask, but the following general questions can get you started:
- Is your organization performing any new tests, labs, diagnostics?
- Is your organization using any new forms of telehealth, digital health, documentation, or treatments?
- Has your organization re-purposed rooms, wings, units, offices, or other areas for specific treatments or services?
- Is your organization newly certified for vaccination administration, monoclonal antibody infusions, or other services?
For over 20 years, OmniSure has helped thousands of healthcare providers and insurers avoid unnecessary risk and improve care. Contact OmniSure today to get started.
