At Leavitt Coastal Valley, our mission is to protect treatment centers and allow them to focus on treating their patients. One of the most common questions we get from our clients is, “How do I make sure everyone working in my treatment center is covered?”
Do My Employees Need to Be Covered By Insurance?
The simple answer is everyone. Everyone who works in your treatment center should have insurance coverage. However, the full answer is a little more complicated than just everyone. While everyone working in your facility should be protected, different employees need different types of coverage.
What Are My Insurance Coverage Options For My Employees?
Most of your employees will need professional liability coverage. However, to ensure everyone, including volunteers and board members, is covered, your center may also need a combination of the following:
- Commercial auto insurance
- Commercial umbrella
- General liability
- Workers compensation
- Claims management
- Risk management
Your treatment facility can also benefit from property insurance in the event items or equipment are lost, stolen, or damaged or if property damage occurs.
How Does Each Insurance Option Protect My Employees?
Now you know every employee and volunteer needs to be insured to protect your facility and your coverage options, let's take a brief look at how each insurance option protects your employees and your center.
Professional Liability
Professional liability is the most important type of insurance for your treatment center to have. This type of insurance is the one that will provide the most financial protection in case a patient or their family files a malpractice or negligence claim against one of your employees.
Professional liability may pay up to the full amount allowed under your policy if a patient receives an injury because of one of your employee's direct actions (or inactions). Covering the cost of the claim and any trial or settlement fees protects the affected employee and your business from significant financial loss.
Commercial Auto
Not every drug or alcohol treatment center needs commercial auto insurance. However, you may benefit from a commercial auto policy if you provide off-site counseling or drive patients to off-site appointments. For example, if an employee gets into an accident with a patient in the car and the patient gets injured, the employee's personal auto insurance may not cover the cost of medical bills or car repairs.
Commercial Umbrella
Some insurance brokers refer to commercial umbrella insurance as “excess liability.” While we hope you don't need it, this insurance policy supplements your existing liability policies if a catastrophic incident occurs or someone files an expensive claim against your center, an employee, or a volunteer. Your umbrella insurance policy only kicks in when you have reached your other policy's limit.
General Liability
No matter what industry they're in, every business should have general liability insurance. Your treatment center is no exception.
General liability insurance is similar to professional liability in that it covers the cost of medical bills if a patient, employee, volunteer, visitor, or contractor gets injured on your property. However, general liability differs from professional liability in that indirect actions cause the injury.
For example, general liability will cover an accidental slip and fall. If someone trips and falls while in your center, your policy may help cover the cost of their medical care.
Workers Compensation
Workers compensation is similar to general liability. However, this type of insurance protects you from significant financial loss if employees get hurt while at work. Most states require businesses to have this insurance because it provides coverage for lost wages, rehabilitation, and medical expenses for employees while protecting the business.
Claims Management
While technically not a form of insurance, claims management can be helpful for drug and alcohol treatment centers. Navigating the claims process can be difficult and time consuming. An effective claims management program helps reduce costs and maximize efficiency when handling workers compensation, liability, malpractice, or negligence claims.
Risk Management
Every business has risks. Risk management is essential and may help your treatment center avoid risks and potential losses. Risk management can help identify vulnerable areas in your treatment center and help mitigate these risks. By reducing your number of risks, you may have more affordable coverage plans and more options available to you to ensure maximum protection.
Commercial insurance can be complicated for drug and alcohol treatment centers. Finding the right insurance coverage plan that protects every employee in your facility can be challenging. However, it doesn't need to be. When you choose Leavitt Coastal Valley as your commercial insurance broker, protection is simple. We understand the treatment industry, the risks you face, and how to protect your employees, your facility, and your patients. Our team will work with you to identify your risks, reduce your vulnerabilities, and find coverage plans that meet your needs and are affordable. We know that your needs change over time, which is why we partner with you to find a plan that can evolve as your treatment center evolves. Your protection is our top priority, just as your patients are yours.
To learn more about protecting every employee in your center with commercial insurance, call Leavitt Coastal Valley at (805) 925-8607.
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