Category: Home Health Care

Tips for Home Health Care Agencies

Owning and operating a home health care agency can be complex. The clients you deal with can have a wide range of health issues you and your employees need to be familiar with. Some clients may be small and frail, but very mobile; while another client may be large and immobile. Some may have mental problems like dementia while other clients may have mobility issues like the aftermath of a stroke. With each of these clients comes a unique set of risks. These risks all determine what type of insurance you need and how much that insurance will cost. Here are three tips to help you the next time you shop for home health care workers comp.

Make sure you are classified accurately

For purposes of workers compensation insurance, governance of these programs is left up to the individual states. Most of the states partner with the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) to determine a classification code for each business and the rate of premium for each code. There are currently more than 700 different codes a business can be classified as. Each industry has multiple classification codes depending upon the scope and scale of the business. Depending upon the actions of your employees while on the job, the amount of premium is reflected through your businesses classification code.

Hire carefully

Unfortunately the home health care industry tends to have a high turnover rate. The two main reasons for this is the stress of the job and the amount of pay for most employees. In order to turn a profit, there is only so much a business owner can pay their employees in order to stay profitable. Because of this fact, it is difficult to keep the best employees around. This is a reason to hire carefully and for the long-term. Sometimes the candidate with the best resume is not as good for your business as the candidate who is the best fit for your business. Finding the best fit is different from business to business based upon the scope of the business and the market that business operates in. Taking additional time to hire the right person will almost always pay off in the long run.

Implement safety protocols

Safety programs are immensely important in the home health care industry. This industry has both a high volume of insurance claims and the claims can be high in severity. The reason for this is because many employees drive their own vehicle to a remote location and many drive to multiple locations throughout the day. The time that your employees drives from location to location makes the liability for accidents that occur the responsibility of the business. This is regardless of whether the employee is on the clock or not. It is important to consider implementing a driver safety program for your home healthcare business.

It is also important to implement safety programs  for the time your employees are in the homes with clients. Depending upon the limitations of each client, your employees should be prepared to keep themselves safe first and keep the client safe second. Let them know that they cannot help the client if they do not take care of themselves first. Because of the remote nature of this work, it is important to have weekly face to face meetings with all employees and to discuss safety protocols with them.

 

Insurance Tips for Home Health Care Businesses

6 Types of Insurance every Home Healthcare Small-Business needs.

Home Health Care is one of the fastest growing industries in the country. With the baby boomers moving up in age, the need for these services is growing larger every year. The need for proper insurance in these businesses is also becoming more important. For a business owner, most of the clients in this industry are nearing the end of their life. Most are not in good health. Many get hurt or are sick frequently. Protecting your business from mistakes or court costs is crucial in this industry. Below are 6 types of coverage every Home Health Care Business should carry.

Home Health Care

  • General Liability
  • Professional Liability
  • Business Personal Property
  • Hired and Non-Owned Auto
  • Workers Compensation
  • Commercial Crime/Employee Dishonesty

 

General Liability

General Liability (GL) Insurance, in most cases, is the most important insurance coverage a home health care business can obtain. In most states it is required by law and it is usually the first line of insurance purchased by a business. It protects your business from most liability exposures other than automobile and professional liability. Other coverages are usually added to this depending on the business needs, but all businesses need General Liability. Unlike Workers Compensation Insurance this coverage protects your business from liability to third parties.

 

Professional Liability

Professional Liability Insurance is coverage for professional businesses that give expert advice or provide technical services for a fee. It is designed to help protect a business against any claims of negligence. Therefore, professional liability insurance helps business owners defend themselves from lawsuits and helps pay the damages awarded in a civil lawsuit. Professional liability insurance is commonly referred to as errors and omissions (E&O) or medical malpractice.

 

Business Personal Property

Business Personal Property Insurance is usually an addition to a Commercial Property Insurance Policy. It protects your business from damages to your buildings and property of your business. The personal property of your employees and the personal property of others you might be responsible for. In most policies it also provides additional coverages including: debris removal, pollutant cleanup, preservation of property, fire department service charges, increased cost of construction, electronic data, newly acquired or constructed property, off-premises property, valuable papers and records, outdoor property, and nonowned detached trailers

 

Hired and Non-Owned Auto

This type of auto insurance coverage is for when employees of a home health care business use their own vehicle or a rented vehicle to do company business. This can be as simple as an employee running to the grocery store to buy snacks for a meeting, an employee using a rented vehicle while away at a conference or using a rented truck to transport your equipment.

 

Workers Compensation

Workers’ compensation insurance differs from most other forms of business liability insurance. That is because it is specifically designed to cover your employees and not third parties. Workers Comp covers insurance claims by employees in the event they are injured on the job. The function of workers compensation insurance is to insure a business is not liable for most accidents that occur on the job and employees have comfort knowing their doctors bills and some lost wages will be covered if they are hurt on the job.

 

Commercial Crime/Employee Dishonesty

This type of insurance coverage is mainly for employee theft of money, securities, or property. Most policies include some or all of the following types of employee crimes: forgery or alteration, computer fraud, funds transfer fraud, kidnap, ransom, extortion, and counterfeit money. It is usually written with a per loss limit, a per employee limit, or a per position limit.