Following are some of the most frequently-asked questions COPIC encounters.
- Applying for medical professional liability insurance coverage
- Billing/payments
- Contacting your medical professional liability insurance underwriter
- Experience Rating System (ERS)
- Renewing your medical professional liability insurance coverage
- Reporting an incident or claim
- 3Rs Program
Applying for Medical Professional Liability Insurance Coverage
Q. How do I apply for medical professional liability insurance coverage?
A. COPIC makes its standard Colorado individual/group practice application forms and Nebraska individual/group practice application forms available on the web site. To request application forms for hospitals, health care facilities, or any other type of medical professional liability insurance, contact Ms. Pat Zimmer, Director of Sales, at (720) 858-6000, ext. 6186 or (800) 421-1834, ext. 6186, or send an email to sales@copic.com.
Q. I have a question about my billing statement. Whom should I call?
A. For questions about your medical professional liability insurance billing statement, contact Candice Stears in COPIC Insurance Company’s Finance department, at (720) 858-6000, ext. 6076 or (800) 421-1834, ext. 6076.
Q. Do I have an option to pay on-line?
A. COPIC accepts online payments via MasterCard or VISA and electronic check. There is no fee to use this service. Transactions are made through a secure third-party server. Click to transfer to the online payment page.
Contacting Your Medical Professional Liability Insurance Underwriter
Q. How do I contact my medical professional liability insurance underwriter?
A. Your underwriter is assigned based on the first letter of the name on your account. See the Contact Your Underwriter page.
Q. When should I contact my medical professional liability insurance underwriter?
A. It is important for you to keep COPIC informed of changes that may affect your coverage. When contacting us, please refer to your policy and account numbers. Always call or write COPIC in the event of:
- Any material change in your practice
- Address and/or phone number change
- Opening of a new office
- Change in employment status
- Change in part-time/full-time status
- Addition/deletion of personnel
- Request for special coverages
- Request for change in liability limit
- Changes in procedures you perform or geographic areas in which you practice
- Permanent total disability
- Change in status of your hospital privileges
- Change in narcotics or medical licenses
- Cancellation or non-renewal of your policy (notice of cancellation must be received in writing)
Experience Rating System (ERS)
Q. What is the Experience Rating System (ERS)?
A. COPIC’s Experience Rating System (ERS) program awards points to COPIC insured physicians who adhere to risk management guidelines and continue to expand their risk management knowledge. Physicians who earn sufficient points in each two-year ERS cycle retain a credit that reduces their malpractice premium. For more information about the ERS program, see the Colorado Experience Rating System booklet or the Nebraska Experience Rating System booklet.
Renewing Your Medical Professional Liability Insurance Coverage
Q. How do I renew my medical professional liability insurance coverage from year to year?
A. Renewal policies are issued upon submission of a short form application and satisfactory completion of an underwriting review. Renewal applications are mailed approximately 90 days before the expiration of the current policy. Your renewal packet will include a paper version of the renewal application as well as instructions for completing the renewal application online via COPIC’s secure server; the choice of how to complete the application is yours. For more information, contact your underwriter.
Reporting an Incident or Claim
Q. How do I report an incident or claim?
A. Contact COPIC’s Risk Management department at (720) 858-6000 or (800) 421-1834 to be connected to a Registered Nurse Occurrence Specialist. The nurse will take the initial incident report; the report will then be reviewed by a physician risk manager and other COPIC staff.
Never fax, email, or mail an incident report. In addition, do not fax, email, or mail medical records, chart notes, or other material to COPIC unless specifically instructed to do so.
For more information, see the following Incident Reporting Fact Sheets (require log-in to access):
- Incident Reporting Fact Sheet -- Individuals and Group Practices (PDF format)
- Incident Reporting Fact Sheet -- Hospitals and Facilities (PDF format)
Q. What is the 3Rs Program?
A. 3Rs stands for Recognize, Respond, and Resolve unanticipated medical outcomes. COPIC launched the 3Rs Program in October 2000 as a pilot program to COPIC-insured physicians. Physicians must pre-enroll by signing a participation agreement.
The purpose of the program is to assist patients who have experienced an unanticipated medical outcome by facilitating candid, early communication between a physician and a patient, thereby preserving the relationship.
The program assists a physician in:
- Responding in a timely fashion to an unanticipated medical outcome
- Communicating with the patient in an empathetic manner
- Arranging for additional care or services the patient might need as a result of the outcome
Under the program, patients can also receive compensation for their loss of time at $100 a day (capped at $5,000) and reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses related to the unanticipated outcome (capped at $25,000).
The patient retains the right to pursue legal action if desired; no waiver is sought or required as a condition of receiving program benefits. However, if a patient submits a written demand for compensation or pursues legal recourse, he/she becomes ineligible for further program benefits.
For more information, see the 3Rs Program page.