Below are the most recent (past 12 months) of our Avoiding Malpractice Tips. If you need to find an older article, use our search bar to find the one you seek. Or scroll to the bottom and load older articles.

The New Work-Life Balance and Your Insurance
How many of you in the post-COVID world continued therapy sessions permanently with remote therapy and perhaps in-person therapy in outdoor venues? Feedback from our policyholders says a lot! This new paradigm is here to stay.

What Did I Do Wrong?
Did you ever see those special occasion cards from lawyers that say, “Congratulations or Happy (you fill in the occasion), but we make no representations, guarantees, or warranties!” Their wish list for their lawsuit cases includes sympathetic judges, irrefutable evidence, no hostile witnesses, and friendly juries.

Value is a Function of (Price + Satisfaction Benefits)
Let’s discuss the value of packaging yourself while partnering with your insurance carrier. The classic marketing definition of value is based on the price paid for the good or service and the satisfaction derived from the benefits. Leading marketers, including insurance companies, sell their products and services as “benefits packets” or bundles of benefits. As crucial as selling “purchase value,” they sell “usage value.”

Banged, Beat Up, and Bruised
Did you know that the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics states that social workers working in healthcare and social services settings lead the nation in significant injuries due to an assault at work? This occupation accounts for 70% of assault injuries in all professions. Social workers are four times more likely to be injured from an assault than the average private sector worker.

BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO!
“NASW Assurance Services: Best Affordable Rates”; (Source: BravoPolicy.com) BravoPolicy was referring to the Preferra Insurance Company RRG, formerly NASW Risk Retention Group as rated in the #1 position nationally in this affordable rate category which provides Professional Liability, General Liability, and Cyber Liability policies in all 50 states.

You Never Want This … But Once You Have It, You Never Want to Lose It!
You can expect to be sued (named as a defendant in a lawsuit) sometime during your career. That is why you must ascertain the legal defense coverage provided by your liability insurance policies, especially your professional liability policy.

Insurance Pulse – A Mid-Year 2022 Glimpse
Since May 2021, inflation has spiked prices further and is running at over 8% annually. So what is happening in the insurance market? As Yogi Berra once said (MLB Yankees catcher), “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”

You Are A Leader… But Responsibility Comes With The Power
Can you be a leader? You already are a leader. You do not need to be responsible for a huge organization to be a leader. You need to show support for others and enable others by helping them to reach their potential through guidance and healing.

Claims Adjudication…Is Your Carrier E-Cubed?
What is “E-Cubed?” The Preferra Insurance Company RRG, formerly NASW Risk Retention Group’s practice of EXCELLENT claims customer service, with insurance coverage delivered ETHICAL and EQUITABLE. The power of these three critical elements has proven to protect RRG policyholders while maintaining the lowest premiums in the industry, the most comprehensive liability insurance policies available, and the lowest claims loss history for a fiscally healthy RRG with the “Excellent” A.M. Best rating. We will discuss these three critical elements.

Are You Part of the 99.3% of the Social Workers Who Will Experience Violence on the Job?
Today we will examine the risks of violence facing you and some tactics that you can use to mitigate the damages. It is a recognized fact that you will experience violence while on the job during your career. A qualitative study published in the Journal for the Society of Social Work and Research interviewed a random sample of 1,500 social workers. Over 1,490 of the respondents, 99.3% (virtually everybody), said they experienced violence during the past two years.

If You Think Your Insurance Covers Like Paint, Where is it Blistered and Peeling?
Recently, the Preferra Insurance Company RRG, formerly NASW Risk Retention Group (“RRG”) conducted a proprietary market research study of certain competitors’ professional liability insurance policies. We uncovered some alarming findings. They metaphorically equate to what you think you see as a freshly painted house; but up close, it is really a peeled paint blistered mess.

The Case of the “Crazed Contractor”
Do you employ or intend to employ a contractor in your practice? If the answer is yes, you better read about this lawsuit that recently occurred. A claim was made against a Professional Liability Insurance policyholder of the Preferra Insurance Company RRG, formerly NASW Risk Retention Group, who defended and adjudicated this case.
COVID-19 Notice
Preferra Insurance Company RRG, formerly NASW Risk Retention Group (NASW RRG) shares information based on our helpline inquiries, corresponding claims history, and an understanding of a varying nationwide professional state regulatory environment.
Due to COVID-19, many states have implemented or waived specific regulations; it is the individual professional's responsibility to research, implement, and monitor those regulations; and apply our risk management content as a consideration in your practice environment. Do not interpret this risk management material as any means to alter professional training, standards, nor any ethics information provided by your professional association.
Please understand, the NASW RRG makes no representations or warranties other than those stated to our current policyholders in the insurance policy contract. Please contact us if you have further questions.