Fast answers for your professional liability insurance questions

We are here to answer any professional liability insurance questions you might have, whether you buy a policy from us or not. Meri Insurance Services is the professional liability insurance resource for all acupuncturists.

Meri offers coverage for virtually any practice setting including:

• Part-time policies for employed acupuncturists—For acupuncturists who work 1,250 hours (or fewer) a year and need to have their own policy. The 1,250-hour policy provides coverage for approximately 24 hours a week on average. This weekly average is only used as an example. There is no weekly cap on hours worked. The 1,250 hours can be spread out however you like over the annual policy period.
• Full-time policies for employed acupuncturists—For acupuncturists who work more than 1,250 hours a year and need to have their own policy.
• Acupuncturist group policies—Policies are available for groups and specifically address their coverage needs such as corporate coverage and vicarious liability coverage.

• Phone: 844-641-6374
• Fax: 844-641-7307
• Email: [email protected]

Apply for coverage on our home page; simply click the “Get a quote” button to begin. You can also call 844-641-6374 or send an email to [email protected]. We can mail, fax or email an application to you.

Policies offered by Meri Insurance Services contain no limitations or restrictions on your ability to practice. You can work to the fullest extent of your scope of practice as defined by your state.

Yes. Meri Insurance Services offers coverage in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. No matter how many different states you plan to work in, if you are licensed or authorized to work in each of those states, we can provide coverage.

In most cases, yes. Because there has been an underwriting issue, the insurance company will usually require supplemental information in addition to the actual application. This will generally make the application process longer than normal.

Meri represents Medical Protective (MedPro) Insurance Company. MedPro provides coverage in all 50 states and in the District of Columbia.

MedPro has the strongest possible rating from AM Best, which is the oldest and most widely recognized rating agency dedicated to the insurance industry. Best was the first insurance rating organization and is recognized as the industry leader. Additionally, Best is independent and receives no funding from insurance companies. MedPro has a Best’s rating of A++ (Superior).

Any time spent related to the care of a patient should be counted in your total number of hours worked. This would include not only the “hands-on” time you have with the patient during the procedure, but also any time spent on patient-related activities before the case (i.e., patient interview) or after the case (i.e., charting).

The hours you count are not based on the total hours you work or how you are paid. As an example, let’s say you have on-call responsibilities. If you are on call for 24 hours, but don’t end up having any cases during those 24 hours, you wouldn’t count any of those hours since you didn’t provide any patient care. Again, you count only the hours where you have patient contact or are conducting any activities related to patient care.

You will not have to report the number of hours you worked during the policy period; you are on your honor. However, you should keep an accurate count for the hours you work and if you exceed your hour limitation, you should increase your part time coverage to full time. If you should happen to have a claim and the insurance company discovers you have worked a greater number of hours than what you applied for, the insurance company could have grounds to deny your claim. At a minimum, there would be an additional premium charge.

To report a claim, call Meri Insurance Services at 844-641-6374. When you call, please have the following information on hand to help simplify and speed up claim processing:

• The date and time of the incident.
• A brief description of the incident, including the names and addresses of the parties involved.
• Information about any notification you received about the claim or any request for records you received.

No. In fact, if you apply for a full-time policy, part-time policy or a supplemental professional liability policy for employed acupuncturists, you will be eligible for a premium reduction of 50% the first year after your graduation.

No. None of the policies sold by Meri Insurance Services have any coverage restrictions or limitations for new graduates. All the policies sold by Meri Insurance Services allow you to work to the fullest extent of your scope of practice.

Meri Insurance Services offers a professional liability policy that supplements the coverage provided by your employer or facility. Not only does this policy provide you with your own attorney and unlimited defense costs, no settlement can be paid out under this policy without your consent.

Generally speaking, occurrence coverage is simpler and more consumer-friendly than claims-made coverage. In most cases, we would recommend an occurrence policy over a claims-made policy. We also recognize that every acupuncturist’s situation is different.

If your current coverage is provided on a claims-made basis, it is important for you to purchase a tail coverage from your current professional liability insurance company.

Tail coverage, also known as an Extended Reporting Period Endorsement, ensures that you will be covered for future reported claims resulting from services rendered while you were covered under your prior claims-made policy.

Meri Acupuncture does not offer Claims Made coverage or Tail coverage for your prior Claims Made exposure.

Occurrence coverage means claims will always be covered as long as the event causing the claim happened during the policy period.  Essentially as long as the service was rendered, during the policy period, there is coverage.

If you have questions about your current policy or have questions about tail coverage, please contact us by phone at (844) 641-6374 or by email at [email protected]. We welcome the opportunity to be of service!

For Meri Insurance Services policies, any legal costs and claims expenses incurred in defending you are paid in addition to the policy limits. That means no matter what costs are paid out to defend you, those costs do not erode your limits of liability. The policies offered by Meri Insurance Services provide you with virtually unlimited defense costs.

Yes. Meri Insurance Services offers policies for acupuncturists who provide services outside of their primary job/facility.

Two types of policies are available:

• A part-time policy that provides coverage for up to 1,250 hours of work annually. The 1,250-hour policy provides about 24 hours of coverage a week on average. Please note: there is no weekly cap on hours worked. The 1,250 hours can be spread out however you like over the annual policy period.
• A full-time policy that provides coverage if you plan to work 1,250 hours a year or more (24 hours a week or more on average).