BUYERS’ MARKET NO MORE   As the digital age deepens, businesses have been benefiting from a buyers’ market in cyber insurance, courtesy of relatively low premiums and generous coverage options. However, with the increasing sophistication and frequency of cyberattacks, this trend is expected to pivot. Industry leaders are now sounding the alarm on an imminent […]

How safe is your password from a seasoned hacker?   If I told you that using 8 Characters, Upper & Lower cases, plus symbols is NOT enough, would you think I was crazy?   How about if I told you passwords that utilize this arrangement of 8 characters can be hacked in just 3 hours?  […]

As a business owner, you know that even a short interruption in your operations can be costly. Business interruption insurance is designed to help you manage these costs by providing coverage for lost income and expenses during a period of interruption. However, there are some costs that business interruption insurance won’t cover, and that’s where […]

      What is First-Party Cyber Coverage?   First-Party cyber coverage is liability insurance that can help small businesses protect themselves against cyberattacks. The financial impacts of cyberattacks can be significant, so it is very important to make sure that your small business is protected against the potential financial burden of cyber attacks. First-party […]

This is an excellent article from Fox Rothchild:   https://www.foxrothschild.com/publications/covid-19-construction-contracts-and-potential-claims-under-business-interruption-civil-authority-and-other-insurance-policies-and-endorsements/ Attached is a PDF Download of this article for your convenience.

The following bulletins have been issued by the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance and are posted on the Department’s website.   Bulletin No. 20-11 Guidance Concerning Circumstances Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic (Individual Market)   Bulletin No. 20-12 Guidance Concerning Circumstances Relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic (Small Employer Market)   Bulletin No. 20-13 […]

April 10, 2020   UnitedHealth to offer nearly $2B in accelerated payments, financial support to providers (Fierce Healthcare-April 7, 2020) The insurer said that it would accelerate claims payments to both medical and behavioral health care providers across its fully insured commercial, Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicaid plans. It will also make $125 million in […]

Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order Extending Insurance Premium Grace Periods 04/9/2020 TRENTON — Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 123, extending grace periods during which certain insurance companies, including health insurers, life insurers, and property and casualty insurers, will not be able to cancel policies for nonpayment of premiums.“We know the stringent measures […]

Thursday, April 9, 2020 New Jersey Governor Murphy has signed an Executive Order extending the grace period for residents unable to pay their insurance premiums because of a loss of income or other negative impact as a result of the COVID-19 emergency.   The Governor’s Executive Order requires: A minimum 60-day grace period for health […]

Frequently Asked Questions for Clients and Producers   We know our mutual clients are reaching out to you with questions about how members can seek care during the COVID-19 crisis.   Questions such as:   Is Highmark reaching out to inform and engage members with chronic conditions who may be at a greater risk?   […]

Helpful information from our local Chamber of Commerce: Hello GVCC Member – Attached is a presentation provided today by the NJEDA with information about their initial COVID-19 Economic Response Package.   The grant program is available to select small businesses. It will be open for applications this FRIDAY, APRIL 3 beginning at 9am and will […]

Good information below from our local Chamber of Commerce:   CARES-Act information SBA-CARES-Flow-Chart   Hello GVCC Member –   Attached are 2 files with good information about the CARES Act for Small Businesses, including information on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). All the relief offered through the CARES Act […]

Just passing along some information that was sent to us below.  We are not affiliated with this person or organization and have no interest in the same.  Please contact them directly with any questions. Thank you.   REGISTER NOW The primary goal is to ensure everyone is well educated on what is myth and what […]

Today is National Doctors Day, and we at Professional Liability Insurance Group want to take the opportunity to express how grateful we are for each and every one of you.   We are especially thankful for those who are on the front line of the war against COVID-19, gearing up for battle and running into […]

The Senate passed the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES/H.R. 748) on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. COVID-19 UPDATE Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security CARES Act PASSED – Highlights For Your Medical Practice Today, March 27, the House has approved the bill. This is the third major bill by Congress in response […]

Please read this announcement from the SBA regarding their disaster loan program for new applications:   U.S. Small Business Administration   To submit an application:   Email: Email your completed document(s) as attachments to: disasterloans@sba.gov Any information you send to SBA via email is sent via an unsecured email link. Due to the nature of […]

NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 109 EO-109 Governor Phil Murphy today announced a new state website for reporting personal protective equipment (PPE). In accordance with Executive Order No. 109, any business, non-hospital health care facility, or institution of higher learning in possession of PPE, ventilators, respirators, or anesthesia machines must submit that information to the State […]

EO-107 EO-108  

Below is a recent correspondence from Horizon BCBSNJ   Due to the declared public health emergency by the Governor, and until it is lifted, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) understands that the small employer community is working through many concerns. With regard to New Jersey Small Employer Health (SEH), effective […]

Dear Shayne, Since launching our COVID-19 FAQs and Risk Resources website last week, we have received tens of thousands of page views and lots of feedback. In response, we have enhanced the website to help you and your customers quickly access relevant information from MedPro and other authoritative sources. We especially want to draw your […]

Please follow the laws of your state, your professional license, and the guidelines of your insurance carriers, as you use your own discretion in providing telehealth services to your patients.  We are solely providing information for your own edification and  never provide legal, medical or financial advice. SAMPLE Consent Form Telemedicine Letter for Physicians

Below is correspondence from Delta Dental. DeltaDentalNJ.com Many of our clients are already feeling the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are working to help them keep their employees covered. Here are some ways we can help: Lapse in premium payment: To support our clients during the challenging days ahead, Delta Dental will not […]

This information is provided as a service based on what we have been given at this time.  Please contact your agent and/or insurance carrier for more up-to-date and additional information. I hope this helps.  I know it is very challenging for all healthcare practices and facilities right now. God bless all our First Responders as […]

COBRA During the State of the Emergency, are employees or employers penalized for issuing COBRA notices at a later time if they are unsure of the nature of the layoff (permanent or temporary)? As it stands today, the current law as written applies. Therefore, COBRA rules apply as they would in any layoff. Should legislation […]

Please find attached most recent Health Insurance Carrier Benefit update Spreadsheet. CarrierBenefitsCoronavirusChart 2020March25

We received word from Horizon that we are free to share the following updates about furlough.  A formal brief from Horizon is expected later today. ______________________________________________________________________________________ We received a few responses as it relates to COVID-19 Horizon administrative inquiries- below please find some initial guidance on some of your questions below: Q Can employer groups […]

Most recent communications from Health Insurance Carriers for New Jersey: (Please contact your agent, broker, or insurance carrier for more information.) AmeriHealth: As a result of the COVID‑19 outbreak, AmeriHealth New Jersey will honor employer requests to continue coverage for employees furloughed or temporarily laid off as a result of impacts of COVID‑19. This exception […]

  Estimates suggest that nearly every American had their details stolen at least once in 2015, a grim statistic for IT breaches. Every industry seemed to be affected as well and it isn’t just large organizations. Reports show that 78% of all businesses experienced a data breach in the past two years. Effects of a […]

The Practice Profitability Index Survey (PPI) is an annual survey that analyzes the operational and financial challenges for physician practices within the US. The third survey, taken in July/August 2015, asked 5,024 physicians to participate. Here is a summary of the findings of the report. Profitability Outlooks Are Flattening In previous years, the PPI has […]

The world is becoming ever more digital. We are spending more time on social media, and this is leading to court cases as people disagree over its use. In recent years there have been numerous landmark social media lawsuits that have had a profound impact on how social media can be used within your business. […]

Cyber attacks happen to businesses of all sizes. Small business owners often make the tragic mistake of not protecting their businesses against cyber attacks. While major corporations make headlines after a breach, both small and medium sized businesses are at risk as well. Hackers don’t discriminate between a business with one thousand employees and one […]

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month Professional Liability Insurance Group cares about your security and we want you to know the following tips to help protect yourself:          Secure your personal information always          Shred sensitive papers          Make passwords strong and long          Don’t open any email where you do not recognize the […]

In every workplace  — no matter the vocation — there exists a creative culture. Many business owners will default to the notion that their problem is finding good ideas, and not good people. There’s a bit of truth there: the idea is a keystone on which a successful plan is erected. But, just as a […]

If you don’t know by now (and you should), cyber crime is real.       This past May, five Chinese officials were indicted by a grand jury here in the states for stealing data from major U.S. companies like Alcoa and U.S Steel among others. In June, a Chinese businessman was arrested for hacking into the […]

If you’re reading this blog, there’s a good chance you have used YouTube at some point or another. And, if you have used YouTube, there is a possibility you have accessed one of the millions of instructional videos housed there that deviate from the norm (you know…cute cat videos, movie previews, music videos, etc.) Several […]

According to a report released this week by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), almost 65,000 tax-exempt organizations owe close to $875 million in back taxes to the federal government. Underlying this gross negligence in tax abuse is the fact that the IRS has seen a reduction in key enforcement personnel: a slashing […]

Remember when factory workers were more worried than, say, doctors that their jobs were at risk due to a robotic takeover? Those fears turned out to be somewhat warranted, yet the U.S. has managed to increase worker productivity by 3.7% per year for 60 years. In 2013, reporters from the Associated Press set out to […]

In part one of this series examining the impact of robotics in the modernization of the workplace (read here), I spoke about what the future of medicine might start to look like in 20 to 30 years. In his forthcoming book Beyond the Professions, legal futurist and professor Richard Susskind expounds upon the notion that […]

Life expectancy has been increasing for some time now, mostly due to the advances in the medical field that some of our greatest minds have conjured. As we progress in both our understanding of the human body and our mastery of technology, it’s only natural that we use our know-how to alleviate the medical conditions […]

Social media is one of the internet’s most powerful tools; it can help you promote your business, create brand awareness, and converse with consumers, along with a whole host of other functions that can take your office and spread its footprint on a global scale. As more and more social media platforms spring up in […]

The age of telemedicine is officially upon us as a handful of insurers are rolling out video conferencing programs to help patients see a doctor over the digital medium. Insurers like WellPoint and Aetna are offering 4 million and 8 million patients—respectively—the ability to partake in e-visits over the next year. Companies like American Well […]