Blog

In some parts of the country, it already feels like summer. For the rest, the heat will soon be turning up. As much as most people enjoy the warmth of the summer sun, extreme heat accompanied by high humidity can be dangerous, even deadly. Each year, the summer heat kills nearly 175 Americans and sickens thousands more. It’s important to remember that heat safety is not just something to be aware of while enjoying leisure activities on the weekends – it’s also a major risk exposure...

Being audited by a RAC or ZPIC can be incredibly stressful for any health care provider, whether you’re a home medical equipment provider, a physical therapy practice, or a home health agency. Getting fined for billing errors that result in overpayment from an insurance carrier – Medicare or otherwise – can be downright frightful. There are stories galore about health care providers shutting their doors and closing up shop because they were found guilty and fined for receiving...

Love it, hate it, or have no opinion about it, social media has taken its place among the mainstream of American culture. Networks such as Facebook and Twitter can be a great way to enhance your club’s brand with your current members and to reach out to potential members as well. That’s the good news. The not so good? While social media networks offer much potential to help your club, they possibly could hurt your club at the same time. Social media does not adhere to the old adages,...

Mr. Jones is a client of one of your members, Mrs. Smith, an attorney. Mrs. Smith invites Mr. Jones to lunch at your club to talk over a small business issue that Mr. Jones’ company is facing. Mrs. Smith arrives a few minutes before Mr. Jones and waits on the front porch of your club for her client to arrive. Mr. Jones’ car soon rolls up and Mr. Jones climbs out of the back seat accompanied by a beautiful golden Labrador, who you later find out is named Daisy, Mr. Jones’ service...

You’ve probably noticed that your auto insurance premiums – both business and personal – have gone up more than usual recently. There are a number of reasons for that: More drivers equals more accidents: In 2016, there were about 222 million licensed drivers and more than 260 million vehicles in the United States. More drivers and more vehicles leads to more accidents that insurance carriers must pay for. Unsafe driving practices: In a recent survey, the AAA Foundation for...

In a claim situation, proper documentation is key to determining what really happened, who’s liable, and to what extent. Without this vital information, even a straightforward claim situation can become seemingly impossible. Below you will find an example of a claim, based on a true story, that highlights the importance and power of documentation to protect your business. As a claims adjuster, you will re-open this file, “When a Low Air Loss Mattress Loses Air: The Leak and The Lesion”,...

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a claims adjuster? It’s never easy to piece together what happened after the fact. And without proper documentation, determining what really happened, who’s liable, and to what extent can be nearly impossible. Helping our customers mitigate risk is our top priority of VGM Insurance. In this particular scenario – “A Mobility Solution Immobilizes a Patient: The Unhitched Linchpin”, you will get an inside look at a real-life...

Do your employees ever install accessibility equipment in a patient’s home based on the patient’s preferences, instead of the manufacturer’s specifications? While it might seem like a good idea at the time, there’s a lot of risk involved, and without the proper documentation, your company may be liable if any issues arise due to the equipment set up. In this real-life scenario – “Making a Home More Accessible – The Ascending, Rotating Chair”, you...

At VGM Insurance, we are passionate about helping our customers mitigate risk! And what better example to learn from than a real-life claim situation? Below you will find an example of a claim, based on a true story, that truly highlights the importance and power of documentation to protect your business. In this particular scenario – “The Case of the Uncoupled Shroud – Investigating an Exploding Oxygen Concentrator”, you will take the point of view of a claims adjuster...

Do a quick search of recent HIPAA violations, and you’ll find headlines proclaiming multi-million dollar settlements for breaches resulting in the loss of hundreds, thousands, or even millions of patient records. Yes, it’s true that the health care industry is the number one target for cyberattacks, and you should use the technology and resources available to you in order to secure your patients’ data. However, there four other common violations that fail to make the headlines...