Please refer to News for current information.
PMSLIC expands loss prevention discount to recognize
ncqa medical home designation
(4/21/08) PMSLIC Insurance Company is
pleased to announce that
policyholders who achieve the
National Committee for Quality
Assurance’s (NCQA) designation of
“Patient Centered Medical Home™”
will receive a 5% discount on their
2009 policies.
Read More
PMSLIC Bills 2008 Mcare assessment
(3/5/08) PMSLIC has billed policyholders the 2008
Mcare assessment at the full amount as there is no
continuation of the abatement program at this time.
Payments must be postmarked by March 31, 2008 to ensure
there are no Mcare coverage issues in the future due to
delayed payment.
Although there may be announcements of one or more
delays regarding the assessment, we advise our
policyholders to pay the assessment by the March 31
deadline. We believe this is the best way to
protect your interests in any future reported claims.
Update on Mcare Billing
(1/21/08) To comply with the PA Department of
Insurance's directive to bill the full 2008 Mcare
assessment with a due date of March 31, 2008, we mailed
payment information to all PMSLIC policyholders.
Enclosed with the billing information were copies of
letters from
Governor Rendell and the
Insurance Commissioner.
We are monitoring the abatement situation very
closely and will keep you informed of important
developments as they occur. Additional information is
also available on the
Mcare Web
site. Please contact your PMSLIC underwriter or your
agent if you have any questions.
MEDICAL SOCIETY OF DELAWARE ENDORSES
pmslic TO OFFER COVERAGE TO PHYSICIANS
(5/4/07) PMSLIC was recently endorsed by the Medical
Society of Delaware. We have begun to write coverage for
physicians in that state through the state society's
insurance subsidiary, MSDIS. Click "More" to view a copy
of the press release that was issued to announce the
endorsement and PMSLIC's entry into the state.
Read
news release
A.M. Best
Upgrades PMSLIC Rating to A (Excellent)
(4/19/07) The A.M. Best Company upgraded PMSLIC’s
financial strength rating to A (Excellent) as a result
of a pooling arrangement PMSLIC entered into earlier
this year with NORCAL, our parent company.
You can read Best's press release about our upgrade
by going to the "News & Research" section of Best's Web
site: www.ambest.com.
Policyholders Receive 2006 Dividend
(11/9/06) On November 7, 2006, the PMSLIC Board of
Directors declared a 2006 dividend of 11 percent. The
dividend will be paid to policyholders renewing their
PMSLIC coverage on or after January 1, 2007.
The Board declared the dividend as the result of
improvement in prior years’ loss experience and strong,
financial management. PMSLIC has a participating policy,
which permits the company to share the benefit of
improved results with its physician policyholders
through policyholder dividends. It is one of many
advantages of insuring with PMSLIC, a physician-directed
carrier.
PMSLIC ANNOUNCES 2008 rate
reduction
PMSLIC's filing for an overall 11% rate reduction has
been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of
Insurance. The rates will be effective January 1, 2008.
The decision to file for the rate reduction was reached
by the company board of directors following a thorough
review of the company's loss experience.
Tips for Credentialing Process
(7/31/06) We have been informed that a relatively new
credentialing process has been made available to medical
practices. CAQH, a not-for-profit alliance of health
plans, networks and trade associations, has developed
the Universal Credentialing DataSourceŽ. This national
process has eliminated the need for multiple
credentialing applications through an online
standardized application service.
Physicians who use the CAQH online credentialing
process will be asked to provide their medical
malpractice insurance information. PMSLIC policyholders
using this online process should do the following:
- Go to www.caqh.org.
- Select the "Universal Credentialing DataSource
link."
- Select the "PROVIDERS" link.
- On the "log-in" page, select "Logging in for the
first time?"
- When prompted to provide your medical
malpractice insurance information, select "others
not listed" from the drop-down menu if your carrier
is not listed.
- Enter "PMSLIC Insurance Company" and our street
address (1700 Bent Creek Blvd., Mechanicsburg, PA
17050) where indicated.
Letter to
Policyholders Reported No Rate Increase for 2007
(6/27/06) At the end of June, PMSLIC mailed a letter
to policyholders from our Board Chair, Jaan Sidorov, MD.
The letter highlighted two important issues for
policyholders:
- 2007 Rates - PMSLIC will not be requesting a rate increase for
2007.
- A.M. Best Rating -
Our A.M. Best rating
of B++ (Very Good) was affirmed.
Read letter from Dr. Sidorov
Find
Account Information Online
(3/6/06) PMSLIC added policyholder account
information to our selection of services for certain
registered users of PMSLIC.com. Experience how
online account information can benefit you and your
practice.
Accounting
and Billing
PMSLIC
Implements Upgrades to Web Site
(1/31/06) On January 31, PMSLIC implemented enhancements to PMSLIC.com in order to provide
additional information specifically for policyholders in
a secure manner. Policyholders are asked to register to
gain access to and benefit from the new features.
Changes to PMSLIC.com encompass:
- a new secure section of the site for
registered users. Sign in is required.
- the Certificate of Insurance and Risk
Management resources previously available on PMSLIC.com
moved to the new secure section.
- new features for policyholders are implemented,
including online account information and Loss
Prevention Discount Program status reports.
Policyholders will receive more information in the
mail in early February. A letter introducing the Web
site enhancements was mailed along with information on
the 2006 Loss Prevention Discount Program.
Retiring? Don't Forget Mcare
(5/1/06) The phone call from our policyholder tells a
familiar story. Dr. Miller, a 71-year-old PMSLIC
policyholder, decided to retire mid-way through the
policy year. PMSLIC billed him the annual Mcare
assessment at the abated amount in February including
notice that he must successfully apply to only pay the
reduced amount. Dr. Miller paid the abated amount and
then retires in June. PMSLIC returns the Mcare
credit due to him, but Dr. Miller does not apply for the
Mcare abatement either before or after his retirement is
effective. The following spring, after the application
period expires, Dr. Miller is surprised
to receive an Mcare bill for the remainder of the full
assessment now due.
PMSLIC, as a primary carrier, serves as a billing
administrator for Mcare. As such, we handle calls of
this nature on a regular basis and must explain to our
policyholders why payment of the Mcare assessment is
required despite unique situations involving physician
death, retirement, relocation out of state or certain
employment arrangements. In this circumstance where the
insured physician retired mid-way through the policy
year, Mcare coverage is required for the time period
that he was in full-time practice. PMSLIC automatically
billed the Mcare coverage at the abated amount and
informed Dr. Miller he needed to apply, but
because Dr. Miller didn’t take the steps to apply for
the abatement, he is responsible for remitting payment
of the full Mcare assessment. Had he applied, and was
otherwise eligible, Dr. Miller
would have been exempt from repayment of the full
assessment.
No one can completely prepare for what tomorrow may
bring. PMSLIC strongly urges our policyholders to apply
for the Mcare abatement as soon as possible. By
completing the online Mcare abatement application,
policyholders can ensure that despite changing
circumstances, they have submitted the necessary
information to be considered for abatement eligibility. If
eligible, Mcare will e-mail an eligibility status letter—as
well as mail a hardcopy—to the policyholder,
who, in turn, is responsible for sending a copy to
PMSLIC to complete the process.
Abatement repayment is exempt if the physician:
- is enrolled in an approved residency/fellowship
program;
- dies prior to the end of the retention period;
- is disabled and unable to practice prior to the
end of the retention period;
- is called to active military duty prior to the
end of the retention period; or
- retires and is at least 70 years of age prior to
the end of the retention period.
Mcare Abatement Frequently Asked Questions for Health-Care Providers
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