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FAQ's
Aon Physician Alliance FAQ's
 What is Aon Physician Alliance?
Aon Physician Alliance specializes helping physicians find reliable professional liability insurance. As an unbiased, independent insurance broker, Aon Physician Alliance has access to numerous insurance companies to provide you with a complete and thorough search of the market to ensure that you receive the most competitive malpractice insurance quote.
Aon Physician Alliance is a part of Aon Corporation, one of the world's largest insurance brokers. We have established professional relationships with most of the nation's top medical malpractice insurers to provide you with the choices you need. We also have the experience and knowledge of the professional liability market to make sure that you are getting the most value for your insurance dollar.
Click here to read more about Aon Physician Alliance.
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How do I know that Affinity Insurance Services, Inc. is a company I can trust?
Affinity Insurance Services, Inc., is a subsidiary of Aon Corporation. Aon Corporation is a family of brokerage, consulting and consumer insurance companies providing innovative solutions for diverse businesses through global distribution networks and is the world's second largest insurance services provider. Aon offers innovative risk management, insurance services and consulting solutions for healthcare, commercial and industrial enterprises, financial institutions, insurance organizations, municipalities and individuals.
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Is Aon Physician Alliance my insurance company?
No, Aon Physician Alliance is a division of Affinity Insurance Services, Inc. and Affinity is responsible for handling the insurance programs. Aon Physician Alliance is a brokerage service that offers a panel of insurance companies chosen on a regional basis to offer physicians coverage and service that is responsive to their local practice environment.
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How do I get a quote?
You have three options to receive a quotation for professional liability insurance:
We will contact you if additional information is needed to issue a premium indication.
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Once approved, how quickly can my coverage begin?
After your professional liability application is reviewed and approved by the applicable insurance company, proof of coverage or a certificate of insurance and any necessary premium financing agreement can be faxed to you, indicating that your coverage can begin. After premium payment is received and processed by Aon Physician Alliance, a policy will be mailed or faxed to you.
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Client Service FAQ's
I need proof of insurance. What should I do?
You have three choices. You may click here to complete an online request form; call Aon Physician Alliance toll-free at 1-866-815-5776, Monday - Friday, 6:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (PST); or fax your request to 1-866-815-5777. We will fax or mail you proof of insurance by the next business day!
If you require claim or loss details for professional credentialing by a Healthcare Entity or in order to obtain another professional liability insurance policy, please click on the following link to complete the necessary authorization form. AUTHORIZATION FORM FOR CONFIDENTIAL CLAIMS INFORMATION Upon receipt of the authorized and signed form and a copy of your existing declaration page, Aon Physician Alliance will interface with and obtain the information from the applicable insurance company.
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What changes in my practice need to be reported to Aon Physician Alliance?
Please call Aon Physician Alliance at 1-866-815-5776 with any material changes in your practice, including but not limited to some of the following:
- Will be practicing in a new state
- Require or desire an increase or decrease in your limits of liability
- Expect to leave a group practice and require individual coverage
- Plan to move to a new county within the state you currently practice
- Will be transitioning from full-time to part-time practice or vise versa
- Will transition to part-time and questioning how this will affect tail coverage in the future, specifically when you retire from your practice
Aon Physician Alliance will help you assess your carrier and coverage options, provide you with details on how these changes may affect your coverage and/or premium, and guide you through the process that is needed to endorse or make revisions to your existing policy form.
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General Insurance FAQ's
What is medical professional liability insurance?
Also called medical malpractice insurance, medical professional liability insurance protects a healthcare practitioner from errors or adverse events arising from the practice of medicine. There are two types of medical malpractice policies available - occurrence and claims-made.
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What is an occurrence policy?
An occurrence policy protects the insured, up to the coverage limits, against professional liability claims arising from incidents that occur when the policy is in force, regardless of when the claim is reported. It is not necessary to purchase tail coverage when an occurrence policy is cancelled.
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What is a claims-made policy?
A claims-made policy covers claims made and reported while the policy is in effect. Purchasing 'Tail' or 'Nose' coverage can extend this effective period.
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What is a 'reporting-period endorsement'?
When a claims-made policy is cancelled, coverage ceases for any claims that may be reported in the future. A Reporting Period Endorsement, also known as 'tail coverage' provides coverage for incidents that occurred when a claims-made policy is in effect, but were not reported. Tail coverage is purchased from the insurer who issued the claims made policy.
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What is 'tail coverage'?
See Reporting Period Endorsement (above).
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What is 'prior acts coverage'?
Prior acts coverage, also known as 'nose coverage' is purchased as an alternative to tail coverage. It is purchased from the new carrier when changing companies. It covers incidents that may have occurred but have not yet been reported as a claim back to a 'retroactive date'.
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What is a retroactive date?
The retroactive date is the date on which coverage begins. In a claims-made policy, any incident occurring on or after the retroactive date and reported while the policy is in force will be covered by the policy (subject to the terms and conditions of your policy).
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What are "limits of liability"?
Limits of liability are the maximum dollar amounts of indemnity an insurance carrier will pay on your behalf. Limits are broken down into two categories: the per claim limit and the aggregate limit. For each medical incident, the carrier will pay for all damages up to a maximum of the amount listed as your "per claim" limit. The "aggregate" limit applies to all claims reported during the policy year or extended reporting period. With most carriers, reasonable defense costs are paid in full and are not included within the liability limits.
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What is a step rate?
Claims-made policies insure you only if you're insured both on the date the incident happened and on the date you report it to your carrier. Usually, there is a delay between when the incident happens and when it is ultimately discovered and reported. This delay typically is at least one year, sometimes many years. For this reason, you are at less risk of reporting a claim to a carrier during your early years of coverage with that carrier, and this is why your premiums are lower during that time. During the first year, you are insured only for those cases that occur and are reported during your first year of coverage. Since the likelihood of your having such a claim is minimal, your premium is at the lowest level during this first year. In the second year, your exposure is greater and your premium higher because coverage is for claims reported in the second year for incidents occurring during either the first or second year. This progression continues until you reach the mature rate.
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What is meant by a "mature" rate?
At some point in time, all potential claims arising from services rendered during the first year of coverage should (theoretically) be reported already. This point in time is referred to as the mature year. Because the exposure levels off, premiums level off as well.
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What is a risk retention group (RRG)?
A risk retention group (RRG) is a liability insurance company that is owned by its members. Under the Liability Risk Retention Act (LRRA), RRGs must be domiciled in a state. Once licensed by its state of domicile, an RRG can insure members in all states. Because the LRRA is a federal law, it preempts state regulation, making it much easier for RRGs to operate nationally. As insurance companies, RRGs retain risk. Source: Risk Retention Reporter
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What is a Risk-Purchasing Group?
A purchasing group (PG) is comprised of insurance buyers who band together, typically on a national basis, to purchase their liability insurance coverage from an insurance company, including a company operating on an admitted basis, a surplus lines basis, or a risk retention group. As the name implies, the PG serves as an insurance purchasing vehicle for its members. Source: Risk Retention Reporter
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What is surplus lines insurance?
Surplus lines insurance is coverage that is placed with eligible non-admitted carriers when coverage through licensed admitted carriers is unavailable. Surplus lines companies do not have to be licensed every state to sell insurance, but they must be licensed in their home country or home state. Only licensed surplus lines agents can place coverage with these companies. An agent must pass a special examination to qualify for a surplus lines agent's license. Surplus lines agents can place risks with surplus lines companies only after making a "diligent effort" to find an admitted carrier to issue a policy. Because surplus lines companies insure non-standard risks that admitted carriers will not accept, their premiums are generally higher and the policies may have limited features compared to an admitted carrier's policy.
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What is the best way to change insurance carriers?
If you decide to change insurers, be sure to prevent coverage gaps by purchasing either 'tail' (run-off) coverage from the previous carrier, or purchase 'nose' (prior acts) coverage from the new carrier. The retroactive date should be the original effective date of your first policy to accomplish effective prior acts coverage.
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What happens when I retire or leave practice?
If you are planning to leave practice or retire, ensure that you have tail coverage with a financially sound insurer. Many insurance policies have a feature that enables an insured to receive free or reduced-fee tail coverage if you have been insured with them for at least five years when you reach retirement age and cease practice permanently.
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What does the Department of Insurance do?
Each state has a Department of insurance that oversees the insurance industry and protects the state's insurance consumers. The Department of Insurance regulates the types of insurance sold and the companies and agents that sell it. It investigates and audits insurance businesses to ensure that companies remain solvent and meet their obligations to insurance policyholders. The Insurance Commissioner issues certificates of authority to insurance companies seeking admittance to the market and licenses agents, brokers, and solicitors in the state.
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What is A.M. Best?
A.M. Best Co., established in 1899, is one of the most authoritative insurance rating and information sources in the world. There are several factors that influence an A.M. Best rating, including global market position, balance sheet strength, sustained profitable growth, and the demonstrated success of its management's strategies. These factors determine the rating of an insurance company, which vary in level:
- A++ and A+ rated carriers are defined as Superior companies and are considered to have a very strong ability to meet their obligations.
- A and A- rated organizations are defined as Excellent companies and are considered to have a strong ability to meet their obligations.
- B++ and B+ companies are considered Very Good. While their financial strength may be more susceptible to unfavorable changes in underwriting, economic or environmental conditions than insurers in the higher rating categories, they still have a strong ability to meet their obligations.
- Companies rated below B+ are considered Vulnerable; companies rated in these categories tend to present progressively higher risks.
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What is Locum Tenens?
Locum Tenens coverage is an option that allows you to endorse a substitute physician to your policy in your absence. This coverage protects you and the substituting physician for incidents that may occur while the substituting doctor treats your patients under your policy coverage and limits of liability.
Local Tenens coverage is contingent on the applicable insurance company's guidelines that may include prior approval of the substitute physician's qualifications and a premium charge. Typically, a per diem charge is applied based on the number of days of substitution.
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**While Aon Physician Alliance has taken care to ensure that the FAQ information is accurate, such information cannot be interpreted as changing the scope of the insurance terms and conditions of the applicable policy contract in effect with any insured. A policy can only be changed by the underwriter through a change in coverage forms, endorsement to the policy contract or amendment to the policyholder's certificate of insurance. The underwriting rules issued by the company may change from time to time which may affect the questions and answers that precede. Coverages may differ in some states.**
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