What Insurance Do Toronto Acupuncturists Need?
As an acupuncturist or a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in Toronto, you need to have specific insurance coverage to protect yourself against malpractice suits and other legal liability claims.
You always have the risk of an accident, incident, or allegation when you are treating clients. An insurance package for acupuncturists helps protect you and your clients.
Do you work as an acupuncturist or do you practice traditional Chinese medicine in Toronto’s downtown core, or does your business serve clients in one of Toronto’s many neighbourhoods. Do you operate a home-based acupuncture clinic in Toronto?
Do you work in Scarborough, Etobicoke, North York, York, East York or are you in Bolton, Caledon, Hamilton, Markham, Vaughan, Newmarket, Aurora, Orangeville, Richmond Hill, or Milton?
Wherever you work as an acupuncturist or practice traditional Chinese medicine in Toronto, Greater Toronto Area (GTA) or anywhere in Ontario, your Western Financial Group business insurance expert will give you top-notch insurance advice and ways to save on insurance for your business.
Why do I need acupuncture insurance?
As a Toronto acupuncturist, you should have enough insurance to protect yourself from a lawsuit should a client be injured on a wet floor or her property be damaged at your clinic.
What can acupuncture insurance cover?
- Acupuncture
- Herbal medicine
- Cupping
- Moxibustion
- Tui Na massage
- Massage
- Tai chi
Did you know? Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are regulated professions in Ontario.
Acupuncture insurance can help protect you from these 3 common claims:
1. A patient came to you for acupuncture treatment and then sued you for allegedly making her condition worse. Your errors and omissions insurance (you may also hear it called medical malpractice insurance) may help cover the legal costs and other related costs.
2. A client slips and falls on icy steps going into your Toronto acupuncture clinic, breaking her wrist. Your commercial general liability insurance may cover the expenses for your client’s injuries and pay for you to defend yourself should the client decide to sue you.
3. A client buys a herbal treatment that you recommended for their condition. Your client says the herbal pills made him ill and he was forced to seek emergency medical treatment. He sues you for the product you sold him and for failing to adequately explain the treatment and its effects. Your product liability insurance may cover the legal fees and other related costs.
Here’s an insurance checklist for Toronto acupuncturists:
- Do you have the best business insurance rate that suits your acupuncture or traditional Chinese medicine practice?
- Do you have the right amount for your deductible and regularly review it to make sure it’s the right amount for your business?
- Do you know the value of your equipment and products and are they properly insured?
- Are you or your employees using personal vehicles for your work?
At Western, we are business insurance experts. We will save you time and money by doing the insurance shopping for you to find the right package at the right value for your Toronto acupuncture business.
How much does acupuncture insurance cost?
Here are the factors that insurance companies consider when they are pricing your acupuncture insurance policy:
- Your Toronto/Toronto area location
- Your experience and certifications
- The types of services you provide as a Toronto acupuncturist or practitioner of Chinese medicine.
- How many employees you have
- The equipment you own and its value
- Your annual revenue
- Do you have any past insurance claims?
What kind of insurance does a Toronto acupuncturist need?
Acupuncture insurance is a package of insurance coverages that will protect your business. It should include protection against on-the-job risks that you face, such as injuries to clients and their property and liability insurance.
Here’s what you can expect to be in your acupuncture insurance package:
Errors and omissions insurance
Also known as professional liability insurance or acupuncture malpractice insurance, it provides coverage for allegations of negligence, misconduct, or failure to deliver a service as promised.
A client could sue you if she believes that you misdiagnosed an ailment or the acupuncture treatment was not effective. This type of insurance may cover the costs for the lawsuit and any other related fees.
Product liability insurance
This type of insurance coverage protects your Toronto acupuncture business against claims that a product you used during treatment or sold to a client caused bodily injury or property damage. Damages typically covered by product liability insurance are usually the result of a design, manufacturing, or marketing defect, including an incorrect label or a lack of safety warnings.
For example, you have recommended a type of herbal tea to a client and the client claims the tea made them ill and sues you. Product liability insurance may cover you for legal and medical costs related to the claim.
Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance
This type of insurance provides coverage for third-party claims of bodily injury or property damage related to your Toronto acupuncture business.
For example, if a client is injured at your clinic due to slipping on a wet floor, general liability insurance can help cover the costs of any resulting legal claims or damages.
Commercial property insurance
It covers your Toronto acupuncture clinic’s physical property, such the building you’re in, inventory, and supplies. Commercial property insurance covers damage caused by fire, theft, vandalism, or natural disasters. If a fire damages your acupuncture clinic, for example, commercial property insurance can cover repairing or replacing the damaged property.
Cyber liability insurance: Do you keep client information online and take online payments? If so, your Toronto acupuncture business could be hacked by cyberthieves. Cyber liability insurance will help protect you.
Without cyber insurance, you will have to pay out of your pocket for the cost of restoring your system. You may also be liable for damages to third parties whose information has been stolen and you may have to pay for notification expenses to inform customers affected by a breach.
Business interruption insurance: This coverage supports you when your Toronto acupuncture business or Chinese medicine business can’t operate due to a covered loss.
There are a number of losses that can force your business to shut down. Some examples include:
- Damage to your equipment from fire or vandalism
- A major reduction in revenue due to a client/supplier facing losses of their own
- A disruption in your supply chain
Business interruption insurance can help with expenses such as:
- Payroll
- Rent
- Utilities
- Property taxes
- Alarm monitoring
- Relocation of your business
Business interruption insurance can mean the difference between recovering from a loss and your Toronto acupuncture business closing permanently.
Commercial auto insurance
Typically, your personal car insurance doesn’t cover you while driving to your job. You’ll need commercial auto insurance.
What do I do if my Toronto acupuncture business has an insurance claim?
- Contact your broker immediately after any business-related mishap. Waiting to file a claim can confuse insurers about the severity of the damages to your business.
- Know your policy so that when you contact your broker you are familiar with what will be covered or not.
- Document the damage. Take photos right away and write down what happened.
- Do not throw away damaged goods after taking photos. Keep the physical evidence so that your adjustor can see it.
- Do not invite lawsuits. Don’t say anything that could be used against you, especially if you aren’t sure what happened.
- Be honest about what your damaged property is worth. Damaged commercial property is generally valued according to its actual cash value or replacement value.
Ask your Western business insurance expert to help you get the right coverage at the right value to protect the work that your Toronto acupuncture or Chinese medicine practice does.
Western Financial Group has licensed BUSINESS INSURANCE EXPERTS to get your Toronto acupuncture business the right insurance package. Our experts are available now to help you navigate the business insurance journey to protect your acupuncture business.
Please share this article with your friends
Talk to an Insurance Expert
Call Us Now 888-595-3104