SOLELY FOR BENEFIT
News
President’s Message
As the holiday season approaches, all of us at the CPBA would like to wish you and yours Happy Holidays and all the best for the coming year.
We at CPBA continue to push forward with our strategic plan ensuring, first and foremost, that member Pharmacists have the most comprehensive coverage available. Recent months have seen us increase our offerings to include Phar-macy Students. Our PharPhar-macy Technician policy is now available as PharPhar-macy Technicians become regulated in various jurisdictions across the country.
The Board continues to meet on a bi-monthly basis to meet and exceed the expectations of you, our members.
Presentations at member Provinces’ Annual Conferences were well received and we are now in the process of developing a webinar on malpractice insurance to reach the many Pharmacists who are un-able to attend provincial events.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact our offices or your respective Provincial directors.
All the best for the Holiday Season. Trent White President, CPBA December 2011 PRESIDENT Trent White Pharmacists’ Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (PANL) SECRETARY/TREASURER
Mary Ann Butt
Pharmacists’ Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (PANL) BOARD OFDIRECTORS:
Mel Baxter
Manitoba Society of Pharmacists (MSP)
Shawn Callaghan
Prince Edward Island Pharmacists Association (PEI)
Erin Farrell-MacKenzie
Prince Edward Island Pharmacists Association (PEI)
Trudy Holzmann
Alberta Pharmacists’ Association (RxA)
Scott Ransome
Manitoba Society of Pharmacists (MSP)
Margaret Wing
Alberta Pharmacists’ Association (RxA) ADMINISTRATIVEOFFICES:
2175 Sheppard Ave. E., Suite 310 Toronto, ON M2J 1W8 Tel: 1-800-208-9398 416-491-2886 Fax: 416-491-1670 E-mail: info@cpba.ca Website: www.cpba.ca Melonie Hart Director of Operations Maria Galati Administrator
Manitoba Society of Pharmacists (MSP) ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Date: April 20-22, 2012
Venue: Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, MB
Speakers: Gerry Olsthoorn, Moore McLean Mel Baxter, CPBA
Mark your Calendars and Plan to Attend!
CPBA-SPONSORED SYMPOSIUMS
PEI Pharmacists Association ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Date: May 11-12, 2012
Venue: Stanhope Beach Resort & Conference Centre, Stanhope By the Sea, PEI Speakers: Gerry Olsthoorn, Moore McLean
As the new Account Manager for the CPBA within the Moore-McLean family, it is my pleasure to pro-vide my first article for this newsletter to the association. It is my belief that I will add increased value to the relationship and continue to provide the expert insurance advice that the CPBA has come to ex-pect from your broker, the Moore-McLean Insurance Group.
Gerry Olsthoorn
Errors & Omissions Insurance
As you know, your Professional Liability insurance is underwritten by the Encon Group, and adminis-tered by the Moore-McLean Insurance Group. This coverage, sometimes referred to as ‘Errors and Omissions Insurance’, or ‘E&O’, provides protection in the event a mistake or omission in the provi-sion of service results in financial harm to a third party.
Most CPBA members are aware of the overall E&O coverage details, but many are unclear about the specifics of the coverage. In previous newsletters, we addressed what is covered and why there is an in-creasing need for coverage. We live in a very litigious environment; the general public needs someone to blame and is quick to initiate a lawsuit. CPBA members need to be aware of what types of claims are being reported to their insurance carrier.
The following list of claims is not exhaustive, but outlines some of the incidents that have occurred and subsequently triggered claims.
INCORRECT DISPENSING
One of the most common types of claims relates to incorrect dispensing. This can include a wide range of errors, e.g., an error occurred in the dosage noted on the prescription bottle; the bottle is incorrectly labeled; or improper instructions were provided. Just imagine what could happen to a client if they re-ceived either too much, or not enough of their medication. An overdose, and someone might be seri-ously injured, however an insufficient dose may not cure the condition or alleviate its symptoms, which could result in even more serious problems.
MISSED PRESCRIPTION
A missed prescription can often lead to claims when patients are under the impression that the pharmacist fully completed an order but in fact did not. An accurate review of all prescriptions is necessary to pre-vent this mistake from occurring.
DRUG INTERACTION
What about drug interaction? It is not uncommon for seniors to take upwards of seven or eight (or more) different types of medication at a time. These clients need to know that there are no harmful interactions between anyof the medication they are taking (not just between two or three). Many pharmacists pro-vide a written overview of medications that details key facts about the drugs being dispensed. This data can be of greater value to the client than relying upon internet searches for bits and pieces of in-formation, as it gives as much information as possible about the specific drugs they have been pre-scribed.
DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS
Disciplinary actions brought by the college could also result in claims. The Errors and Omissions pol-icy will cover a pharmacist for up to $50,000 of disciplinary defense expenses should your College name you in a disciplinary action.
Continued…
ERRORS & OMISSIONS INSURANCE
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Many of you may not realize it, but the E&O policy could also defend pharmacists against sexual ha-rassment claims. Disciplinary actions and sexual haha-rassment are topics that I can address at a later date in future issues of the newsletters.
Your Responsibility
As a critical player in the risk management partnership, it is your duty to be well informed about what constitutes a claim. Today, with the sophistication of health care and the increased expectations of clients, it is not uncommon to find yourself in a claims situation that you never would have dreamed would arise. However, should you be at all concerned about what comprises a claim, you are encouraged to contact us without delay, so that we can assist you in the claims process.
Gerry Olsthoorn, BA
Vice President, Business Development Moore-McLean Insurance Group
Alberta Report
This year, Alberta pharmacists celebrate a very special milestone – the 100th anniversary of regulated pharmacy practice in Alberta. For a century, pharmacists have made invaluable contributions to the health and well-being of Albertans through their work in rural and urban communities, hospitals, aca-demia and research.
It is humbling to be in the company of a profession that has such a rich history, but also that of a pro-fession that has accomplished such present day success and growth.
With one of the broadest provincial scopes of practice, Alberta pharmacists now provide a greater range of patient care services than ever before. To this end, professional malpractice insurance coverage often comes to mind. CPBA is managed and operated for the sole benefit of provincial member associations, and works to provide you with the best malpractice insurance. Alberta pharmacists with CPBA can rest easy knowing they are covered for their full scope of practice and by an “A” rated malpractice insur-ance carrier.
If you do have questions however, pharmacists visit:
www.rxa.ca/n_BecomingMember/PharmacistBenefits.aspx and RxA members are encouraged to visit:
www.rxa.ca/n_MemberPrograms/Insurance.aspx
Recently added to RxA’s member area website is a CPBA Malpractice Insurance Fact Sheet that cov-ers frequently asked questions and steps to follow if you do have a claim against you.
Trudy Holzmann
Alberta Pharmacists Association (RxA)
Member Association Reports
Continued…
Moore-McLean and the CPBA - Working Together for the Benefit of All
The Moore-McLean Insurance Group works proactively to ensure that CPBA members are kept in-formed about issues that affect their insurance and the coverage provided. Through a series of newslet-ters, bulletins, presentations and educational seminars, we aim to keep members up-to-date on issues impacting their businesses and risk management portfolios.
On an ongoing basis, we conduct careful reviews to identify areas of the policy wording that require re-vision to better meet the needs of members, and make changes accordingly. Routinely, we compare the coverage provided by the insurer to that of other suppliers to be certain that we’re offering the best cov-erage and overall value. We also take part in quarterly board meetings with CPBA Directors & Offi-cers to better understand the needs of members.
We are always available to take your call and provide answers to any questions or concerns you may have, including inquiries relating to policy coverage and claims, and fulfilling requests for certificates of insurance.
THE MOORE-MCLEAN CPBA TEAM Gerry Olsthoorn, BA
Gerry started his insurance career shortly after graduating from the University of Windsor with a BA in Economics. His first role in the industry was as a trainee at Federated Insurance in Winnipeg in 1981. From there, he moved into the role of Program Manager in Client Relations for various Alpha houses, including Sedgwick, Marsh Canada, and AON Reed Stenhouse. In his present role as Vice President, Business Development for the Moore-McLean Insurance Group, Gerry manages several large
associa-The People Behind the CPBA
The Moore-McLean Insurance Group
The Moore-McLean Insurance Groupis one of the largest truly independent brokers in Canada. Comprised of more than 60 professionals working from three offices, our group’s expert teams work closely with our insurance partners to obtain preferred pricing and coverage options for our clients. We work directly with various association groups to provide coverage that is suited to the needs of their members and continually seek out opportunities for improving upon the products, services and advice we are known for. Whether it’s creating an insurance program designed to respond to a particular class of risk, or expanding upon coverage to grow with maturing member associations, the Moore-McLean Insurance Group is an unequalled partner.
We believe that as your trusted insurance advisor, we must bring value to the relationship beyond the transaction of insurance. We see ourselves as an extension of your organization and pride ourselves on being able to offer Solutions Beyond Insurance - a variety of programs managed by experts in virtually every area of risk your business will face.
We strive for perfection in all areas of business, and our approach to our People, Partners and Practice is guided by our philosophy that ’Only The Best’ will do. Our staff members, most of whom hold a CAIB or CIP designation, are continually encouraged and supported in their desire to pursue continued professional development. Our insurance partners are chosen based on their integrity and strength, and our practice is reflective of our commitment to you, our clients.
The People Behind the Scenes at the CPBA Office
The Canadian Pharmacists Benefits Association (CPBA) is able to deliver the professional liability in-surance you need for your peace of mind through a partnership between our member organizations (PANL, PEIPA, MSP and RxA), our insurance broker (Moore-McLean Corporate Insurance Ltd.), our Board of Directors and our Operations Office staff. In this article, we are introducing you to some of the people involved.
CPBA Operations Office
The CPBA operations staff team is led by Melonie Hart, Director of Operations. Melonie works with and advises the Board on its activities in pursuit of providing your insurance, and coordinates all the part-ners involved in service delivery. She has many years’ experience in association management and spe-cializes in those in the various aspects of health care. As such, she brings an understanding of health issues to her work. In addition, she has managed professional “protective” (insurance) associations and is well aware of the principles and processes involved in the operation of a professional liability insur-ance regime.
David Petrie, Project Manager, works closely with Melonie and the Board in developing some com-munications and marketing materials, and in monitoring execution of CPBA’s strategic plan. David brings many years of experience in association management and business planning to our team. Maria Galati, CPBA’s Administrator, supports Melonie and David in coordinating events (such as CPBA’s participation in recent provincial association meetings), managing suppliers and ensuring ma-terials are delivered and activities carried out in a timely fashion. She also is responsible for the de-velopment of the newsletter. Prior to her involvement in association management, Maria worked for a national chain of drug stores, so she is also aware of issues of concern to pharmacists.
Please do not hesitate to contact the CPBA staff if you have questions or concerns: Tel: (416) 491-2886/1-800-208-9398
Fax: (416) 491-1670 Email: info@cpba.ca
tion programs which encompass various forms of coverage for organizations throughout the country. T: 416-364-4000
TF: 888-404-0000, Ext 291 F:416-364-5708
E: gerryolsthoorn@mooremclean.com Maria Colasante, CAIB, CIP
Maria graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Arts, and shortly thereafter began her career in the insurance industry. For the past 20 years, Maria has gained valuable insight into the needs of her clients. Maria’s role as Manager, Commercial Groups and Programs, allows her to focus her efforts on Commercial Insurance services for small- to mid-sized organizations and program and association ac-counts.
T: 416-364-4000
TF: 888-404-0000, Ext 241 F:416-364-5708
