Frustrated with NSO

They sent me a folder with 14 pages of conditions and terms. It is actually the underwriter's documents, CNA. If you message me your email address, I will email you a copy. Never had a hospital ask me for it, not sure what the doctor will do with it. A certificate of coverage is all that is really needed.

Actually, this is not an exclusion named in the boilerplate fine print. And for what it is worth, I don't think that she is a practitioner in the way you apparently mean it. She is working under the supervision of a physician on the physician's premises. Nurse Practice Acts and other laws vary from state to state on who may perform what kind of work unsupervised on whom, where, and under what other circumstances.

That said, I have seen the posts by those excluded by NSO (actually HPSO - the business side of NSO). Those people were denied coverage up front. If the poster declared her practice area accurately on her application, and HPSO and the underwriter issued her a certificate, then she is covered.

I have to tell HPSO exactly what I am doing and they audit me annually. Clearly if I was performing services that they did not know they were covering, I would not have insurance behind those actions.

I am trying to start my own business doing peels and micro. For this reason, I applied for liability insurance from NSO. I received my "certificate of insurance" in the mail, and at first it seemed perfect. I gave a copy of it to the doctor that I am hoping to rent office space from to do my procedures. She was very concerned that I did not have a policy manual to go with it. I contacted NSO, and they said they do not have a manual, just a few pages of definitions of legal terms that are on the certificate. I asked them to at least send me that. So then I called back and asked if I could have some sort of statement or proof that the insurance covers me to do the procedures, because this is very important to the doctor. They said if its ok with my state, then its okay with them, but they could not offer me anything on paper. Then to my dissapointment today, they sent me yet another copy of the 1 page certificate instead of the definitions I requested. At this point, I am very concerned about NSO and my coverage. It seems unprofessional and almost unreal that an insurance agency could grant liability without having some sort of policy manual or explanation of liability. What I have basically gives me the dollar amount of my coverage.....thats it!. How do you all feel about it? Everybody talks up NSO. I am becoming very embarressed about the situation, because my doctor keeps asking me for an update regarding getting my policy manual. The first time I called and asked for a manual (I have called 3 times), they said "Oh, I'm sorry, you should have gotten that by now. I'll send you a copy of your certificate in the mail right away." I said NOOOO I don't need another copy of that certificate, I need a manual or some sort of explanation.....its like they don't even know what a manual is. Don't all insurances have to offer that? I don't know where else to go now.

Have you tried Seabury and Smith, formerly Maginnis ?

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washingto

Thanks everyone for your help and input. And just to clarify some things, let me also add the following: When I filled out the insurance application, I told them I would be self employed and doing cosmetic procedures. They told me they cover me to do whatever my state allows nurses to do. My state board of nursing (WV) said there is nothing in WV law stating that nurses cannot perform peels/micro, nor does it say supervision is needed. she concluded with saying nurses need to use good judgement and do what they feel competent in doing. I found out about NSO to begin with when I went for training for these procedures, and the instructor recommended NSO. I called them again today and spoke to another person who said there is indeed a several page policy and that they would send it to me, but she said it is very generic. I told them that is fine, but the dermatologist I am waiting to rent office space from wants to see it. Thanks again everyone for your help.