Dear MPS member:
In our most recent correspondence, we informed members that we would be providing an update on the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) and the Council of Professional Associations of Psychologists (CPAP) insurance program. MPS is a member of CPAP, so eligible MPS members are able to purchase insurance through this program. The CPA/CPAP professional liability and clinic insurance program offers the most comprehensive coverage to psychological professionals available in Canada.
BMS Group (BMS) is the exclusive insurance broker for the CPA/CPAP program and is the broker of choice for over 100,000 healthcare professionals. BMS, along with new program providers such as Gowlings, are experienced in professional liability insurance and legal defence, offering more protection than ever before to psychology association members.
CPA/CPAP and BMS are committed to providing psychological practitioners with the most comprehensive, sustainable coverage available. BMS and QBE (the Lloyds of London insurer of the CPA/CPAP program) closely examined all other professional liability insurance products available to our members, including the new program offered by the Canadian Register of Health Service Psychologists (CRHSP) brokered by McFarlan Rowlands, to determine if the CPA/CPAP plan could be adjusted accordingly while still providing members a sustainable price point for premiums.
An updated comparison document that reflects these NEW enhancements can be found http://www.psychology.bmsgroup.com/en/downloads/1391-B%20CPYA%20Comparisons.pdf.
As of May 9, all new and existing policy holders will be provided with a minimum $7 million limit, with additional coverage options meeting or surpassing any other policy available to Canadian psychology practitioners.
BMS and QBE pricing for this program was established using actuarial analysis of a decade of profession-specific claims data. The premiums for the BMS-brokered program are sustainable but still significantly lower than those historically paid by the psychology community when the CPA/CPAP program was brokered for decades by McFarlan Rowlands. Had CPA not reviewed and revisited this program (and ultimately moved it to a new broker), Canada’s psychologists would be renewing their certificates for the previous limited program at historically expensive premiums.
When CPA/CPAP transferred the insurance program from McFarlan Rowlands(MR) to BMS we asked MR in writing not to use any personal information they may have collected to administer the CPA/CPAP programs for any other purpose. You may have recently received an emailing, as well as a surface mailing from CRHSP and MR. CRHSP opted not only to promote its new program to its own members but, with coordinates provided to them by McFarlan Rowlands, they reached out to members of the CPA and members of provincial and territorial associations as well. These mailings were not undertaken with CPA or CPAP’s awareness or consent. The information and application included in that mailing are not associated with your insurance renewal. Your current policy as well as the renewal policy are all with BMS. The CRHSP mailing has caused significant confusion among members. If you have any questions at all, we urge you to contact BMS, 1-855-318-6038.
When renewing your coverage:
CPA and CPAP (i.e., MPS) members who renew with BMS in our association program ensure continuity of past coverage and management of any current and future claims. The broker of record for the current policy and the one that renews in June 2014 is BMS.
Although the insurance company (Novex) remained the same during transition to BMS, McFarlan Rowlands is no longer associated in any way with your current policy. If you opt to purchase insurance with the new CRHSP program, you are not renewing coverage, you are purchasing new coverage. By not renewing coverage with BMS, you are letting your current insurance lapse and expire.
CPA believes strongly that BMS, in partnership with QBE (Lloyds of London) and Gowlings, the program’s preferred and trusted legal provider, is the best option available to Canadian psychology practitioners needing liability insurance protection. All of these partner organizations have broad and deep experience when it comes to health care professional liability and defence.
BMS has been able to provide psychology professionals with a comprehensive program at a low but sustainable price. Thousands of members have already renewed and voiced their enthusiastic support for the service received from BMS. CPA has also had excellent feedback from members who have already accessed Gowlings services. CPA believes that a new program, such as the one offered by CRHSP will not be able to offer our profession the same quality of service as can BMS. For example, BMS has committed to working with CPA and CPAP to provide psychology-specific risk management resources. The newly released college complaints article (http://www.psychology.bmsgroup.com/en/downloads/Gowlings%20article%20(May2014).pdf), and the presentation planned for the CPA annual convention, are just two examples of what will be regularly available to BMS-brokered policy subscribers.
MPS strongly encourages members to renew with BMS this year and experience first hand the superior policy and services that CPA/CPAP have worked to make available to psychology practitioners in Canada.
For further information about the BMS-brokered program, for renewal applications or to renew your policy online, please visit the dedicated program website (http://www.psychology.bmsgroup.com/en/renew-your-coverage). BMS can also be reached by phone at 1-855-318-6038 to address any questions you may have. You should also feel free to contact the CPA offices for any further information about the CPA/CPAP program; executiveoffice@cpa.ca.
Andrea Piotrowski, Ph.D., C. Psych.
President-Elect, MPS
Representative to CPAP