There’s no question that every practicing Nutritionist has a lot to deal with to keep his or her business running. Between working with patients, studying and improving your own craft, creating content, and everything else you have to be at your best every day in order to be successful in the world of nutrition.
One thing no Nutritionist should forget is the importance of liability insurance to the long-term health and security of a practice. In fact, Professional Liability insurance (PLI) is a legal requirement for being a Nutritionist in some jurisdictions. This is especially true for those who counsel or advise companies or individuals.
While it may be possible in some states to practice without insurance, that’s doesn’t mean it’s any less important. Virtually anyone seeking your services, and especially businesses, will require you to maintain proof of current liability insurance in case you are found liable for a claim.
Having insurance is simply common sense any time you’re working as a Nutritionist. A Professional Liability insurance policy ensures that you won’t be financially impacted by any losses associated with claims like negligence or malpractice. There’s no way to predict when something may go wrong, so there’s no reason not to stay protected.
What Is Professional Liability Insurance?
While we’ll refer to it as Professional Liability insurance, this type of coverage is also known as Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) and Errors and Omissions (E&O) and are designed to protect you from responsibility for a variety of claims.
Professional Liability insurance plans generally cover any liability arising from a professional service you provided that caused harm to a client. This can either happen as a result of mistakes on your part (Errors) or a failure to give some service or take some action (Omissions).
In the healthcare community and among some Nutritionists, Professional Liability insurance is therefore known as Malpractice insurance. The nature of these professions tends to open up practitioners to claims. In the event that something goes wrong in the course of your relationship with a client, your insurance policy would prevent you from being responsible for any payouts.
What does Professional Liability cover?
With so many insurance options available for Nutritionists, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It may be difficult for you to determine exactly what risks you’re taking in your profession, or to understand the policy itself and when you will be able to file claims. If you have any questions or doubts about liability insurance, it is worth getting in contact with an insurance agent.
If you’re looking for a simple, affordable way to quickly acquire a Professional Liability insurance policy, BizInsure makes it easy to find the cover that’s right for your individual needs. You can get a quote or call a licensed agent through the website, helping make the process as fast and pain-free as possible.
Professional Liability insurance will protect you from a wide range of situations commonly experienced by practicing Nutritionists. While it’s common for people to think they don’t need insurance or would never end up filing a claim, it’s important to consider:
- Litigation for malpractice and negligence is very common in our society (many lawyers make a living simply from filing lawsuits)
- Being found responsible for a claim like these without insurance could leave you with a bill for double or even triple damages
Claims of negligence or malpractice are serious and can put otherwise successful practices out of business. Professional Liability insurance can give you peace of mind and security knowing that you’re covered in case anything goes wrong. And even if you end up winning in court, you’ll still be protected from paying legal fees.
Related: What does Professional Liability insurance cover?
While malpractice and negligence are two of the most common and well-known claims made against Nutritionists, there are actually four categories of claims that fall under a typical Professional Liability insurance policy. These include:
- Negligence
- Misrepresentation
- Violation of good faith and fair dealings
- Inaccurate advice
Since these claims can apply to essentially any type of practice, Professional Liability packaged with Commercial General Liability insurance is the right choice for all Nutritionists regardless of techniques and specializations. These are some common situations in which liability insurance could help give a practice security:
- You operate a private nutrition practice out of an office or home
- You offer clients service-based consultations and advice in order to help them achieve their goals
- You have opened a private practice in your area
- You work inside the homes or offices of your clients
All of these work arrangements are conducive to liability insurance. While Professional Liability insurance is likely the most important way you can protect your practice, there are other important measures that can reduce your short- and long-term risk.
Property Insurance
If you work out of a private practice as a Nutritionist, you likely own a large quantity of property related to your business. This applies both to small and large offices, as the majority of Nutritionists have the significant investment in their practices. It’s important to keep that investment protected through property insurance.
Any Nutritionist who works out of an office should thoroughly consider acquiring Property insurance. While liability insurance will protect you from claims like malpractice and negligence, you’ll need to make a Property insurance claim if a fire, burst pipe, or any other unexpected occurrence damages your business property.
Without Property insurance, you’ll be forced to draw on savings to make up for the lost or damaged items. An insurance policy ensures that you’re able to get back up and running as quickly as possible by filing a claim for compensation. You can get cover for things like:
- Inventory
- Signs
- Furniture and equipment
- Your building
General Liability and Protection
For most Nutritionists, visiting clients is a routine part of the job. Just like in the office, accidents and unforeseen incidents are equally possible during a client visit. While Property insurance protects your own property from damage, General Liability and protection will pay for any damage done to the property of your clients.
In addition to these common situations, a General Liability will pay claims resulting from accidents not directly related to your profession, for instance a client slipping and falling.
Being a Nutritionist is an incredibly rewarding (and lucrative) experience, but it’s important to be safe about your investments and the future of your practice. The protections described in this article should be used by every practicing Nutritionist in order to cover a range of possible costs.
Of course, there is a much wider scope of professional protection than what is covered in this article, as well as more reasons why insurance is a must-have for any Nutritionist. But you should have a general understanding of the need for Professional Liability insurance and the other forms of coverage we looked at.
Any Nutritionist practicing without Professional Liability insurance is putting him or herself at risk of a very costly lawsuit. Being covered is a valuable investment for small and large businesses as well as everything in between. BizInsure can quickly provide your practice with affordable, simple insurance coverage.
Click here for more information about BizInsure’s Professional Liability insurance for Nutritionists and to learn more about the various types of coverage every nutritionist should have.
