Practicing Member Insurance Requirements

Practicing members must maintain Professional Liability (PL) and Commercial General Liability (CGL) Insurance their membership to be 'in-good-standing' with the BCAK. Practicing members have the choice to purchase insurance through the CKA/BCAK group provider (Prolink) at the time of membership purchase/renewal or request approval of other third-party insurance that meets certain criteria specified by the BCAK. The required criteria help to ensure that members have insurance coverage that will respond to claims made against members in Canada.

BCAK/CKA group provider insurance purchase is completed during the membership purchase/renewal process. If you chose to purchase insurance through the group provider you will be redirected to the Prolink website to complete the purchase and may then return to complete payment of your BCAK membership dues.

It is important for members to maintain insurance coverage that meets their needs. The Prolink group coverage meets the BCAK's conditions, but may not meet the needs all members based on clientele, service territory or services offered.

Members who hold insurance coverage through another insurance broker/company which covers the BCAK's scope of practice for kinesiology services, may submit a request for recognition of your coverage.

Liability Insurance Requirements

Depending on your work environment, the insurance requirements vary. You may require private sector insurance, public sector insurance, or both. If you are not currently employed, you are still required to have private sector professional liability and commercial general liability insurance coverage. The requirements are detailed below.

To meet the BCAK's minimum requirements, insurance coverage must meet the conditions listed below, based on your work environment. When insurance recognition is requested by a member, BCAK will conduct a review and inform the member if the insurance they have provided is deemed to meet the conditions and whether they can proceed with membership purchase.

1) Private Practice (Private clinics, gyms, facilities and community)

Submission Steps:

First - Review the policy wordings or consult with your insurance broker to confirm if your policy meets the requirements listed below. Policies which do not meet all the requirements listed will not be accepted.

Private Practice Requirements

• You (the member) are shown as the "named insured", an "insured" or an "additional named insured" on the policy.
• The policy is written with an insurer licensed to conduct business in the province of BC and Canada.
• The insurer has a a minimum A.M. Best Rating of “A-“. (Quality rating)
• Policy Coverage includes Professional Liability/Errors & Omissions (PL) and Commercial General Liability (CGL) Insurance for acts performed by you in the delivery of professional practice services in accordance with scope of practice defined by the BCAK.
• Liability limits of not less than $2,000,000/occurrence (claim) and $2,000,000 per policy term for both PL and CGL.
• Additional PL Requirements
  • Policy wordings cover work with clinical populations and are not limited to work with healthy or uninjured persons.
  • Policy wordings cover the scope of practice for kinesiology as defined by the BCAK.
  • Policy deductible is not greater than $2,500 per loss (claim).
  • Policy wordings cover all claims made during the policy period.
  • Policy wordings provide full retroactive coverage. (i.e. There must be no retroactive date limiting coverage for prior professional services rendered)
  • Policy includes or makes available, extended reporting/discovery period coverage of not less than 5 years if written on claims made form.

Second - Submit the following documents by email to the BCAK office

1. A fully completed BCAK Insurance Declaration and Waiver form. This form stipulates that you are accepting responsibility for maintaining appropriate insurance for the term of membership and understand that you are responsible for ensuring you have the coverage you need.
2. A copy of the insurance policy Declaration (Cover) Page detailing the coverage information. (note: a copy of the policy wordings may be required by BCAK to assist in assessing if details are not clearly stated on the declaration page)

Notes:

Canadian Athletic Therapy Association (CATA) Group Policy Insurance - BCAK accepts this coverage provided the kinesiology extension is shown on the declaration page. See sample - extension is highlighted in yellow

Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists (CSEP) - BCAK does not accept CSEP-CPT insurance as it only covers working with healthy persons. Similarly CSEP-CEP insurance is not accepted as the required "kinesiology" extension is not available to CSEP members who are providing services outside of Ontario and are not registrants of the College of Kinesiologists of Ontario (CKO).

2) Public Practice - Government, Crown Corporation, BC Health Authority, Hospital, Public Care Clinic

Submission Steps

Submit the following documents:

1. A confirmation letter from the government agency (your employer) confirming your regular employment.
2. A fully completed BCAK Insurance Declaration and Waiver form. This form stipulates that if you are under an employers policy and employment is terminated for any reason, you will immediately obtain other insurance and provide proof to the BCAK.

3) Public & Private Practice (Sectors)

If you work in both public and private sector positions, submit both forms of insurance documentation, along with a fully completed BCAK Insurance Declaration and Waiver form.

Review Process

The submitted documentation will be reviewed by the BCAK to assess that the various conditions have been met (note: you are required to provide BCAK with up to 2 weeks for review of documents - do not leave this to the last day(s) of the renewal period).

• If you are applying for Private Practice equivalency and the requirements are not indicated or can not be determined from the document(s) submitted, you may be asked to submit a full copy of the policy, including policy wordings.
• If you are applying for Public Practice equivalency, the documentation you submit must confirm you are a regular employee and not an independent contractor or sub-contractor.

After the review is completed, you will be advised whether the coverage meets the requirements outlined in the applicable Private/Public section.

If your request for recognition is accepted, you will be informed by email that you may complete your membership purchase/renewal. If your request for approval is declined, you will be informed of which requirements are not met or cannot be verified based on the documentation submitted.

If your request is declined, you must either, repeat the entire process and present proof of coverage which meets all the requirements, or email the office and advise us you wish to purchase coverage through the group provider and you will be given directions on how to proceed.

Note: You will not be able to complete your membership purchase/renewal until the BCAK confirms with you in writing that your coverage meets the required conditions or you have purchased insurance through the group provider, which is automatically pre-approved. For additional details please Email the BCAK office.

The CKA/BCAK member group Insurance in managed by Prolink Insurance Brokers.

Professional Practice Insurance

PROLINK Insurance has developed a customized Professional Practice Insurance Program for BCAK members. The program offers Professional Liability, Commercial General Liability, Cyber Security Liability and contents/equipment coverage for your clinic and office. Click here to learn more about this important protection for you and your business.

Professional Services Covered under the policy means; those services coming "within the competency and scope of the Insured’s Professional Capacity (subjective scope of practice) specified in Item 7 of the Declarations and customary services defined in the BCAK's Scope of Practice (including guidelines).

Policy Amendment Fee - Changes requested by you to your policy coverage during the term of the policy, are referred to as "mid term change(s)" and are subject to a $15 policy amendment fee, each time you request a change, except for a change to your mailing or business address.--

Additional Insurance Products

Extended Health and Dental Benefits
PROLINK Insurance has developed customized health, dental and paramedical benefit plans for BCAK members who do not have access to an employer provided health and dental insurance plan. Click here to learn more about this important protection for you and your family.
Life and Disability Insurance
PROLINK Insurance offers Life and Disability Insurance from more than 10 different insurers for BCAK members.  Click here to learn more about this important protection for you and your family.

As a full-service brokerage, PROLINK offers Life, Health, & Living Benefits solutions for your health, family, and loved ones, including: Health & Dental, Disability, Critical Illness, and Life Insurance, and 24-Hour Accident Protection.

To learn more, connect with PROLINK at 1 800-663-6828 or email life@prolink.insure, or visit prolink.insure/bcak.

ICBC and other Insurance Company Requirements

ICBC requires Kinesiologists who are employed or working as independent contractors to carry a minimum of $2M in coverage but may require $5M in coverage for corporations or limited companies. You should inquire with ICBC if this situation applies to you. Other insurers may also have their own requirements and these should be confirmed with the payer prior to initiating service delivery.

Clinical Work

If you provide kinesiology services in a private clinic, you should confirm with the employer the amount of coverage they require for Professional Liability (PL) insurance to ensure you meet their standards.

Community Work (ICBC or other)

If you work in a community setting (public recreation centre(s) and/or a combination of private clinic and public spaces), you may require a minimum higher levels of insurance coverage. Some municipalities require limits of $5 million in coverage (per loss/per year) for both PL and CGL insurance. Most cities, districts and municipalities require all those using their facilities for business purposes to provide proof of insurance, and may require you add them as an additional named insured to their policy to minimize their risk exposure for the work you perform, should something unforeseen happen to a client while you are working with them in or on public facilities/property.

Adding Additional Insureds to Your CGL Policy

Adding additional insured's which are not already included on your policy requires assessment by the insurer to determine risk. When this becomes required, you should ensure you address this well in advance of your required facility/space access date or insurance renewal. Any delay can negatively impact your ability to earn income should you be denied entry to a recreation facility, public park, or school property due to a lack of adequate insurance coverage, rendering you unable to work with clients until such time as you provide acceptable proof to the municipality.

Additional Insured's Automatically Included on your BCAK Member CGL Policy

The Prolink/Trisura policy includes a standard list of additional insureds, please review your policy to confirm the entities you require coverage for are listed on the additional insured page and if not, contact Prolink for assistance.

Work Outside of Canada or With Persons Residing Outside of Canada

If you travel for work to locations outside of Canada or provide remote telehealth services you should ensure your policy coverage will respond to claims from those jurisdictions. Regardless of whether you physically travel outside of Canada for work or provide services virtually to clients in other parts of the world from BC, you should contact your insurance broker to verify your coverage, any restrictions and seek to obtain coverage which is valid in all jurisdictions in which you carry out business.

Retirement

For information on insurance coverage (and its importance) after retirement see - Business Resources - Retirement, Career Change & Insurance

Kinesiologists should complete an annual risk assessment of their working environment, including any enhancements/changes planned or anticipated for the calendar year. This helps provide a better understanding of what insurance coverage(s), extension(s), and coverage limit(s) are most appropriate or required for your specific working situation.

Below are some key items you will need to know when buying insurance for the first time or renewing your insurance with the CKA/BCAK Group Member Program.

A) Determining PL and CGL Coverage Limits

1. Review the contractual agreements you have with the organizations/businesses/cities or municipalities you do business with or in. Does one or more agreement specify coverage levels and the types of insurance you require? You will want to ensure you are meeting the specified requirements in any contracts, as there is often a requirement to maintain limits of $5M for PL and $5M for CGL coverage. This is particularly true if you work in public (city/municipal) or private gym facilities as a contractor or sub-contractor.
2. Consider your client/customer base. Do you work with clients who have high incomes, such as celebrities, doctors, lawyers, or other professionals? Claims by clients who are high income earners can be substantially higher than the average person and may exceed the loss limit for coverage on many policies.
3. Review the services you provide. Do you provide services other than exercise therapy? Providing other treatments such as Shockwave therapy (ESWT), Low Intensity Laser Therapy (LILT), Therapeutic Ultrasound, Interferential current therapy (IFC), yoga or therapeutic yoga (this list is not exhaustive), can have a higher risk exposure for client injury and lawsuits. The insurer may require proof of sufficient formal training and/or additional premium to cover these risks. 
4. Work outside of Canada (United States or international). Do you provide services to persons who reside outside of Canada, either in person or by e-commerce? If you do, you will need to estimate what percentage of revenue will come from US based or international clientele. If you generate US based revenue be sure to contact the insurance broker to discuss your circumstances, as there are typically limits on how much US exposure Canadian based insurers will cover. If you work with clients situated in countries other than the United States of America, you will need to contact the broker to determine if the policy coverage meets your needs, if a coverage extension is available, and if not, what to do to obtain coverage.

B) Annual Gross Revenue/Income

Insurance application/renewal forms require you to provide an estimate of your annual gross business revenue/income from kinesiology services as a means of determining the volume of work you perform and the associated risk of a claim. This is a standard practice in the insurance industry. If this is your first year purchasing insurance or you new to the kinesiology profession, your gross revenue/income will typically be somewhere between $40,000 and $100,000 per year. However members who run their own business and/or have employees or use contractors/sub-contractors will typically have higher gross revenues and this becomes relevant to your insurance rate/premium. If your personal gross revenue exceeds the $100,000 level and/or you insure your company business operations as part of your personal PL and CGL coverage on the same policy, your rates may be higher.  An initial low estimate should not impact your premium or eligibility for the liability insurance and/or claims coverage unless it is an intentional attempt to defraud the insurer of the appropriate risk premium. If you become aware during the policy term that your income will greatly exceed what you initially indicated to the broker/insurer on your application, you must contact them to provide updated information at your earliest opportunity.

C) Business Contents

Do you own business equipment, machinery or tools which you use for work (including at any space/facility you lease or sub-lease from another person or organization) which you want to insure and are not insured elsewhere? If you do, you will need to know the replacement value ("current new value including taxes", not what you paid) for the contents and equipment before starting the online insurance application for the group insurance.  You do not need to know the exact replacement value of all the contents and equipment that you own, but you should estimate the value to within 10% of what the actual replacement cost will be.

D) Covering Staff and other Service Providers (who are not kinesiologists or licensed healthcare practitioners) under business insurance

Do you provide professional kinesiology services through an incorporated entity and want to insure administrative staff and/or kinesiology service providers under the Group Coverage?

1. Please contact the group provider (Prolink) or a broker of your choice for details on this process.

• Prolink/Trisura can cover the employees on a separate policy outside of the CKA/BCAK Group program premium. The cost to insure other employees will depend upon the overall revenues earned from the other services providers.
• Businesses which employ or contract other health professional “service providers” as part of the business operation are not eligible to purchase coverage under the CKA/BCAK group plan and must contact either Prolink or another broker directly for an insurance quote.
• All kinesiologists retained as independent contractors (not employed by the insured) must purchase and carry their own PL (E&O) insurance coverage for the services they provide.

Additional resources

To assist you in assessing your risk exposure a variety of online resources are available and include the following:

1. The Insurance Bureau of Canada on their website: Professional Liability - Risk Management.
2. Steps in the Process of Risk Management in Healthcare - Journal of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (Open Access Review Article). The principles and techniques explained here can be adapted to any type or size of healthcare operation.