NSO is here to help and to answer your questions.

Helping and supporting nurses is our primary mission. So if you need more information or to speak with us, here's how.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some of the most common questions NSO receives. If you don't see your question, please contact us. You'll find our contact information on this page, too!
 

*Note:  Insurance companies issue insurance policies that specify definitions of key policy terms, triggers for coverage applicability and exclusions to the policy.  Each claim is evaluated by the insurance company that issued the policy.  The claim is evaluated with respect to policy provisions in order to determine coverage applicability.


Questions about coverage

Our customer service team is happy to help. You can call us at 1-800-247-1500 or email us at [email protected].
Your coverage can begin once your completed application is approved and payment is received. In most cases, this can be done in one day if you apply online. If you decide to fax your application (1-800-739-8818), it can be processed within 2-3 business days. Your application processing time may be extended if we need additional information from you.
Yes, you are eligible for up to a 50% discount if you’ve graduated from school within the last 12 months. When you apply through our online quote process, your rate will reflect all discounts for which you are eligible.
A good way of knowing if you are considered an employee is whether or not your company takes taxes out of your pay and files a W2 form with the IRS at the end of the year. If this is the case, you can indicate that you are employed. Generally, self-employed professionals receive a 1099 Form from the entity for whom they have performed services.

If you are both (working for different companies in different capacities), then you can apply as "self-employed" to be insured for both your employed and self-employed work.

If your employer pays for your professional liability insurance coverage and continues to have you covered under the employer’s policy, please sign up as employed. However, if your employer has removed the employer’s insurance policy to cover you, please sign up as self-employed. If you are unsure, sign up as self-employed.

In nearly every case, we offer the same coverage and benefits to you whether you are employed or self-employed. Our policy is flexible enough to safeguard you when you change careers, so you can continue to preserve your livelihood.
As long as you have an active nursing license, you are eligible for coverage. Even if you’re not involved in hands-on care, it makes sense to insure yourself from a potential liability situation. For example, if you give advice to a friend, or aid a child in a schoolyard, you could be exposing yourself to a potential lawsuit.

However, our coverage is not intended to respond to incidents that may arise from duties that are purely administrative in nature. If you are not involved in hands-on nursing, but are still working in an administrative capacity, your employer most likely covers these types of errors and omissions. Consult with your facility’s risk manager or your supervisor for confirmation.
We provide coverage for over 80 different types of healthcare professional licenses and certifications. We will cover you for any of those licenses that you hold. Your premium will be determined by whichever of your licenses carries the highest exposure.

For example, you may be licensed as a Registered Nurse and an EMT-Basic. Your premium would be based on the higher exposure, in this case the EMT-Basic. Coverage for the other profession would be added to your policy for no additional cost.
NSO offers coverage to most nursing professionals. The only exclusions to the policy are Nurse Midwives and Nurse Anesthetists.

If you are an RN, no matter what your area of specialty is, you will pay the same premium as other RNs in your state. Click here for information about our rates.

We do rate your premium based on specialty if you are a nurse practitioner and may rate your premium differently if you have dual certifications like RN and Massage Therapy or RN and EMT. The good news is that when you take out coverage for both certifications, you have coverage for both. You also have coverage automatically if you are returning to school for refresher courses.
Please be aware that there is no specific exclusion on the professional liability policy through NSO for communicable diseases like the coronavirus. If you believe that you have a claim related to the delivery of professional services and a patient being diagnosed with or infected by COVID-19, please contact us.

Claims

If you have been contacted in regards to a lawsuit, or you suspect that you may be contacted in the future, it is important to contact us immediately, so we can proceed in your defense, if necessary.

You can submit an online contact form​ or call us at 1-800-247-1500, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET. We will then forward your information to our underwriter, CNA. A CNA claim consultant will contact you by phone within 24-48 hours to explain next steps and discuss what attorney options are available to you.

It is important that you make no attempt to contact the patient or the patient's attorney to discuss the subpoena or any other paperwork you may receive. Avoid the temptation to talk with your friends and colleagues about the subpoena. Your insurance provider should be the first person with whom you discuss the details of the subpoena.
If you face professional disciplinary charges, you are eligible for defense reimbursement under our policy. This coverage may provide up to $25,000 for legal representation for covered disciplinary hearings (excluding the appeals process). Coverage will vary according to your policy provisions.
The fact is anyone can file a complaint against you with the state board for any reason—even your own employer—and it doesn’t have to be solely connected to your professional duties. You’ve studied and worked hard for your license, and it should be safeguarded. All complaints need to be taken seriously, no matter how trivial or unfounded they may appear.

Our current License Protection coverage reimburses you for your defense of disciplinary charges and other covered expenses arising out of a covered incident. We understand the importance of your license to your livelihood and will help you preserve it.
Our current insureds and potential clients should not be concerned about the cancellation of their policy solely due to the reporting of an incident or claim. We evaluate practice methods, continuing education, and risk management techniques along with the severity and frequency of any incidents or claims reported before taking such serious action.
Nurses Service Organization has been meeting the insurance needs of nurses since 1976 and provides professional liability insurance to well over 500,000 nurses nationwide. The professional liability insurance program offered through NSO is underwritten by American Casualty Company of Reading, Pennsylvania, a CNA company. CNA has earned an A (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best, the nation's leading authority on the financial well-being of insurance companies. CNA is a registered trademark of CNA Financial Corporation.

Your NSO account

You can easily retrieve your username and/or password by logging in and clicking the "Forgot Username or Password/Pin" link. You will then be prompted to answer questions to validate your identity and retrieve your username and/or password. If you forgot your username, it will be displayed immediately. If you forgot your password, you will be emailed a temporary password that will allow you to log in and reset your password.
Contact us to confirm coverage or begin a new policy, if you need to reactivate coverage.
Your username is the email address we have on file. You may have recently changed your email address and therefore we do not have your updated email address in our system. Please log in using your original email address, and once you are logged in, you can update your email address by selecting "View/Change My Personal Information". If you cannot recall which email address we have on file, you can click "Forgot Username or Password/Pin", to immediately retrieve your username.

Businesses and practices

Your insurance company is American Casualty Company of Reading, Pennsylvania, a CNA company. CNA is a registered trademark of CNA Financial Corporation.

Nurses Service Organization (NSO) and CNA have collaborated to bring you this coverage. NSO, a registered trade name of Affinity Insurance Services, Inc., is responsible for the marketing and administering of this professional liability insurance program.
A shared limit policy is issued in the name of your professional business or company. The policy provides professional liability insurance coverage for the business entity named on the certificate of insurance and any of the employees of the business entity, provided they are a ratable profession within our program. Coverage is also provided for locum tenens professionals with whom the business entity has contracted for services the locum tenens performs for the business entity.

The business, and all eligible employees and sub-contractors you regularly employ, will be considered when determining your practice’s premium calculation and share the same coverage limits you select for the business.
The policy covers your employees outside the office as long as they are performing covered professional services on behalf of your business.

If your employees are moonlighting, either for pay or as a volunteer, they should carry an individual professional liability insurance policy to cover those services.
When a shared limit policy is issued, "a picture" is taken of your company. During the policy year, all employees are covered while they are working for you. In the event new employees are hired, it is not required to report or pay an additional premium for this coverage—new employees are automatically covered. Additional premium will not be charged until the policy renewal, when another evaluation is conducted and the policy is rated for the next year based on this evaluation. Conversely, it is not required to report staff reductions, and premium is not refunded for staff that has left your practice.

Four months prior to your renewal, a renewal application will be mailed to your firm so that you can notify NSO of your total staff. A revised staffing count will generate an adjusted billing or premium that will be due upon renewal.
Your professional liability insurance policy does not provide coverage for direct physical loss or damage to your property or premise due to fire; such coverage should be sought under a fire insurance policy.

However, if a claim is made against you for damage to the property of another, caused by a fire that is due to your negligence, you may be covered by fire and water legal liability coverage. Such coverage is included under the Workplace Liability Coverage provided by the NSO Program. Fire and water legal liability coverage is intended to provide coverage for a tenant or lessee of a building who agrees under contract to be responsible for the building or a portion of the building that is under his care, custody and control. Included is coverage for property damage liability caused by fire, when the fire is due to the insured's negligence.

The property damage liability coverage provides up to $150,000 in coverage to a premises in which you do not have a financial or ownership interest.

Nursing schools

Yes. NSO offers coverage for many allied healthcare programs under one policy. If your school’s allied programs have separate coverage, you may want to consider consolidating them under one plan.
NSO offers schools a Claim-Free Discount and a Size-of-School Discount. Once you begin the application process, we can determine your school's eligibility.
Nursing students should get in the habit of maintaining their own professional liability policy – which may be required by the facility where they are practicing. Students should also be aware that when they enter the workforce, there could be gaps in coverage provided by their employer.

Student nurses

Yes, we offer a student discount that varies by state and profession. Find out your rate through our online quote process. Additionally, if you have completed training within the previous 12 months, you are entitled to up to a 60% discount off the regular full-time rate as a first-year graduate.
Our student policy is designed to safeguard you during clinical work as part of your school curriculum. After graduation you can take advantage of another benefit of our policy. We do not require that you increase your coverage to professional status until your policy's next renewal. You will be automatically covered after graduation, as a professional, until your renewal – at no additional charge.
If your school does not provide coverage for you while you're completing your clinical rotation, you should purchase a student nurse practitioner policy. Your registered nurse policy will not provide adequate coverage for your clinical work, which may include duties outside the scope of your RN license. Keep in mind, one of the benefits of our Nurse Practitioner and NP student coverage is that you can be covered for your RN duties at no additional cost.

If you have your nursing coverage through NSO, it is very easy to make the change to a Nurse Practitioner student. Simply contact us today.
Yes, if your state allows you to work under a temporary license, you can apply for coverage and have professional liability insurance for work right away. Also, you may be eligible to receive our first-year graduate discount – that's up to a 60% savings off the full-time professional rate.

Disclaimer
The information, examples and suggestions presented in this material have been developed from sources believed to be reliable, but they should not be construed as legal or other professional advice. CNA accepts no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of this material and recommends the consultation with competent legal counsel and/or other professional advisors before applying this material in any particular factual situations. This material is for illustrative purposes and is not intended to constitute a contract. Please remember that only the relevant insurance policy can provide the actual terms, coverages, amounts, conditions and exclusions for an insured. All products and services may not be available in all states and may be subject to change without notice. “CNA" is a registered trademark of CNA Financial Corporation. Certain CNA Financial Corporation subsidiaries use the "CNA" trademark in connection with insurance underwriting and claims activities. Copyright © 2020 CNA. All rights reserved.

*Claims will be evaluated for coverage based upon the specific facts and circumstances presented, the issued policy terms, conditions and exclusions. If coverage is afforded, the amounts payable under a policy are subject to applicable deductibles and limits of insurance. An interpretation of coverage does not predict the outcome of a claim.