insurance for physical/development disability facilities
assessing their needs

Westwood will work with you to ensure your physical disability facility clients have adequate insurance coverage for every threat they could face.
Commercial insurance agents, when approaching physical disability facilities, need to understand the unique challenges and risks these facilities face in order to provide relevant coverage solutions. Here are some challenges facing physical disability facilities that insurance agents should be aware of:
- Accessibility: Ensuring that the facility is fully accessible to all patients and residents, from door widths to ramps, can be a logistical challenge and can present potential liabilities if not adequately addressed.
- Specialized Equipment: The need for specialized equipment like lifts, wheelchairs, and adjustable beds can increase the risk of equipment malfunctions, which can lead to injury and potential claims.
- Injury Risks: Patients with physical disabilities often have a higher risk of falls or other injuries, especially if transferring from beds, wheelchairs, or using other equipment.
- Staff Training: Staff at these facilities need to be highly trained to handle the unique needs of their patients. Inadequate training can lead to mistakes and injuries.
- Medication Management: Patients might be on various medications, and managing those effectively to prevent errors is crucial.
- Compliance with Laws and Regulations: Disability facilities must comply with a range of local, state, and federal regulations, especially those related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Non-compliance can result in significant liabilities.
- Transportation: Many facilities provide transportation for their residents, increasing the potential liabilities linked to vehicle accidents.
- Evolving Care Needs: As patients age or their disabilities progress, their care needs can change, and the facility must be equipped and staffed to address these evolving needs.
- Infection Control: Like any medical facility, there’s a risk of infections spreading, which can be especially problematic for patients with compromised immune systems.
- Cybersecurity: Patient data needs to be secured, and facilities are increasingly relying on digital solutions for patient care, making them targets for cyberattacks.
- Therapy and Rehabilitation: Facilities may offer specialized therapies, like physical or occupational therapy, which come with their own set of risks and liabilities.
- Mental Health: Many patients with physical disabilities also have mental health needs, and addressing these in conjunction with their physical needs can be complex.
- Dietary and Nutrition Needs: Ensuring patients receive the proper nutrition tailored to their specific health conditions can be a challenge.
When approaching physical disability facilities, insurance agents should be prepared to address these challenges and offer tailored coverage solutions. They should also be ready to offer risk management advice and tools to help these facilities minimize potential claims.
what specific insurance do they need?
Physical disability facilities have a range of unique needs, and their insurance coverage must address the array of risks they face. Here’s a list of specific insurance coverages that these facilities typically need:
General Liability Insurance: This covers claims of bodily injury, property damage, and personal injury (like slander or libel) that can happen on the facility’s property.
Professional Liability (Malpractice) Insurance: This covers the facility and its professionals against claims arising from the professional services they provide, such as negligence in care or treatment errors.
Property Insurance: This provides coverage for the facility’s physical assets, such as buildings, furniture, equipment, and personal property, against perils like fire, theft, vandalism, and storms.
Business Interruption Insurance: In case an event (e.g., fire or natural disaster) disrupts operations, this coverage can help cover lost income and additional expenses.
Workers’ Compensation: This covers employees who sustain injuries or illnesses while working. It can provide medical benefits and a portion of lost wages.
Commercial Auto Insurance: For facilities that offer transportation for patients or use vehicles for other business purposes.
Cyber Liability Insurance: Protects against risks associated with electronic data breaches, cyberattacks, and other cyber threats.
Directors & Officers (D&O) Liability: This covers the facility’s board members and officers against legal judgments and costs arising from actions taken in their official capacities.
Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI): Provides protection against claims related to employment practices, such as wrongful termination, discrimination, or sexual harassment.
Crime Insurance: Covers theft, fraud, or other criminal acts committed by employees or third parties against the facility.
Umbrella or Excess Liability: Provides additional coverage limits over and above the underlying liability policies, offering a safety net for exceptionally large claims.
Physical disability facilities often require a combination of the above coverages, tailored to their specific operations and risks. Working with an insurance agent or broker experienced in healthcare and disability care facilities can ensure they obtain comprehensive protection.
advice for commercial agents approaching physical disability facilities
Approaching physical disability facilities requires commercial agents to possess not only a deep understanding of insurance products but also a genuine appreciation for the unique challenges these facilities face. First and foremost, empathy and sensitivity are paramount. Remember, these facilities aim to provide a haven and quality care for individuals with various physical challenges, and their primary concern is the well-being of their residents or patients. Approach them with the understanding that their main goal isn’t just operational efficiency, but human care.
When discussing insurance needs, be thorough and tailored in your approach. Physical disability facilities have diverse requirements ranging from specialized equipment coverage to protection against potential malpractice claims. While presenting insurance solutions, focus on how each product can specifically address the everyday challenges they encounter, and ensure the safety and care of their residents. It’s also beneficial to offer risk management advice to help them minimize potential claims. This not only positions you as a knowledgeable expert but also as a partner invested in their mission. Remember, trust and relationship-building are critical. Physical disability facilities want to work with agents who understand their world, respect their challenges, and offer solutions that truly protect their interests.
Contact Michael Richards now
Michael specializes in insurance for this particular group. You can call him on the number below or fill out the form and he will get your message directly:

sourcing the best insurance for physical disability facilities is essential for commercial agents
General Liability Insurance
General Liability insurance cover medical expenses and attorney fees which result from bodily injuries and property damage that your company or organization could be legally responsible for.
Professional Liability Insurance
Professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions insurance (E&O) and medical malpractice insurance, protects your business against claims of negligence, malpractice, errors, and omissions which may have occurred during the fulfillment of a professional service.
Telemedicine Malpractice Insurance
telemedicine malpractice insurance—also known as digital health insurance or eHealth insurance—has become increasingly vital for healthcare providers. to protect them against claims of negligence, malpractice, errors, and omissions which may be the result of the limitations of webcam quality or the inability of a patient to properly photograph a condition. It can also cover cyber liability, such as remote controlled medical devices being hacked.
Directors and Officers Liability (D&O) insurance
D&O insurance (Directors and officers liability insurance), shields the personal assets of company directors and officers, and where necessary, their spouses, from claims which could arise as a result of the decisions they made and actions they took within the scope of their regular duties.
Cyber liability insurance
Cyber liability insurance covers the financial costs associated with a breach of your cyber security, such as a ransomware attack. It also covers first party costs including event management, data restoration, financial costs to third parties, network interruption, and cyber extortion.
HNO Insurance
HNOA, (hired non-owned auto insurance) is designed for organizations who regularly hire vehicles or require employees to use their own vehicles in the course of their work. In the case of an accident where your employee was liable, it could cover physical damage to that other person’s vehicle, medical expenses, the cost of hiring an attorney to defend your business.
Workers’ Comp. Insurance
Workers’ compensation insurance covers your employees for workplace injuries or illness. It provides them with medical and wage benefits.
This coverage is mandated by each state, with the wage and medical benefits varying from state to state. Workers compensation also protects business owners from civil suits by workers who become injured on the job.
Employment Practices Liability
Employment practices liability insurance (EPL insurance or EPLI), covers employers (PDF) against claims made by employees for:
- Discrimination (based on sex, race, age or disability, for example)
- Wrongful termination
- Harassment
- Failure to promote and other employment-related issues
Sexual Abuse & Molestation (SAM)
Sexual Abuse and Molestation Insurance provides coverage for organizations against claims arising from alleged sexual misconduct or molestation by an employee or other representative of the organization.
Environmental Liability insurance
Environmental Liability insurance is liability insurance specifically designed to protect environmental liabilities. This is a specialized form of general, commercial liability insurance that provides financial protection against litigation and clean-up costs resulting from claims of injury or damage caused by pollution, contamination or hazardous waste disposals.
Commercial Property Insurance
Commercial property insurance is a fundamental component of risk management for healthcare and senior living providers. It is designed to protect the organization’s physical assets, such as buildings, medical equipment, furniture, and supplies, from financial losses due to damage or theft.
Crime Insurance
Crime Insurance covers the insured party a reimbursement if their property is damaged due to a crime. Crime Insurance usually has a huge range of options and comes in different forms. It can be either a rider that can be attached to the existing insurance policy, or it is available as a completely separate product.
Commercial Auto Insurance
Commercial auto insurance is a crucial aspect of risk management for healthcare and senior living providers. It offers vital financial protection against vehicle-related incidents and is often required by law.
Fully/Partially Funded insurance
Partially Funded insurance gives facilities the opportunity to pay a set premium for, and then in turn is partially covered for specific risks.
Fully Funded Insurance allows facilities to pay premiums to have coverage against all risks. In return, if they are unfortunate enough to incur any of the covered loss or injury, they are reimbursed their insurance policy amount.
Excess and umbrella coverage
Excess coverage provides an additional layer of protection over and above what an underlying policy provides. It applies to a single policy only.
An umbrella policy on the other hand, provides additional liability coverage over and above what is provided by a number of underlying policies.
we've got you covered
General Liability Insurance
Protecting healthcare organizations against increasingly crippling litigation.
Professional Liability Insurance
Protecting medical professionals against increasingly crippling litigation.
Medical Malpractice Insurance
Protecting medical professionals against increasingly crippling litigation.
Cyber Liability Insurance
Protecting healthcare organizations & professionals against cyber attacks.
please feel free to contact us 24/7
Click here
Phone
216.539.0841
855.351.7487