From the December 2016 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

Protect your property. Board-up windows and remove or tie down any exterior equipment.
Protect your physical records. Tarp your essential documents to keep them from exposure to the elements.
Take pictures. Take thorough pictures of your property, inventory, roof and all building renovations. This is essential for the claims process, to minimize any “pre-existing” condition arguments made by the insurance company.
Back up business-critical information. Your database and records are key to your business. Make full copies and keep them off-site. These records are essential to mitigating your exposure and documenting a claim.

Keep a complete copy of your insurance policies. Consult with your insurance team member to make sure you have the appropriate and adequate coverage in place.
Have a response team in place. Speak with your insurance claims management team to put together your first-response team in the event you sustain damage as a result of a hurricane or storm.

After the storm
The ultimate goal of disaster management planning is to resume normal operations as quickly as possible post-disaster. Most organizations will “freeze” post-disaster, unsure of their first steps. Here’s what you need to do.

Document the damage. Take post-loss pictures and/or video, including the debris pile, prior to any cleanup. The key to quickly recovering losses is to document property as a matter of course and update the record regularly. If property is documented, photographed and videotaped beforehand, insurance claims can be processed quickly and efficiently.

Protect your property from further damage.
Contact your first-response team to perform emergency work such as putting up tarps, pulling wet drywall and carpet to prevent mold, water extraction and drying, boarding-up openings and protective fencing to protect your belongings and keep others from getting hurt.

Rent equipment. If necessary you should arrange to rent equipment, such as generators, boilers and water heaters, to restore your operation.

Beware of contractors asking you to sign contracts for non-emergency services. You should not make any permanent repairs to rebuild your business until your insurance carrier has assessed the scope of the damage as well as the cost allowed for the repair/ replacement of the damage.

Document all post-loss activities. Document and retain all receipts of post-loss actions. Carefully record all extraordinary expenses, as proper documentation can speed up the claim process. Insurance brokers, agents and claims professionals should be contacted before hiring any outside agencies. Do not sign contracts for non-emergency services before speaking with your insurance representative to make sure the cost is covered and under what circumstances.

December 2016 Magazine

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