Special Section sponsored by TMPAA

Professional Program Insurance Brokerage

Program categories written include: tattoo & body piercing, beauty services, medispas, permanent cosmetics, yoga/pilates studios and laser centers.

When you’re in the market to locate an insurance program administrator that specializes in underserved categories or even industries that are just now developing new programs, your investigation could be well served by focusing on Professional Program Insurance Brokerage (PPIB) of Novato, California.

Since the agency was founded in 1993, PPIB has successfully created state-of-the-art programs for newly developing or trendy industries. That first category 15 years ago was permanent cosmetics, an industry for which PPIB continues to be nationally known. Susan Preston, PPIB president, recalls that initial business relationship.

“To better serve the industry we established a nonprofit association for permanent cosmetic technicians that provided them much needed loss control. From this alliance with industry representatives, we were able to develop underwriting standards, applications, and insurance endorsements that were pathfinders in serving that industry. Two years later, tattoo industry leaders approached us inquiring about a similar program since both fields employ many of the same care standards. A successful program was soon instituted for tattooists. Coverage for body piercers followed a short time later.”

Preston notes that medispas and laser centers came into prominence in the late 1990s. PPIB studied the market and then developed insurance programs that responded to the rapid growth of those disciplines. Prior to launching the insurance, the PPIB staff was tutored by a physician on the workings of laser equipment. “Our goal,” she continued, “is to educate ourselves as to the insurance needs of their businesses. It’s often easy to sell a policy based on price alone but we prefer to help our clients understand the coverage they purchase or gaps in their policy. We provide our insureds with consents, medical history, and aftercare forms for their clients so as to help them with loss control.”

Areas of coverage under PPIB’s medispa program are: lasers, IPLs, LEDs; dermal fillers such as Restylane, Hylaform, Captique, Sculptra, Zyderm, Zyplast, Cosmoderm, Cosmoplast, Radiesse, Juvederm; and Botox; mesotherapy; sclerotherapy; medical strength peels; microdermabrasion; permanent cosmetics; and laser hair stimulation. Policies can be purchased by the medispas that host the cosmetic/medical services. Physicians, nurses, aestheticians, and other professionals who are legally authorized to perform these procedures within their state can also purchase a policy.

Now, buoyed by its 15 years of uninterrupted growth and acknowledged success, PPIB recently announced the launching of a new program development division. This division will assist agencies nationwide with program design and development. New programs are accepted for premium projections from as little as $250,000 and up to $5 million-plus. All programs are written with “A” rated carriers. PPIB offers this opportunity in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The programs can be designed to package general and professional liability and, in most states, include property.

In its formative years, PPIB created program management and loss control for permanent cosmetics, tanning salons, beauty services, lasers & IPLs, pigment lightening/removal, tattoo artists and shops and piercers.

“Today,” says Preston, “with our new program development division in operation, we’ve recently added a program for judicial interpreters and translators-a growing industry, and we have plans to enter other industries such as the wellness, anti-aging category. By focusing on industries that have not benefited from much program administration before, we encourage brokers to look at areas where there are holes in markets and to consider PPIB for writing policies where those expansion opportunities exist.”

Further PPIB information is available from President Susan Preston (susan@tattoo-ins.com) and Program Development Director Jennifer Schoenthal (Jennifer@medispa-ins.com). *