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RBI Agents: Your Voice Matters

If there is one thing that we at RBI take seriously, it is how successful our agents are in meeting their business goals.  Your voice matters to us, and as a company, our ever-present goal is to provide you with the best services, tools, and resources in the industry.  That includes, at times, some soul-searching for ways to do better. So here we are, on the last day of January 2017, taking a look at what you have to say to us.

Taking a pulse of RBI AgentsYour Voice Matters

You may recall that at the end of AEP, we sent out a survey to all our agents, asking for feedback on how your AEP went, and ways that we could improve your experience with RBI. We also followed up with phone calls to every agent on our books, asking them the same questions. Questions like: “How many sales do you plan to make per month?” or “What can RBI do to earn more of your business?” and “Would you recommend RBI to other agents/agencies?” The response we got from our agents was amazing. So many of you took the time to speak to us, or filled out the survey on your own — and we are grateful!

We asked, you answered.

As with any survey, we got a lot of different types of feedback, from the laconic agent who responded with one word answers to the humorous (How can we improve? “Give me donuts”).  But the majority of your responses were thoughtful, and thought-provoking. You asked for things like “can I get more training,” or more marketing support, or pointed out carriers that RBI should pick up, so the agents could have the benefit of an FMO-advocate in that relationship.  And above all else, you asked for better communication, so that if we did offer training and so on, you would know what was available to you. We took all those responses and reflected on how we as a company could turn that feedback into action.

Your voice matters – and leads to actual change!

Here are some of the big changes that we have implemented for this year:

  • Webinar Wednesday: Now we offer weekly training webinars on Wednesday mornings at 10 AM MST, each one covering a different Medicare-related topic.  We limited these to about 30-45 minutes long, to be mindful of time-constraints for our busy agents. Join in by clicking here to see the calendar and register!
  • Medicare IntensivesNext we added in some live events in our office, to help out those agents who do better in a “classroom” setting. We formatted these to be a longer, deeper look into Medicare topics, and added in a simulcast option for agents that live out of state.
  • RBI Classroom emails: You may have noticed an increase in the emails you are receiving from us. We want to make sure you are informed about the ways we are available to help you, the tools and training that you can access. With RBI Classroom emails, you can see these resources and training in real time.
  • Additional Carriers + Changes in contracting: We are in the process of adding 10 additional carriers across the US, based upon your AEP survey responses. We also updated the way our contracting process works on our website, to make it even easier to get contracted with the right carriers.
  • Agent Market Edge + Promotions: We have updated the Agent Market Edge online portal with additional products and services, and expanded our marketing credits offerings.  We are developing and testing new compliant mailers for hospital indemnity, final expense and more!
  • Updated Blog Content: If you have been on our blog before, you know that we always strive to make sure it has tons of great content. But navigating on the blog has been difficult, so we have updated the categories and “related content.” Now finding what you’re looking for is much easier.
  • NEW Vlogging component: We recognize that not everyone is a “written word” person. And as one more way that RBI is going above and beyond this year, we are adding a video-log (“vlog”) segment to our blog.  This feature went live just a few days ago — we are extremely excited to expand this in the coming months!

What’s the bottom line?

We love our agents. And we want to do right by you. You asked us for meaningful change and we are doing our very best to make it happen for you. If you like what we are doing, please consider being a part of our family by contracting with us. If you are already contracted with RBI, don’t forget that if you refer an agent to us, you can participate in our marketing credit program!  See all the details here.

Finally, as part of our on-going efforts to be the best FMO around, we’ve created another survey to check in. Please take a moment and tell us how we are doing with our new programs! Click here to leave feedback or call us at 1-800-997-3107 to speak to one of our team!

MA Compliance Requirements for Agencies

If you’ve ever wondered if you were following all the guidelines for compliance, you’re not alone. As the Director of Compliance for RB Insurance Group, I talk to agencies nearly every day that are struggling through a carrier audit, often bringing daily business to a grinding halt.  If you are nodding along, don’t panic!  We can help you build processes to get compliance under control.

That’s right, I’m the “FUN” guy in the office.

Compliance = fun right?

All MA carriers are audited for compliance by CMS every 3 years. Contracting with multiple carriers increases your chances that at some point you will be picked for a random agency compliance audit.  CMS requires the carriers to hold agencies accountable for the compliance of contracted agents and employees.

Are you an agency with no employees (besides yourself) and you still get certified every year and sell?  Rejoice, as much of this doesn’t apply to you.

Basic Requirements

The most commonly overlooked CMS requirements for FDR’s (First, Downline and Related Entities) not an exhaustive list.

OIG/SAM Exclusion Check

Upon hire and monthly thereafter you must check all employees, (even yourself), against both the OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities and SAM Excluded Persons List System (EPLS).

Most agencies know about the OIG (Office of Inspector General), but not the SAM (System for Award Management) requirement. The button looks like this:

You must keep records of the searches. Some carriers have a spreadsheet they want the tracking in, others want you to make one.

Regardless, it will need to include the basic information on all your employees/agents as well as dates of the checks. A sample Excel Spreadsheet will be made available to contracted agencies inside the Medicare Sales Engine.

CMS General Compliance and Fraud, Waste and Abuse Training (FWA).

GC/FWA training must be completed upon hire and annually thereafter. Every employee must complete it.

If you and all of your staff are licensed writing agents with all the carriers you represent, you’re in luck: it was included in your annual training and you do not have an additional requirement.

For everyone else, there are 3 ways to meet the requirement:

  • Have all your staff enroll in the MLN (Medicare Learning Network) and complete the courses and get the certificates.

  • Go over the CMS training in PDF form with all your staff and have them take the exam on paper, then generate the certificates.

  • Incorporate the CMS training information into your existing compliance training and testing, and generate your own certificates. (Not suggested and not accepted by all carriers.)

We can assist you in obtaining the required materials for this training, just give us a call at 1-800-997-3107.

You must also have:

  • Written Code of Conduct

  • Written Code of Ethics

  • Policies and Procedures manual that applies to Medicare Advantage and Medicare as a whole.

  • HIPAA Security Plan

  • Compliance Officer (yes, you have to have one)

  • A method for employees to report suspected FWA or other violations internally and anonymously.

There are a lot more requirements and details than I can get into in a short blog article, but this will get you started.

If you are currently the subject of a sales allegation, carrier audit, or just want to prepare so you aren’t scrambling to get compliant when you receive an audit notice, you can contact our office for assistance.

RB Insurance Group, LLC 1-800-997-3107

Holiday Traditions at RB Insurance Group

Here are a few of our favorite Holiday Traditions at RBI!

We hope you’re enjoying your favorites right now too!

Snowflake

“Skiing.” –Justin, Director of Marketing

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“Food. Definitely all the food.” –Steven, Production Manager

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“Driving around with my family and looking at Christmas lights.” –Marielle, Operations Manager

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“I would have to say that it’s opening one present each on Christmas Eve.” –Charlie, National Sales Manager

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“I love our family dinner, all my extended family gets together, aunts, uncles, cousins.

We usually have ham and pineapple with scalloped potatoes and enjoy each other’s company.  –Jim, Sales Coordinator

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“When we put up our tree, we don’t put any presents under it right away. Then when the kids go to bed on Christmas Eve,  we put out all the gifts at once,

so on Christmas morning they get really excited!” –Julie, Commission Analyst

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“One of my favorite parts of the holidays is all the food. One year my mom, sister, and I baked tons of cookies, candies and tamales, and mailed boxes out to all our relatives. It’s still one of my favorite memories.” –Shannon, Graphics Designer

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“My favorite thing to do around the holidays is to get some hot chocolate, curl up on the couch, and watch old holiday movies with my family. We usually watch everything from It’s a Wonderful Life, to the Santa Clause, to the old animated classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” –Rebecca, Sales Coordinator

Welcome to RBI

From our family to yours, best wishes for a wonderful and happy holiday season!

Upcoming Events:

RBI trophies at Southwest Double Gun Expo

One hundred sixty competitors armed with shotguns and a healthy sense of competition stepped up Saturday to shatter thousands of clay pigeons at the Southwest Double Gun Expo, held at the Ben Avery Clay Target Center in north Phoenix to benefit Phoenix Art Museum. Bob Bever, our CEO, took home second place in his gauge class, while Rob, our Sales, Training and Compliance Director, and Justin, our Marketing Director, shot the same score in their respective gauge class.

Shooting with a 20-gauge, Bob hit 32 pigeons and took home an authentic Native American kachina to commemorate his marksmanship. Rob and Justin fired 12-gauges, both hitting 34 out 50 targets. The bright day warmed up quickly to a high of 90 degrees by late afternoon as the Valley experiences a fleeting springtime — (mostly) perfect conditions for outdoor clay sporting.

SWDGE is one of four annual events put on by the Men’s Arts Council to benefit Phoenix Art Museum, the largest museum of its kind in the Southwest providing visual arts and educational programming. This year, over $70,000 was raised for museum programs geared toward low-income or at-risk children.

The museum is located in the heart of the midtown museum district and is an official Phoenix Point of Pride. Current exhibits include Andy Warhol: Portraits, featuring some of the artist’s most iconic silkscreens, and Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester and the Power of Observation, an exclusive presentation of the genius’ creative process and continuous influence on the arts featuring his only manuscript to belong to an American collection.

Visit its official website for address and transportation options, admission prices, membership and special event listings.

 

 

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