The first rule in the Medicare industry is to always be compliant. Compliance shouldn’t be feared, but should come naturally as a second-nature. The only way to develop this, is to be constantly learning and increase your knowledge. The top priority for an independent agent is to find new prospects and close more cases. The more comfortable with the products, features, and rules around what you’re selling, the easier it will be to do the right thing by your clients. You can find help when you have the right partners however, ultimately you are responsible for seeking out that help. As a Medicare FMO, Pinnacle Financial Services is asked about training every day. Our team makes available a variety of tools to help our agents develop their second-nature compliance skills.

In-Person Medicare Agent Training Meetings

All Medicare carriers have training sessions throughout the year, especially once within certification season. The main benefits of the carrier meetings are getting in-depth information on local products and networks within a specific market. For example, one can look at a quote and see a side-by-side benefit comparison of copays in Independence Blue Cross’ Focus and Select plans. What you won’t see however, is that the Focus plan has a more defined network and won’t necessarily include all the doctors that clients typically associate with IBX. These meetings are also a great opportunity to pick up sales materials and promotional items when they become available.

Pinnacle Financial Services also holds similar meetings across the country and throughout the year. These meetings are typically focused on local updates in the general landscape of a selected area, and provide training on our state-of-the-art technology platforms. Coming up is our inaugural National Sales Summit, just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in King of Prussia. In attendance are the national carriers, to provide their view on the direction of Medicare, as well as  speaker John Greene, NAHU’s Vice President of Congressional Affairs.

Self-Learning and Medicare Agent Training

An agent’s schedule may not always accommodate in-person meeting times or agendas, therefore it’s important to spend some free time learning independently. Each carrier has webinars to attend that cover a variety of different topics. Pinnacle holds webinars through the month, that can cover product updates, technology, cross-selling, certifications, and more. One can also visit our website for updates in our news and blog areas. Join our email list to receive updates delivered via email in real-time. Don’t forget to also use the Medicare site as a resource!