3 Things Good Claims Professionals Won’t Do

By Marc Lanzkowsky – January 24, 2013

Follow what good claims professionals don’t do and you will lead the pack!

Recently I read an article about things doctors won’t do when it comes to treatment and procedures for themselves. It included things like not having their first child at home, getting a PSA screening test, or taking sleeping pills. Since it is highly unlikely they will sue themselves for malpractice, these are treatments they believe might be adding little value or could cause harm. While managing a claim file is certainly not like managing your health, it got me thinking (which is never a good thing) about what a good claims professional won’t do.

I have audited a lot of claim files over the years and consistently good claims professionals manage their claim files following best practices. And when looking at these well managed files there are certain patterns that develop.  I found that there are three things that good claims professionals won’t do and they are:

Fail to document:  The best claim files are concisely and appropriately documented regularly. When reading a file the claim should speak for itself and tell a story as to what the issues are, potential pitfalls, and an understanding of the plan to resolve the claims. Good documentation is concise, free from extraneous commentary and reflects an understanding of the issues. Recording the events surrounding the claim is part of a well managed file and a good claims professional would never fail to document their file.

Assume this file is the same as the last one: Claim file management requires an understanding of the liability to the company and exposure to the insured, value of the loss and a plan to resolve the matter. Good claims professionals won’t skip any of the key steps needed to evaluate their files. If there is one thing that is consistent across all claim files it is that every file is different with different facts and nuances. One cannot assume that because one case had a certain outcome or facts a similar case will follow the same pattern.  No matter what the issues are the best claims professionals never assume things they don’t know and never assume the file was like the last one.

Stick with the basics: There are no short cuts to getting to the bottom line. Claims professionals are always growing and learning and tyring to improve their craft. Sticking with basics won’t help when a new claim throws in a curve ball. One has to work outside the box looking for new ways to understand a claim or resolve a difficult matter. Trying to go beyond the basics is one reason handling claims can be so interesting. Previously we posted about thinking outside the box about innovative ways claims can be managed.  This post generated over 40 comments in the Linked-In Claims Management Group.  The reason for all the comments is that good claims professionals don’t just stick with what they know and wanted others to learn from what they had done (and maybe one up one another with a better war story).

Good claims practice is about common sense. Like any business it is important to grow and learn and adopt to changing environments. Good claims professionals are always looking for new ways to make sure that they are providing prompt service to assist their clients to secure fair compensation where appropriate.  Seek out the good ones and learn from them!

What are other things that good claims professionals don’t do?