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Tag Archives: Management

  1. 5 Business Basics Every Claims Person Should Live By February 14, 2011

    Posted in Customer Service, SPOT on Ops.

    Ideas from successful business can be adopted in claims very easily if one takes the time to look. As we all know, claims folks have little time to look and that is where I hope the Claims SPOT can help. Sometimes claims organizations get so involved in the day-to-day that they have little time do the basics. However, concentrating on doing the write thing from a business perspective is the best way to succeed in claims. Expanding on Donna Flagg’s recent article Five Things They Don’t Teach You In Business School, we explore how those five things apply in the claims world. It’s common sense time in our most recent post.

    5 comments
  2. There Is No Such Thing As A Pro Forma Signature On A Document – If You Sign It You Own It October 6, 2010

    Posted in Best Practices, Compliance, SPOT on Issues, SPOT on Ops.

    Doing things for the sake of doing things can have significant adverse consequences for an organization. It is important to realize that one day you may have to answer for every action you take on a claim file. The concept of how doing a pro forma task can come back to bite you is being highlighted as a yet another fallout of the mortgage crisis. Tens of thousands of foreclosures are being halted because of a process in place where an individual just signed hundreds of documents without ensuring the information contained on the documents were correct.

    Clearly, doing something for the sake of doing something can really have negative consequences for the organization. In our latest post we offer questions to ask when signing documents. Controls are important, however, if they are not adding value they should be reviewed.

    1 comment
  3. Why Extending More Claims Authority Means Extending More Responsibility September 10, 2010

    Posted in Best Practices, SPOT on Issues.

    Extending additional authority to a number of claim handlers can have a dramatic affect on the department’s total incurred. Make sure claim handlers understand the impact, both good and bad, to the company. Deciding when, and how much authority to extend will always depend on the line of business, and experience of the claims professional. Giving more authority also means extending more responsibility to the junior claims professional to make greater financial decisions for the company.

    In today’s post we discuss the authority-responsibility correlation and the importance of ensuring claims authority is extended only when responsibilities associated with that authority are understood.

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  4. In Claims Don’t Let The Process “Thing” Get In The Way Of Doing The “Right” Thing July 19, 2010

    Posted in Best Practices, SPOT on Issues.

    Making a check in the process won’t ensure the matter is done right. I have written, and am a big proponent of, the importance of good process as a way to ensure good results. Putting a proper process in place is a road-map to help move claims to a prompt fair resolution. Nonetheless, doing and focusing on the process without making sure the outcome is sound is doing things right without doing the right thing. It’s so easy in claims to focus on the process and not use the process as a means to the end

    2 comments
  5. You Can’t Wait Till The Last Minute To Improve You Operation – Planning Starts Now! June 22, 2010

    Posted in SPOT on Ops.

    In a a great analogy about the rapid growth of lily pads in a pond, we discuss the need to start strategic planning to solve problems before they become to hard to deal with. Like most industries, adopting and changing with the times can be a difficult proposition. It takes time to think of issues, come up with solutions and implement the changes. Insurance companies have added legal, compliance and regulatory concerns to say nothing of complex (sometimes outdated) information technology systems. Regardless, it’s not too late to address issues such as a social media or mobile strategy. We give two suggestions of recent trends that should be explored by claims organizations over then next few years.

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  6. 2 Chores that should not be neglected to become a stronger claims organization May 18, 2010

    Posted in Best Practices, Claims Auditing.

    Lets face it – no one really likes to do mundane things. Nonetheless, it’s those very chores that have to be done regularly to ensure a strong organization. Like cutting grass, the longer you let it go the worse it is for your grass, and the harder it will be to fix the mess that has been created. There are certainly enough chores that need to be done in the world of claims that no one likes to do. You know what they are – those things that you would prefer to not have to get to. They can include writing notes on files, keeping a diary and paying bills. But as any good claims handler knows, if you fail to do those tasks regularly not only won’t your grass grow, but you will have quite a clean-up.

    Two chores that can really help claim departments grow nice healthy grass are in the areas of training and managerial assessments. Learn a few chores that have to be done but will help grow your organization.

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  7. Is your claims department becoming a bus company? May 12, 2010

    Posted in Commentary.

    Claims departments can get into ruts and begin to act like bus companies. As Seth Godin, business author, recently wrote in his blog – “We all have a vision of the typical bus company, slowly moving people from place to place, going through the motions and showing a lot of fatigue.” In this weeks post, I point to some ways claims department can avoid the bus company mentality and figure ways to stay fresh and motivated.

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  8. Does Hiring More Staff Improve Claims? How To Know When The Time Is Right May 3, 2010

    Posted in SPOT on Ops.

    Deciding when to hire new staff is always a difficult question to answer. It’s even harder in a tough economy. In this week’s post I explore what to consider before hiring. Developing a staffing model and exploring internal metrics should be done before making a decision. But how do you create a staffing model? I suggest a few methods for developing a staffing model that makes sense. Before you bring on more staff review your staffing model, see if there any trends affecting file loads and take a quick look inward at your operation. Once these assessments are completed, you will be in a better position to know if hiring is the right decision.

    1 comment
  9. Considering Forming a Captive? Maximize Your Claims Benefits In 3 Steps March 10, 2010

    Posted in SPOT on Ops.

    The Benefits Of Forming A Captive Are Great – IF – You Set It Up And Manage It Correctly The use of captives as an alternative means for managing risk is growing rapidly  (read a nice overview of captives at the Captive Counsel Law Group). Changes in laws, increasing tax benefits and control over assets [...]

    1 comment
  10. 3 Essential Report Types That Insurance Executives Should Use To Analyze Their Claims February 23, 2010

    Posted in SPOT on Ops.

    Today’s modern claims systems have a wealth of knowledge about every aspect of claims operations. With the right reports it should be easy to get a basic snapshot of how effective your claims are being managed, and how well your business is doing. With all that information where is one to start? What are the key metrics that should be reviewed by claims and business executives to better understand their operations? We give three specific report types that claims executives should review on a regular basis to get a valuable snapshot of their organization.

    1 comment
  11. 5 expense reduction opportunities insurance CEOs should not overlook January 27, 2010

    Posted in SPOT on Costs.

    Increased profits come from efficient claims operations: Take a look at that annual reports of the top performing insurance companies and you will see a similar message from their CEO’s. Expense management and efficiency is a principal driver of profitability.In a tight market do less with more without sacrificing quality and significantly customer service is the edge needed to be a top performer. The claims department is the perfect place to lower costs and improve the customer experience at the same time. Here are 5 key areas that should be looked at for cost savings.

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  12. Why use a consultant? The second set of eyes! January 20, 2010

    Posted in SPOT on Costs.

    Ever try and organize your own closet? It should be so easy to get the thing in order yet for some reason it’s very difficult. That is until you bring in a closet organizer to arrange everything in easy to manage sections. Sometimes the only way to truly accomplish a task is to have a [...]

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