Implementing a new claims system can be fraught with issues and concerns. It is important to understand the people aspect both before and after a system is put into place. At the end of the day the system must support people and those people should be involved in the process way before you go live. This week we learn 5 suggestions to assist in the implementing a claims system learned from Paul Tuhy, Global Head of Claims for XL Insurance who recently spoke about technology at the most recent Americas Claims Event in New Orleans.
SPOT on Ops
Claim Reviews Empower Better Decisions By Putting Critical Information In Hand
Insurance is as much about having the right information at the right time as anything. Whether it’s an underwriting choice to price a risk correctly or a claim decision as to when to a play a claim, having the best data available can make or break an organization. Despite this fact, many organizations fail to take advantage of tools and rights available to them prior to making critical business decisions. Claim reviews are empowering tools to help make better decisions. Staying ahead of the competition and managing risk is a key component of any any successful organization. The claims review allow decision makers to have the most available data to make better decisions. In this weeks post we discuss 8 reason when they should be done and speak to going beyond the claim files to fully understand the substance behind the numbers.
5 Business Basics Every Claims Person Should Live By
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.
Claims And A Half Plate Of Vegetables – Teachings From The New Dietary Guidelines
Recently the government changed the way the public should look at nutrition through simplified messages like “eat less.” Simplicity and looking at the obvious in an easy to understand way is a tool that would go a long way to helping the claims professionals be better at what they do. Being understandable and actionable can only be a good thing in claims. In our latest post, we discuss how trying to use visual cues when handling a claim or looking at the claims process can benefit today’s professionals. We are a visual society – time to shift some of those visual cues to claims.
Looking Back On 2010 And Forward To 2011 In The World Of Claims
The year began with continued economic concerns, a poor job market and no recovery in sight. It has come to a close with a booming stock market, improved job numbers and a better outlook for 2011. Looking back on the year in claims and looking ahead to the future of claims is always a fun exercise this time of year so here we go! The Claims SPOT adds to the debate about the past and the future.
Thanks for reading and have a happy and healthy holiday season and New Year!
Getting Creative And Reducing Claim Costs Without Sacrificing Quality – Part II
Last month, Suzanne Ganier discussed the building blocks needed to reduce claim and litigation costs, while still maintaining a strong focus on quality. Those building blocks included:
* collecting current data about your claims and litigation
* evaluating the claim and litigation work itself
* settling on a carrier claim and litigation handling philosophy
In her follow up, Suzanne discusses how these building blocks create a foundation on which to build new processes and procedures that will reduce your claim and litigation costs, and maybe even decrease you volume as well. I refer this building process as looking at What I Have, What I Want, and What I See.
Here We Go Again! CMS Postpones Deadline For P&C Mandatory Reporting Until January 1, 2012
For the second time the government has postponed the mandatory reporting requirements for carriers. The complex nature of reporting and several unanswered questions surrounding implementation and enforcement seems to have prompted the change. The costs associated to comply as well as the risk for improper or failure to comply has resulted in a new insurance product to protect those entities from liability due breakdowns in the reporting procedures. Learn more in the latest from the Claims SPOT.
Time to Get Creative – Reducing Claim Costs without Sacrificing Quality (or your sanity)
In an environment of increased pressure to reduce costs and close claims, bright ideas can help to reduce legal costs while still ensuring great service. In this article, litigation expert Suzanne Ganier speaks about the importance of understanding what you know and what you don’t, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of those involved in the litigation process, and aligning those analyses with your organization’s philosophies. The result can be a litigation management process that reduces overall claim costs and preserves your sanity.
There Is No Such Thing As A Pro Forma Signature On A Document – If You Sign It You Own It
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.
3 Ways To Help Defense Counsel Help You Make Claims Management More Efficient
We all talk about collaboration with counsel as a means to get better results at a lower costs. But getting what you want is not so easy. How about trying to get what you truly need to get your job done. In our latest post, we discuss three suggestions for helping counsel help you get better results. No attorney is going to say that they don’t want to make a claims professional’s job easier, so help them to help you. Start by telling them what you do, ask for what you want, and then make sure they do it. Take a look at the latest – from the Claims SPOT.