IMPROVING CLAIMANT SATISFACTION

Ensuring that your claims team members administer your automobile no-fault and workers’ compensation claims quickly and efficiently is key to the bottom line. However, your company must not lose sight of the fact that claimant satisfaction matters just as much as claims efficiency. There are multiple ways your company can begin to improve claimant satisfaction.

First, consider whether it is possible to eliminate out-of-pocket expenses for your claimants. This represents a major pain point for many claimants, and for adjusters and examiners as well. Claimants are often unfamiliar with the claims process. Requiring them to pay for their physician prescribed services and request reimbursement from your company is an unnecessary step that can cause significant frustration.

Instead, consider having your claims team members review and authorize physician prescribed services before sending them to a provider to be filled. One benefit of this method is that you will be sure each physician prescribed service is directly related to the claimant’s injuries and appropriate for the individual claimant.

Another benefit is the increased convenience for your claimants. They are free to fill their prescription once it has been pre-authorized, with no need to pay for anything out of their own pocket. Instead, the provider will invoice your company or your third-party administrator (TPA) if you’re working with one. Your claimants won’t have the frustration of paying out of pocket and will no longer need to submit their receipts to you for reimbursement.

You may want to consider adding a customer care line for your claimants as well. Having a team of knowledgeable staff members available to answer questions for claimants can be invaluable. As noted, claimants are generally quite new to the claims adjudication process. As such, they may have many questions that your adjusters and examiners won’t have the time to answer immediately. A customer care line can help your claimants find answers quickly which increases their satisfaction with your claims process.

Additionally, it helps to provide a personal touch to every claim. This lets claimants know that your company values them and is available to help them through their claim. It removes yet another point of frustration for claimants if you provide them with the contact information for the adjuster or examiner assigned to their claim, in addition to the number of your customer care line. This ensures they have multiple ways to get their concerns taken care of, increasing the likelihood that they will be satisfied with their claim and renew with your company.

Northwood has over 30 years of experience improving claimant satisfaction for insurance companies administering work comp and auto no-fault claims. For a look at how Northwood can help improve claimant satisfaction for your company, please call Rosanne Brugnoni at 586-755-3830 ext. 3771.