The insurance claims management process is a very elaborate and time-consuming task. On average, it takes anywhere between 6-8 weeks for an insurance claim to be processed from start to finish, and some of the more complicated cases can take years to close.
The actual process involves gathering documents and case files, completing different forms, filing them with the appropriate authorities, and periodically following up on the progress to ensure a claim is processed in the best possible way.
In the world of insurance, claim management is more than just a mundane process. It is an integral part of the business model of an insurance company. It is crucial to ensure that claims are settled in a timely manner. For the customer, it acts as a means of communication and assurance that their insurance claim is being professionally handled.
In this article, we’ll look at the present status of the insurance market. This is why you should consider outsourcing parts of your insurance claim processes, and what tasks are suitable for outsourcing.
The insurance coverage market’s present condition
The international insurance coverage market is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6% annually from 2021 – to 2025, reaching $6.4 trillion by 2023 in the United States. In a research study presented by Deloitte, they discovered that despite continuous COVID-19 hurdles, insurance companies would expect much faster growth in 2022.
However, non-pandemic obstacles around regulation, skill, sustainability, and advancing customer choices may offer speed some bumps. A crucial takeaway from this study is how much will depend on how insurance providers handle their financial investments, particularly in emerging modern technologies and human resources.
This boils down to the companies’ capacity to stabilize automation with ‘human touch,’ customer care, and executing versatile working models, like outsourcing. With the demand for insurance policies anticipated to keep increasing worldwide, there will certainly be the need for much better insurance claims procedures. Deloitte states that these versatile functioning models can be directly applied to insurance coverage claims handling.
Outsourcing-The logical solution!
Outsourcing the tedious part of the insurance claims management process can bring many benefits to insurance agencies, claim adjusting companies, and carriers alike. Some of the ways in which insurance companies can benefit from outsourcing the process to third-party service providers who specialize in claims management process are:
Improving processing time.
Outsourcing insurance claim management to third-party service providers who have experience in dealing with insurance claims can help to reduce the processing time for insurance claims. This is because service providers will already have the necessary systems and processes in place to handle insurance claims efficiently.
Ensure accuracy and compliance.
Companies in the industry are often required to adhere to certain compliance regulations. Third-party service providers who specialize in insurance claim management will be well-versed in these compliance regulations and will be able to ensure that insurance claims are processed in a professional tone.
Reduced overheads.
One of the biggest benefits insurance companies can gain from outsourcing insurance claim management is reduced overhead. Insurance claims are very difficult to manage with limited resources, and there is usually always a backlog that needs to be worked through.
Outsourcing insurance claims also means that companies can scale up their business when they need to by hiring more staff rather than maintaining a permanent workforce.
This ability to scale as necessary makes insurance companies more agile and better equipped to meet changes in demand.
As the process is a contractual obligation for carriers, introducing insurance claims outsourcing means that the insurance company is protected from any potential liability regarding mistakes made by the third party.
Tasks that are suitable for outsourcing
Some of the insurance claim management tasks that can be outsourced to third-party service providers include:
Data entry and retrieval.
This includes retrieving insurance claim data from insurance company systems and keying in insurance claim information. Service providers specializing in insurance claims management will have the necessary systems and processes in place to guarantee that the claims are processed efficiently.
Claims assessment.
For insurance claims that require detailed assessment, such as those involving property damage and injury liability, it is important to be able to access insurance claim insurance policies and insurance details. Third-party insurance claims administrators can provide this information quickly and efficiently.
Liaising with insurance companies.
When insurance companies do not have the workforce or expertise needed to process insurance claims, third-party insurance claim administrators can be used to communicate insurance details with insurance companies.
Handling insurance inquiries.
Since insurance claims are considered very sensitive information, insurance claims managers are well-versed in keeping this critical data secure and confidential. They are also equipped to process insurance inquiries from insurance company stakeholders, insurance claimants, insurance brokers, and other third parties.
Document drafting.
This involves insurance company staff receiving insurance claim documents from insurance claimants and then creating insurance claims in insurance company systems. Insurance claims management processes are usually standardized, this can be easily outsourced to a third-party service provider who will have the needed know-how in order to help with the heavy lifting in the document drafting process.
Conclusion
Handling insurance claims from beginning to end is a complex process that requires experience and expertise in insurance claim management. Outsourcing insurance claims to a third-party service provider can help insurance companies to concentrate on their core activities and improve the overall insurance claims management process.
