The complex world of claims administration is becoming increasingly dependent on technology to manage high claim volumes and claimant expectations. With automation and data storage at the heart of most technology solutions, claims administration software is proving its own worth. In fact, claims processors are starting to see that claimants are demanding the use of technology and want to communicate digitally.
That isn’t the end, though. Today’s claimants want to leverage this technology to maintain control over their claims. And that means they aren’t going to wait for status updates. They want to know how a claim is progressing, whether any information is missing or incorrect, and when it will be resolved. And they want it now.
Historically, claim organizations have fielded endless phone calls to answer these questions. But today’s claimants don’t want to wait on hold to chat with a live human being. They want the information anytime, anywhere – at the click of a button.
Supporting Your Claimants Digitally
The good news is that roughly 50-60% of insurance administration can be automated.[1] Of course, this is meant to help insurers, TPAs and other claims processors. But in many ways, automation can help claimants as well, both financially and with greater access to data.
That’s where claimant access comes in. Rather than calling a phone number and having to request claim information over the phone, a claimant access solution allows claimants to log in to their secure account and view their own claims information whenever they want.
With claimant access technology, claimants can:
- View their claim and payment information in real time from any device
- Drill down into specific claims to see more details and better understand their coverage
- Send messages and add attachments (i.e., photos or videos) directly to a claim file
- Contact an examiner, if necessary, for further clarification
Customizing the Customer Experience
Claimants may not know how claimant access technology works, but they want it to be secure and available. That’s why many claim organizations offer customization options for seamless claimant interactions, starting with the ability to modify and brand their pages to reflect company messaging and branding, with their colors, logos and more.
In most cases, the claimant access system can be configured to allow claimants to complete a simple registration process to set up a secure account and view the associated claims. Claim organizations select the information to be displayed and the accepted payment types. They can also send automated notifications to claimants for administrative tasks, such as granting access or resetting passwords.
In short, claims processors can:
- Configure a user-friendly experience for claimants
- Brand pages with appropriate company messaging and specific logo
- Configure the header and footer with relevant legal language
- Choose which claims are authorized to be viewed
- Select what types of payments display for claimants
Claim organizations that incorporate claimant access technology into their business model see a variety of benefits. Not only do they spend less time on administrative tasks and have more time to focus on claim settlement, but they also reduce the need for multiple phone calls to request updates and ultimately, meet their claimants exactly where they want to access them – at the tip of their fingers.
Next Steps
In today’s information age, in which we purchase everything from our phones and have access to our data in moments, the user experience is critical to meeting all claimants where they are — digitally. Claim organizations must follow suit.
Claimants want the ability to understand and control their own claims, and a technology solution that supports this flexibility can be invaluable to them — and to claim organizations alike.
Learn more about claimant access here.
[1]mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/the-insurance-switch-technology-will-reshape-operations
