The inclusion of these presentations in no way constitutes an endorsement of the featured programs. They are offered in an effort to help our readers make intelligent, responsible decisions on the basis of their individual needs and budget allowances.

Locate-and-Search Information Tool

Launched in May 2001 as a product division of Seisint, of Boca Raton, Fla., Accurint is a comprehensive locate-and-research tool used by many of today's insurance professionals. It is powered by an in-house computer. The system is available through the web and through batch processing. Highly customizable tasks can be performed at cost, once a client is approved to use the system.

Accurint provides access to public record information from hundreds of sources. There is no activation fee or monthly minimum. In most cases, there is no charge for a search that does not produce a result. The basic person search costs 25 cents, and a directory assistance tool is available for 10 cents. To gain use of the system, clients must have legitimate business reasons to use the data before being awarded exclusive passwords. Accurint's main menu lets users choose among searches ranging from people and businesses to licenses, court documents, and criminal records.

For investigative purposes, an initial search can be performed by entering information, such as name, address, or social security number, into one of the screen's designated fields. The basic search results will include a subject's name and any aliases, Social Security number, and historical address data dating back 20 to 30 years. A feature of Accurint's search window is the bold blue check marks that identify a subject's probable current address. The hyperlinks offer reports on leads, such as neighbors, relatives, and associates, all of which is helpful when simply having a subject's phone number yields no return.

Accurint users can retrieve information by navigating the web site through a series of drop boxes leading to data source links, such as people, businesses, assets, licenses, court documents, and directory assistance. The option to run detailed reports also is available. The report options include a summary report, skip-trace report, asset report, and a comprehensive report. The comprehensive report comes in both flat-rate and customizable versions. The flat-rate version is $4.50 and provides a current address, historical addresses, telephone numbers, property ownership information, vehicle registrations, driver's license, associates, relatives, neighbors, criminal convictions, etc.

An online help guide is available in each individual search area and there is an index to the help documentation on the main menu. Accurint offers free online training on all of its search features.

For more information, visit www.seisint.com.

Web-Based Estimating

ADP Claims Services Group, a provider of integrated business software for the property and casualty, collision repair, and automotive recycling industries, has announced the availability of ADP Estimating, a web-based estimating program.

ADP Estimating offers all the same features and functionality of existing estimating products in the market, but adds the advantages of access to parts and labor data as it becomes available and eliminates the need for loading CDS. Industry participants now can share the same estimate during the review process, which reduces cycle time and improves communication among parties. Shops and insurance companies no longer have to interpret and reconcile different calculations made by different systems.

Clients can easily dispatch appraisals, write estimates, perform total loss valuations, audit estimates, and write reports, all from one system and all on the web. Total loss valuation requests are performed through a new, web-based version of Autosource, also recently launched by ADP. The integration between ADP Estimating and Autosource eliminates the need for double entry of claim information.

ADP also has announced the integration of new Real Steel recycled part data from vendors that includes availability and pricing, all within a user interface in ADP Estimating.

The web-based ADP Estimating lets clients take immediate advantage of the latest features as they become available. Clients have no dedicated hardware or software to install, increasing convenience and reducing costs. In addition, on-the-road appraisers still have the flexibility of using the CD-based version of ADP Estimating when they do not have access to the Internet.

ADP Estimating provides tutorials that make it easier for new shop employees and appraisers to get up and running quickly. Clients also can write estimates faster and more accurately with Smart Estimating's new advanced decision support and new logical navigation.

“We are very excited about taking estimating solutions to a new level,” said Jose Rivero, senior vice president, ADP Claims Services Group. “ADP Estimating offers the advantage of real-time access to data, the convenience of the web, full integration across all ADP claim management products, and file-sharing capabilities through a single system to let clients write estimates more quickly and accurately and reduce cycle times. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for our clients to take advantage of the most streamlined, efficient estimating process.”

For more information about ADP Estimating, contact the company at 800-546-5237.

Enhanced Work Flow, Customization

APU Solutions, a provider of alternative part procurement software and support to the automotive claim and collision repair industries, has upgraded the work flow and customization features of its PartsNetwork.

Version 4.5 offers repair facilities and insurance carriers intuitive intelligence features that simplify how they search for and procure alternative parts, casting a wide net for every part on every claim. After repair facilities enter data into PartsNetwork using an EMS extract, the software generates part requests to multiple suppliers in seconds. Version 4.5 also includes an auto-quote feature for searches of aftermarket inventories for instant pricing and availability information.

Repair facilities can use PartsNetwork alongside any estimating software, eliminating the need to use multiple processes with different estimating companies and carriers. Insurance carriers benefit from PartsNetwork's extensive reporting and claim-auditing tools. The software allows carriers to observe repair facility buying decisions as the purchases occur, adding another dimension to carriers' buying consultations with their shops. Carriers also have access to claim data for re-inspections and desk reviews to closely manage all areas of claim activity.

“Our ongoing investment in research and development keeps APU Solutions at the forefront of the industry and, as a result, attracts many of the top insurance carriers,” said Charles Lukens, president and chief operations officer of APU Solutions. “Since our inception, we've provided alternative part procurement software that works for the industry. We tap into evolving customer needs, fine-tune our offerings, and deliver industry-leading solutions such as Version 4.5.”

For more information, contact Scott Westbrook at 913-599-1600, [email protected].

Cash in Hand: A Lingering Problem

By listening to its providers, Preferred Medical Claim Solutions (PMCS) recognizes that positive cash flow is one of the essential ingredients in operating a successful business. In today's economy, health-care payables are the last obligation to be paid, thereby contributing to dramatically increasing health-care costs. The discounts that providers must take in order to be part of a PPO's network force them to drive up their prices in order to stay in business. With enrollment in the PMCS Advance Funded Provider (AFP) program, however, health-care payables become PMCS' number one priority.

The creation of the AFP program has resulted in more than 400,000 providers, in all 50 states, being registered to receive payments on their outstanding receivables within five days following benefit verification. PMCS processes out-of-network claims associated with third party administrators and self-funded employers, which, combined, total more than 3.8 million covered lives, further reducing providers' costs and time delays associated with collecting medical receivables.

While the standard PPO merely reprices medical claims and returns them to plan administrators for payment, AFP members have full access to the Preferred Data Interchange (PDI), eliminating administrators' need to mail or fax paperwork. Administrative errors are eliminated, allowing PMCS to remit payments directly to providers.

PDI is the customized software that provides an electronic interface from the client's claim operating system directly to PMCS during the normal process of claim submission, repricing, adjudication, and payment remittance. It allows administrators to increase client retention by reducing loss ratios for their clients, as well as lifting the administrative burden associated with typical cost-containment tools, while simultaneously increasing the profits for the administrator.

Through PDI, insurance carriers, TPAs, and any payors can benefit from the savings generated from the PMCS program. When vendors request an organization to mail, fax, or enter claim data into their systems, it takes time and adds administrative burdens. PMCS' technology, however, saves its clients time and money by automatically selecting and exporting claim data at the close of each business day, and providing the results the following morning. By reducing the provider's allowable charges owed, patients also receive the benefit of lower payables. PMCS, therefore, provides a triple solution to lowering health-care costs.

For more information, contact PMCS at 888-460-0068, ext. 233.

Work Order Tracking Unites Services

CornerPost Software has released TotalTrac, a web-based work order tracking and asset management program designed to unite all of an insurance organization's in-house service, maintenance, and asset inventory needs. The system automates the handling of trouble tickets, routine maintenance, and cataloging for computer and office equipment, furniture, vehicle fleets, and other assets of any kind.

Available exclusively under an application service provider (ASP) model that eliminates the need to purchase, install, and maintain servers and software, TotalTrac centralizes work order tracking and asset management for disparate groups of items under a simple user interface suitable for anyone from custodial to technical staff. This provides a single point of entry for reporting all types of problems, not just computer-related issues, and makes the efficiencies of paperless problem management accessible to all support personnel. In an insurance setting, TotalTrac can be used to track a claim's status, submit work orders, manage the maintenance of office items, monitor equipment that moves from room to room or person to person, and so on.

Default fields in the asset management component of the TotalTrac system are tailored to each asset category (computer hardware entries include an IP address field, for example, while motor vehicles do not). Custom fields can be added quickly and easily.

TotalTrac uses a Microsoft SQL database and access is possible from any web browser. Features include:

oBar code and Global Positioning System (GPS) support, permitting the use of bar codes to expedite asset lookup and inventory management, and the use of GPS data based on WGS84 Datum and NAD83 Datum standards to accommodate radio towers and other out-of-building assets.

oThe ability to attach files to a given asset record, including images, system drivers, user manuals, and other files and documents associated with that item.

oDatabase import capabilities, allowing disparate databases maintained by customers to be incorporated into the TotalTrac system.

oWireless access via PDA, enabling technicians to retrieve, modify, or close trouble tickets from their hand-held devices. The use of an optional bar code scanning attachment on the PDA also allows users to view asset records or trouble tickets stored on TotalTrac by scanning the bar codes.

“Most inventory, asset management, and work order systems today are designed strictly for computer equipment, but organizations need a total solution that encompasses other aspects of their operations,” said Ryan Elswick, chief operations officer of CornerPost Software. “TotalTrac answers that need for total tracking with a flexible system that can be adapted easily to the needs of any kind of enterprise, from schools and businesses to hospitals and banks.

“Unlike other client/server or stand-alone software alternatives, TotalTrac is the only ASP-based work order management and tracking solution on the market today,” he continued. “Not only does TotalTrac require no upfront capital investment or on-premises installation, but the service automatically links any individual, department, or service organization with a web browser, keeping all critical parties in the loop for each work order.”

More information is available at www.cornerpost.net.

Business Rule Engines Improve Claims

Increasingly complex customer requirements, constantly changing jurisdictional requirements, high claim handler turnover — it's no wonder that obtaining high productivity and improved claim outcomes is so difficult. What costs would be saved if new customer expectations could be integrated into automated claim processes? Envision the value of automating such activities as claim triage and assignment, generation of claim documents, and alerts and notifications based on your business rules. Imagine the benefits if the knowledge of your claim handlers were embedded in your claim system and all your claim handlers were using best practices to manage claims. Think of the value of being able to implement new business rules and make changes to existing rules rapidly and efficiently.

The answer is here and it does not require precious information technology resources to bring it to life. The solution is a business rule engine (BRE). A BRE separates business rules from application code and allows business users to control the rules running claim management practices. With a BRE, modifications can be made easily to business logic without changing actual application code.

Generally, the rules that affect the claim management process fall into one of the following categories:

oProcess-oriented rules Rules that support practices, procedures, and work flow.

oInference rules If/then rules that make logical conclusions based on multiple facts.

oComputation rules Rules that perform mathematical operations on data values.

oData-oriented rules Edit rules applied to ensure correct data input or change existing data.

Rules vary in both complexity and their rates of change. The most dynamic rules are complex constraint computations and inference rules. These types of rules manage business transactions and workflow; therefore, they represent true candidates for a business rule engine. To achieve the optimal value of this technology, however, there are some important things to consider:

Select the right business rule engine. A BRE should monitor claim information continuously to determine when actions need to be performed based on your business practices. Not all BREs are created equal, however. An inference BRE is an intelligent rule engine, based on specific algorithms, and ideally supports both forward and backward chaining.

Forward chaining inference rules evaluate data in an effort to determine appropriate actions to execute. For example, if you notice a red light in front of you, you immediately put the brake on without first considering whether to turn down the radio.

Backward chaining is a goal-driven process that is used when we are trying to explain the causes of results. For example, if it is too hot, you consider why, ask yourself whether the heater is on and, if yes, turn it off. The ability to infer or deduce actions is a significant benefit of an inference BRE over traditional business rule engines.

Insist on easy and comprehensive rule authoring. Because rules need to be created by business users, this process must be simple and straightforward. To this end, two critical features are important. The first is the ability to author rules in natural language, rather than writing rules in programming code. The BRE, therefore, should include the capability to be “taught” about concepts, definitions, and relationships in your business terms to deduce the appropriate conclusion when executing rules.

The second feature is an authoring wizard that helps your rule administrator through a step-by-step process of writing rules. This process also must apply to complex, multi-variable rules. The BRE wizard in Corporate Systems' ClaimsPro system uses common claim terms along with standard claim codes in an easily understandable sentence format. This approach simplifies the process of selecting the right criteria, the right values and the right outputs or actions.

Require business rule library management tools. Within the claim process, there are thousands of rules, and more rules get added or changed every day. To manage your rules, you need a rule management tool and a rule library, a single repository for all of your rules. Your rule library should provide the following key authoring or management tools: a set of tested, flexible templates that can be tailored to your business requirements; the ability to edit and audit rules in a production environment; the ability to report and perform data mining on rule execution; and flexible role-based security levels.

The Rules Center allows easy access to the management tools and establishment of your rule library. The organization of the rules within the library results in a knowledge repository that supports a more thorough understanding of current business processes and claim management policies while enabling business process improvement.

For more information, contact Derek Coleman, director of architecture, at [email protected].

Crash Modeling Evaluates Injury Claims

When you buy your next automobile, chances are that, during the design process, it was crashed into a mathematical barrier more times than it was crashed into a real barrier. Sound high tech? Next time you evaluate an injury claim you may be doing the same.

Some claim adjusters and SIU personnel already are applying this technology to the evaluation of injury claims. Crashport has introduced a new crash analysis service to the property and casualty industry that is based on mathematical modeling similar to that used in the automotive industry to assess vehicle crash performance and test vehicle safety features. Mathematical modeling uses the facts of an accident to reproduce the forces and motions exerted on both the vehicle and the occupants riding inside, enabling various types of injuries to be evaluated.

“While new to the insurance industry, mathematical modeling of occupant dynamics is routine in the auto industry,” said John Burge, CEO of Crashport. “We looked at the methods being used by carriers, attorneys, and expert witnesses and recognized that they were in conflict with the much more sophisticated mathematical modeling methods being used in automotive design and injury research. We have simply transferred this technology into the insurance industry by largely automating the analysis process, made it easy to use and cost-effective for evaluating injury claims, particularly those involving soft-tissue injuries.”

“Photos without scientific interpretation can be very misleading,” said Robert Thibodeau, Crashport's chief technology officer. “Some vehicle damage photos look very dramatic, but mathematical modeling of the key variables associated with injury may reveal that the potential for injury was very small. On the other hand, some accidents with minimal auto body damage may present a potential for injury. We will be helping claim personnel, attorneys, and courts make better decisions in this regard.”

The clients who use Crashport do so because it helps them operate more efficiently and effectively by better defining the legitimacy of a claim. Is there a high correlation between the accident forces and the injuries claimed? Or is this a claim for further investigation and validation?

“A claim that is wrongly paid can be very expensive for an insurance company, and a claim that is wrongly denied can result in unnecessary litigation costs followed by eventual payment of the claim, not to mention potential for bad faith liability if a first-party case,” said Burge. The Crashport analysis allows carriers to use the best science available, increasing their ability to identify which claims are more likely to be valid from those that represent potential abuse.

What if a case goes to court? The company now provides competitively priced expert witnesses and strategy consulting services to help attorneys and insurance companies address injury causation issues in court, particularly those relating to soft-tissue injuries. Crashport will provide testimony services only in cases in which a Crashport analysis is consistent with a client's position, however.

“Our modeling system is objective and will be the same for every case,” said Burge. “The facts are the facts, however they fall out.” Objectivity is the most critical feature of any crash analysis method, he added. “Mathematical modeling enables us to objectively calculate everything that is necessary to understand the forces and motions involved in the crash.”

It is easy to use the Crashport service through its web interface. The adjuster spends five to 10 minutes entering basic information, such as type of vehicles, point of impact, and passenger data. Photographs are loaded into the system for incorporation into the analysis. The data is then processed, with results posted to a private web page. Pricing is on a per-claimant basis, based on the number and types of vehicles involved and the complexity of the accident.

For more information, contact Burge at jburge@crash-port. com, www.crashport.com.

Innovation for Claims

The insurance industry was an early adopter of information technology, and computer systems still are the backbone of insurance processes. In many organizations, however, technology no longer supports business process improvement, but has become a constraint that insurance professionals grapple with every day.

The limitations of existing technology are evident in today's claim organizations. In the last decade, visionary claim leaders conceived many new claim-handling processes that promised to lower costs while improving outcomes and customer service. Just a few of these new ideas include beginning the adjusting process during the first contact, including referrals across a network of partners to deliver service faster; sophisticated segmentation and assignment models that route work to the appropriate resources; and collaboration among teams of professionals both inside and outside the claim organization, including adjusters, attorneys, investigators, case managers, and others.

Instead of making these ideas a reality, however, most claim systems serve as an impediment to change. Too often, existing mainframe and client/server systems cannot be modified to support new processes at a reasonable cost. At the same time, adjusters struggle with a plethora of everyday annoyances and obstacles, such as the need to constantly switch among multiple screens or multiple systems for even routine information; the inability for more than one person at a time to work on (or even look at) the same claim; and failure to capture required data elements, generally those ignored by the system's original developers.

Guidewire Software is dedicated to promoting innovation in the insurance industry and unlocking the power of technology to improve insurance processes. Guidewire's flagship software, Guidewire ClaimCenter, applies this basic principle to claim organizations. ClaimCenter is built with state-of-the-art software technology, written in Java to the J2EE standard, with pure web client and web service interfaces. More importantly, the system provides claim leaders the freedom to translate ideas into reality, allowing them to tune their claim processes to the specific and evolving needs of their businesses, rather than struggling with the artificial limitations imposed by legacy systems.

At the core of the system, a data model allows each organization to define the exact data elements it needs, both to adjust claims and to analyze claim processes. Configurable screen layouts gather the critical information necessary to make accurate decisions at key points in the claim lifecycle. Streamlined communication mechanisms, from system-generated e-mail to automated flagging and handling of exceptions, notify appropriate claim handlers at the moment that intervention is needed, not a week later, when the claim already has escalated out of control.

Behind the scenes, a rule engine gives claim leaders the power to mold the claim process or processes, as a different workflow can be defined for each line of business, state, coverage, severity, or other factor. Based on any of these attributes, claim-handling activities can be specified, with varying priorities and due dates, and can be assigned to the most appropriate people inside or outside the company. The extended organization can be subdivided as finely as desired, creating specialist roles with specific permissions, responsibilities, and geographic territories, for increased efficiency and expertise.

ClaimCenter provides continuous management of the claim process. Supervisors can see caseloads across their teams and view individual claims, while overdue activities or potentially risky claims are escalated automatically. As a result, managers not only can define their ideal claim processes, but also can monitor them in operation and intervene as required. By analyzing ClaimCenter's database of claim information (coverages, claimants, vehicles, etc.) and process information (activities, completion times, service levels, etc.), they can better identify the key drivers of claim outcomes and refine their processes accordingly.

ClaimCenter's flexibility is underscored by the diversity of its customer base, ranging from a regional all-line carrier to a specialist in long-haul trucking to one of the largest commercial insurers in the world. What these companies have in common is a vision of how technology can support innovation and make their companies more successful. ClaimCenter is their tool for making that vision a reality.

More information is available at www.guidewire.com.

Browser Revolution in Claim Management

It is estimated that claim settlement costs could be reduced by as much as 15 percent through the use of sophisticated technology. Every few years, a new technology is touted as the next big thing. In order to really take hold, however, innovations must adhere to the core objectives of claim management: cost control, efficiency, and timely, appropriate responses for optimum outcomes.

The claim department must be able to access critical information to make effective decisions and run reports in order to improve performance. In addition, claim professionals must be able to focus on the activities that directly affect outcomes. To avoid lagging behind the best-practice curve, organizations should align these objectives with appropriate claim tools.

Responding to these requirements, browser-based technology has begun to revolutionize claim practices, allowing participants in the claim process to communicate and collaborate effectively. This next-generation claim management technology is both flexible enough to adapt to an organization's unique needs and is accessible via the Internet.

The impact of browser-based technology has increased significantly as the concept, “The network is the computer,” has become more widely accepted. Browser-based technology can run over the Internet or be configured on a company's own network or intranet. The only thing a user needs to run the application is a browser; no middleware is necessary.

As a result, the application model has had a profound impact on how claim departments acquire, use, and maintain information systems. Claim organizations save valuable IT resources, as browser-based technology does not require installation or updates at individual workstations. Instead, maintenance and updates occur at the server level.

For claim professionals, the main benefits of browser-based technology include accessibility and connectivity. Remote employees, attorneys, nurse case managers, and other third-party organizations can gain access to claim information at any time, from anywhere. Linking multiple parties allows the various specialists to focus their expertise in specific areas, allowing the sharing of information and improved collaboration among different parties.

With today's high volume of claim activity, streamlined workflow is critical to operational efficiency. As a result, workflow management has come into the spotlight as a way to enable the exact and timely use of automated processes and expert resources. Business rules are the means by which many organizations define workflow but, traditionally, this has taken place through a diary system.

While diary-centric workflow is great for claim adjusters, it does not work well for others who are becoming increasingly integral to the claim process. Today's browser-based technology now includes document imaging and provides work-flow management beyond diary-based task lists. For instance, an organization can establish business rules to alert nurse case managers via e-mail of claims that require their attention and medical management expertise.

Browser-based rules automatically involve more specialists in the workflow process. These rules are easy to configure with drop-down menus and check boxes, and can be modified quickly in response to legislative changes and new policies. Rules enable notification via e-mail, pager, or mobile phone, which plays a critical role in alerting decision-makers of large loss claims (death, multiple employees).

Browser-based applications further expand on the Internet model. One good example is sending a claim link, an Internet hyperlink to a specific case, via e-mail within the claim system. This can be sent to an authorized specialist, such as a defense attorney, to either view or update specific aspects of the claim, such as the litigation component. The link is secure, with access restricted by the sender, typically the claim adjuster. The link allows the attorney to view the latest claim notes and activities, without having to contact the adjuster.

The Claim link provides transactional cost savings and cuts back on bottlenecks in receiving information, such as waiting for returned calls or e-mail updates. Due to the flexibility of browser-based technology, links and alerts established within the work-flow management process allow various participants in the process to be better informed of claim activity and better positioned for appropriate responses.

By adhering to established protocols and standards, browser-based technology is highly interoperable, meaning that it works well with various platforms. As a result, browser-based technology easily brings together medical bill review, risk management information systems, incident reporting, accounts payable, and human resource databases, allowing for a one-system process.

Revolutionize! It is a good time to get caught up in the browser revolution. As claim managers continue to be challenged on several fronts, such as tight budgets, rising costs, increased severity and frequency of claims, and heightened pressure to improve performance, they have turned to browser-based technology as an effective answer to those challenges. In the final analysis, these systems allow collaboration with various specialists and provide exactly the type of access to information that claim managers need to reduce costs and improve performance.

For more information, contact Randy Wheeler, CEO of Valley Oak Systems, at [email protected], www.valleyoak.com.

InsureWorx Claims: Out of the Ordinary

Acquiring new claim administration system capabilities presents a difficult set of decisions and risks that will affect operations, expenses, and customer service for a decade or more. Until now, insurance companies seeking the strategic advantages of web-based claim applications have been faced with a plethora of undesirable risks in dealing with their existing systems.

“Rather than trying to replace all core processing at once and tackle a high-risk approach to full legacy replacement, insurers now can control their own destinies and effectively manage the risk and rewards involved in any legacy replacement effort by determining the starting points based on their own needs, priorities, and risks,” said Deborah Smallwood, insurance practice leader with TowerGroup. “WorldGroup leverages new web service technologies like J2EE and WebSphere that provide the framework for enterprise component-based architecture.”

In addition to providing time-to-market efficiencies for achieving web-based claim administration, the InsureWorx building-block approach allows insurance companies to replace functional legacy areas, as needs dictate, yielding a manageable piece-by-piece transformation to full replacement.

A popular starting point for web capabilities is claim reporting. The latest InsureWorx On Demand Solution, first report of injury, offers efficiencies and customer service to the reporting process; allowing efficient and timely intervention critically important to controlling overall costs of workplace injury claims.

In today's web-enabled world, an insurer's customers and producers have all become system users. InsureWorx takes into account the fact that system users can range from internal staff and external customers to producers and business partners, and provides navigation that is flexible for the unique needs of all users, whether expert, novice, or occasional. InsureWorx affords easy access and processing efficiencies that accommodate field offices, remote employees, remote work sites, and, most importantly, customers.

With InsureWorx, the insurer is able to support any and all web-based services that customers may demand today, as well as services the insurer may require in the future. Designed specifically for mid- to large-sized group and commercial line insurance carriers, InsureWorx Claims offers complete lifecycle claim processing. Multi-line, multi-state, multi-company, multiple claim processing offices, and remote employees all are addresed on a on single InsureWorx Claims system.

Consider a multi-line carrier with dozens of regional claim offices around the country. Compound the situation with remote home-based examiners and field case managers. In this typical environment, different systems and software packages historically are a given. With InsureWorx Claims, each of the company's representatives, customers, agents, and brokers, regardless of location or line of business, can tap into a single system to take the claim through its lifecycle.

InsureWorx also provides a broad technical stance for whatever the future may hold. Created with the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) standard, using IBM's WebSphere products, the system provides all the benefits that an open standard, platform independent, web-based system has to offer. It can be the insurer's first step for legacy transformation and a building block to the future. InsureWorx Claims gives an insurer's staff, customers, agents, and business partners the tools they need to do their work, and that translates into better claim processing and better customer service.

For additional information, contact Ron Lang, director, insurance solutions, at 800-785-4526, www.worldgroup.com.