When the report comes in, an adjuster typically reviews it and may re-key some data into the claims system. In some cases, the data elements are captured and used, while others are placed in a folder and forgotten. A recent poll of claims professionals found that only 55% of the carriers re-key some of the data.

Consider the expense incurred in acquiring these reports and the value of the data to a claim file. What could be done differently to increase the return on investment?

Embrace Technology

Police departments are quickly embracing more digital processes, which insurers can leverage. Although we're still in the early stages of real-time electronic crash reporting, rapid adoption and expansion is expected over the next three to five years. Many cruisers are equipped with laptops that allow officers to fill out reports when responding to accidents, which provides greater accuracy than handwritten reports, while increasing officer safety.

Real-time access combines on-scene accident-reporting software with online contributory databases. The software allows critical validation rules to ensure the appropriate and essential data is captured correctly.

Think of the potential: immediate availability of police report information in a digital format for claims processing. As soon as a claim is filed, up to 35% of the time adjusters could pull up the report on their screens, print it out and quickly use the information for claims investigations. This real-time interaction could allow carriers to resolve claims faster.

Think of how digitized data elements from the report could be leveraged for advanced analytics — from identifying new trends in claims to developing new workflows for faster processing.

Having police data available in a consistent format could provide new insights into loss exposures, loss location, injury causation and liability assessment. It could be used to alert an adjuster to a potentially severe file that could be routed to a more senior handler, or passed directly to an automated triage process. Actuarial departments could develop models to identify trends in accident reports that could predict future events and make proactive plans on how to mitigate potential changes in the insurance environment.

Why Now?

The insurance industry is entering into a new era of real-time crash reports by tapping into at-the-scene police reporting technology. Claims organizations will be able to resolve claims faster at a lower cost. In the end, accessing crash reports in real-time will give carriers access to actionable information throughout the claims-handling process, ultimately leading to better results and a more competitive position in the market.