It's no secret that average bodily injury (BI) payments and severity are on the rise. More people are claiming to be hurt in accidents. They are more likely to hire attorneys, and providers are performing more expensive procedures. What is an adjuster to do?

First, understand what is driving this phenomenon. While new cars are safer than ever, the reality is that the average age of the vehicle on the road in the U.S. is 11.4 years old.

We also have to be cognizant that claimants can be opportunistic. While many injury claims are legitimate, it is estimated that around 10 percent of all claims are an outright fraud. Beyond that, an estimated one-third of all auto-related medical bills have an element of fraud such as upcoding, unbundling or modifier abuse.  

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