RIMS Seeks AIA, CIAB In Survey Deal
The Risk and Insurance Management Society is seeking a partnership with two insurance industry associations on a revised “Quality Scorecard” program to rate the services provided by insurers, brokers and third-party administrators, a RIMS leader announced this week.

However, the effort disclosed in New Orleans by outgoing RIMS President David Mair at the groups annual conference appears to be far from a done deal.

Mr. Mairs announcement during a press briefing that an agreement would be reached in the next few months on a joint program involving the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers and the American Insurance Association was not supported by those two groups.

Gary Karr, director of federal media relations for the AIA in Washington, said his group has not “seen full details of what they are proposing, but were certainly glad to talk to them. Weve just had a brief conversation, but we are interested in seeing more detail.”

Mr. Mair estimated that RIMS is within 60-to-90 days of signing a formal agreement with the Washington-based CIAB and AIA to co-produce a “Performance Satisfaction Measurement Tool.” However, CIAB President Ken A. Crerar called Mr. Mairs announcement “premature. Weve been having some discussions, but they have not concluded in an agreement in partnership, and in factwere at an early stage in those discussions.”

Mr. Mair said the joint effort would replace the RIMS “Quality Scorecard,” in which risk managers have rated the work of insurers, brokers and TPAs. He predicted that the results of a first joint-venture survey, probably conducted via the Web, would be released at the 2003 RIMS annual conference, to be held next April in Chicago.

The New York-based RIMS decided to join with an insurer and broker association to give its quality survey greater credibility and value, Mr. Mair explained.

Mr. Mair, who is director of risk management for the U.S. Olympic Committee, said the first RIMS Quality Scorecard a few years ago came under fire from industry vendors because of its small sample size and questions over its methodology. A follow-up RIMS survey conducted a year later had a vastly increased sample size, but came up with similar findings. In both surveys, risk managers gave relatively poor ratings to service providers across-the-board.

The deal being negotiated with AIA and CIAB comes under RIMS “Quality Improvement Process” initiative. As part of that effort, RIMS this week released its “Guidelines for Performance Expectations,” which risk managers can use in negotiations with service providers.

Reproduced from National Underwriter Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, April 22, 2002. Copyright 2002 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.