WEB ENABLED

With New York Lifes Help, MIB Offers Online Services
MIB has been offering valued data to the life insurance industry for more than 100 years, but now, thanks to the help of New York Life, MIB members can receive secure, Internet-based access to MIB services. Information acquired through the MIB Web solution will improve underwriting and speed-to-market issues, according to Pierre Bouchard, corporate vice president of architecture for New York Life. We worked in a partnership mode to promote this new technology, which was right in line with a couple of major projects at New York Life, he says.

Insurers will benefit from the Web-enabled product by gaining the ability to make requests for medical information on life insurance customers and receiving that information in a secure and encrypted manner that will reduce any paper transfers and human interaction. Its truly machine to machine, says Bouchard. New York Life is using the system as part of its New Business 21st Century program. This allows us, in a very aggressive manner, to enhance our new-business system, he says. Within that proj-ect we have automation of processes such as acquisition of attending physician statements, medical EKGs, and all the information for underwriters to be able to perform their work in a new-business situation.