IT CONFERENCE
Keys to Success: The Business-IT Marriage, New Systems,Technology Breakthroughs

Do claims and IT matter? You better believe we do. Those werethe words of Catherine Brune, senior vice president and chieftechnology officer with Allstate Insurance, as she opened theannual Tech Decisions Exposition and Conference (TechDEC) andACE/SCLA program at Chicagos Hyatt Regency Hotel last month. Brunedelivered the first of five keynote addresses. The event wassponsored by The National Underwriter Company, parent company ofTech Decisions.

Business units at Allstate have been working with informationtechnology leaders to determine the companys most serious problems,according to Brune. [Business units] joined us at the table andhelped us figure out what the priorities are, she said. Thosediscussions eventually led to movement away from the IT departmentmaking financial decisions on new projects. Weve changed the way weallocate our resources, she noted.

With a large number of claims professionals in attendance forthe ACE/SCLA portion of the conference, Brune delighted the crowdby saying if she had just $1 to spend on technology, she wouldspend it on the claims side. Thats what our customers want, shesaid. [Customers] want us to do more. The industry gets a bad nameif we dont do claims well.

Another keynote speaker was John Chu, senior vice presidente-business and technology, with The Hartford Financial Services.Chu told the audience technology is more than just an enabler forThe Hartfords business units. IT plays a bigger role in thedelivery of value proposition on a day-to-day basis, he said. TheHartford recently unveiled Claim Expediter, an electronic claimsprocessing system for physical damage automobile claims. Chureported under the old system, it normally took a full seven daysto settle such claims, but with Claim Expediter, the process can,under the right conditions, be reduced to a few hours.

Among the predictions offered by Chu on future technologybreakthroughs were electronic solutions similar to Claim Expediterthat will be applied to other lines of business; an increased useof wireless, telematics, and global positioning technology; and achange in business models due to new technologies andbusiness-based architectures. At The Hartford, business-basedarchitectures and new technology dramatically are changing ourclaims operating model and our customers experience, said Chu.

He also expressed his excitement with the advances being made inthe new technology. Claims adjusters working the Florida hurricaneshave found GPS invaluable in locating insured property, he said,since many street signs were knocked down by the wind. He worriesabout where this country is going with wireless technology, though.America is going to be behind in the wireless arena over the next10 years, he asserted.

In one of TechDECs break-out sessions, systems engineer BrandtBarlow and director-life actuary Ron Santacroce, both ofNationwide, directly addressed the issue of new technology with adiscussion on grid computing at their financial services company.Nationwide currently is using grid computing for its actuarialstaff, and Barlow suggested for this solution to be effective,there must be a strong connection between IT and the business side.He believes grid computing likely will be initiated by a carriersIT department. Grid computing is an opportunity to acquire ahigh-performance computer platform without the high cost, hepointed out.

Nationwides actuarial staff is able to perform complex problemsin much shorter time frames by utilizing the untapped resources ofservers and PCs. You can leverage the resources you already have,said Barlow. Nationwides corporate development department is nextto tap into the grid to manage its investment portfolio.

In addition to the conference speakers, attendees were able tovisit with more than 100 vendors offering various claims andtechnology solutions in the exhibit hall. TechDEC 2005 has beenscheduled for Oct. 6 to 8 in Orlando, Fla. ROBERT REGIS HYLE

CUSTOMER SERVICE
Wausau Offering Policyholders Automatic ClaimsAlerts

Wausau Insurance policyholders can re-ceive automatic claimsalerts via e-mail and utilize other new electronic enhancementsrecently added to myServices, Wausaus secure Internet site. Wausaucustomers will have access to more risk-management tools andinformation through the sites new feature, called ClaimAlerts.Registered Wausau customers are notified through an e-mail whencertain triggering claim events occur. Such events include ClaimOpen/Closed/ Reopened and Change in Incurred and/or Paid Amountsabove a certain user-defined threshold. There also are threedifferent Lag Time Alerts.

Our enhanced myServices site was designed with our customers inmind, says Joe Gilles, Wausau president and COO. We know better andtimelier access to insurance information will help our customerscontrol and lower their total cost of risk, which ultimately canhelp their bottom line.

Wausau customers rely on myServices to help meet theirrisk-management needs. For example, myServices registered in July2004 more than 8,500 customer hits, and since Jan. 1, the site hasregistered nearly 70,000 hits. During the past 12 months, upward of30,000 claims have been reported via Internet ExPRS, WausausInternet claims-reporting application on myServices.

Some of the basic features of my-Services consist ofClaimStatus, a user-friendly claim-inquiry tool; electronicdelivery of loss runs; Internet claims reporting for commercialauto, general liability, property, and workers compensation;location schedule inquiry; loss-prevention resource library andconfirmation reports; provider referral services; and RISKTRAC,Wausaus risk-management information system.

In addition to the ClaimAlert feature, another enhancementmyServices now makes available is a customized bulletin board topost ClaimAlerts, announcements, new-service notices, scheduledmaintenance times, or various SIC or Franchise Code-specificmessages.

A Wausau Contacts button with access to key, customer-specificWausau service personnel still is to come. It will contain theemployees name, title, direct phone number, and e-mail address,making it easier for customers to get answers to theirservice-related questions.

Also on tap soon are Claim Summary reports to providecustomer-specific claim data in frequently used report formats.Reports will be offered for workers compensation, generalliability, and automobile lines of business via special myServicesregistration.

Wausau Insurance is a national property/casualty company dealingin commercial auto, general liability, property, package, umbrella,workers compensation, and other coverages. Wausau is a member ofthe Liberty Mutual Group, which ranks 116th on the Fortune 500list.

WHOS USING WHAT

Global reinsurance company Swiss Re has chosen AppDetective fromApplication Security Inc., a provider of database securitysolutions, to protect the carriers global databaseapplications.

Delta Dental of California, New York, and Pennsylvania, togetherwith affiliates in 13 other states, plans to reduce financialadministrative costs and improve cash management for customers byimplementing BizCast, an online invoicing solution from AvolentInc., a financial relationship management software company.

CIGNA HealthCare has teamed with Post-N-Track Corporation todeliver faster claims submission and tracking for healthcareproviders, billing entities, and transaction aggregators. The newservice is available through a direct, universal, secure Web-basedtransaction solution that administers, monitors, and controls thesetransactions.

Property/casualty insurer CNA has selected the Adobe IntelligentDocument Platform from Adobe Systems, Inc., to generate anddistribute automatically all business forms and letters requiredfor initiating and processing claims.

Indiana Farmers Mutual Insurance Company has implemented in itsclaims operations the AcroSoft Insurance Content Managementsolution from AcroSoft Corporation to achieve the benefits of paperreduction.

Armed Forces Insurance has opted for IDPs Acies/ one P&Cintegrated insurance system to replace legacy systems that havebeen in operation for more than 20 years.

BMO Life Insurance Company has chosen business-processoutsourcing specialist GeniSys to provide administrative services,including the underwriting and issuance of new policies, billing,claims, and ongoing policy service for both new and existing BMOLife direct term policies.

The Combined Group has tapped InsBridge Inc., developers of abrowser-based, multiplatform insurance rating and underwritingtechnology solution. The Combined Group will use the product tosupport rating needs for its QuoteExpress multicarrierquick-quoting platform, with a primary focus on excess and surpluscarriers.

Partners HealthCare has selected Westbridge Technology todeliver XML security for communication with its B2B partners.Westbridge secures sensitive information and offers the auditingand tracking capabilities required for compliance.

Universal Insurance Group, a property/casualty insurance groupbased in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has begun full business operationsutilizing Cover-All Technologies solution suite, My InsuranceCenter.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama is using IdentityManagement Suite from Courion Corporation to automate its processesfor user provisioning and password management. Through itsimplementation of Courions Account Courier, Blue Cross and BlueShield of Alabama will automate its current process of userprovisioning for its 4,000 employees by enabling authorizedindividuals to grant, revoke, or modify instantly access to ITassets without manual intervention.