Hollywood's recent writers' strike left television networks desperate for ideas to fill hours of programming. This was a prime opportunity for claim professionals to advance their profession's visibility by pitching concepts for new shows. Many are reality programs illustrating the challenges of modern claim management. In the event that writers go on strike again, here are some claim programming ideas to keep in the hopper.
The Wire (Transfer) A gritty series portraying high-dollar claim settlements and financial machinations. The claim is settled. It's a jumbo loss, but plaintiff's counsel says the deal is off unless you can issue the settlement check by Thursday. You need the funds wire transferred, but the finance guy in charge of that is attending a conference in Cancun on "Expense Account Auditing." Will the check make it? Will the deal crater? Tune in next week!
CSI – Claim Scene Investigation Two cars just collided at the intersection of Maple and Vine. Both drivers claim they had the green light. Adjusters from competing insurers — in their own version of The Amazing Race — sprint to the scene to see who gets there first. One promises to dispatch a gecko in 15 minutes or less. The other insurance rep boasts that it has an adjuster at the scene even before the collision. Who will win the prize for fastest claim service?
The (Insurance) Commish Political hacks order market conduct exams on insurers who receive complaints from policyholders facing coverage denials from flood, windstorm, and alien abduction. Commish offers to waive the fines for any insurer that "donates" to their re-election campaign funds. What will happen next?
What Not to Wear The claim department has declared Fridays as a day for casual dress. Adjuster Bonnie has worn her tank top and hot pants to work, however. Appraiser Bubba dons his "Larry the Cable Guy" t-shirt and says that the claim office needs to "Git `er done!" A staff of claim managers huddle on air to decide what is and is not appropriate for business casual in the claim office.
Deal or No Deal involves a claim adjuster, a host/presenter, a banker, a group of female models, and multiple claim file drawers, each containing a different (and initially unknown) reserve. The game starts with an adjuster picking a drawer that he believes will have the highest number of claim files. During the rest of the game, the adjuster picks the rest of the file drawers one at a time for rejection, the value of each claim file being revealed after it is selected. Each time after a specified number of file drawers has been opened, a banker offers the claim person a sum of money. If the adjuster accepts one of these offers, the game ends and the player wins the offered amount. If the adjuster declines all offers, she eventually ends up with the assignments money from the first file drawer (unless she decides to switch her drawer with the last one in the gallery).
Moment of Truth Before each episode, a claim adjuster is hooked up to a polygraph machine and submits to an examination under oath; there is no polygraph testing done during the actual show. Without knowing the polygraph results, the adjuster is then asked 21 of those same questions again on the program, each becoming more personal in nature. If the contestant answers honestly as confirmed by the polygraph, the adjuster proceeds to the next question; however, should the adjuster lie just once according to the polygraph test — like denying that he often logs onto CareerBuilder.com during office hours — the game ends and the contestant is dismissed and relegated to handling subrogation claims in a far-off city.
Pimp My Claim File Yikes! The auditors are coming next week and the files haven't been touched in months. (Claim auditors are those who arrive after the battle in order to bayonet the wounded.) Each episode features one claim file in poor condition, with the resident claim staff restoring and even "enhancing" it. Time to get busy! Get those claim progress notes in there! Practice your fiction-writing skills!
Claim Survivor Another round of job cuts faces the dwindling claim department, with management exhorting the troops to "work smarter, not harder" and to be "lean and mean." Adjusters compete in a mix of immunity challenges to see which "lucky" ones get to stay. Such challenges include: The Release Race, Phone-Call Dodge, and the 300-File Carry. Extremely annoying adjusters get voted out of the office.
Cold Case Claim Files revolves around a fictional Philadelphia SIU that specializes in investigating insurance fraud cases. In the opening episode, investigators probe how 617 passengers — the exact number of claimants now alleging whiplash — could have fit onto a SEPTA bus that was involved in a low-speed intersection collision. Future episodes reveal police efforts to seal off surrounding streets after future bus accidents, to keep people from jumping on board after impact.
Unreal World Six insurance execs loll around in a Miami manse, fresh from an off-site retreat, yammering about "value-added" claim service, "best-in-breed" practices and "the discipline of market leaders." In between such pronouncements, they dial back to their home offices to order another round of claim staff layoffs. Evening activity? Buzzword Bingo!
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grade Lawyer? Adjusters pose a simple question to defense counsel: "How much is the claim worth?" and get various confounding, idiotic answers to vastly different questions. As a bonus, the adjusters get billed at the rate of $250 an hour for the time consumed by counsel for their prolix and non-responsive replies.
Big Brother A group of claim adjusters (normally fewer than 12 at any one time) live together full-time in a house isolated from the outside world but under continuous surveillance. Claim handlers try to win cash prizes by avoiding periodic, usually publicly voted, evictions from the house. Evictions can result from various offenses, including:
- Writing the phrase "Please be advised" more than three times in the same letter to a policyholder.
- Telling a workers' compensation claimant that she is "TTD."
- Telling the claim manager that he is an "S.O.B."
The Claim Apprentice depicts 16 adjusters from around the country in an elimination-style competition to become an apprentice to the home office vice president of claims. If successful, they would work for her with an annual salary of $35,000. Contestants are to refer to the VP not as "The Donald" but rather as "Your Highness" or "Your Irrelevancy." Should they fail to do so, they will hear those fateful words: "You're fired!"
If you know a Hollywood agent who finds these concepts appealing, please have their people call my people. Who loves ya, baby? Ciao!
Insurance claim executive and author Kevin Quinley has helped thousands of claim professionals boost their productivity. Visit his blog at http://claimscoach.blogspot.com. Get your free monthly productivity newsletter, CLAIMS CAFFEINE, by emailing claims_caffeine-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or kquinley@cox.net.
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