- Supports campaign to help insurers and claimant lawyers identify opportunities for rehabilitation claims and early return to work following serious injury
- Follows findings that the UK is behind the US and Scandinavia in returning injured parties to work
LONDON, Sept. 5, 2001 — Insurance Services Office (ISO), a leading provider of insurance claims services and information about property and liability risk, has joined the Rehabilitation First campaign. Rehabilitation First focuses on the Code of Best Practice, and will help insurance companies and claimant lawyers prioritize the rehabilitation of an injured party. ISO will be sponsoring rehabilitation events and working closely with insurance industry partners to put rehabilitation at the top of the agenda for personal injury claims management. ISO's Claims Outcome Advisor' (COA) solution enables personal injury claims handlers and managers to identify opportunities for early return to work and rehabilitation from first notice of loss, in line with the Code of Best Practice.
The campaign is backed by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL), the International Underwriting Association of London (IUA) and the Post Magazine and Insurance Week. The Code of Best Practice was launched following the ABI and IUA's Bodily Injury Awards Study that showed personal injury claims were rising at 12 percent per annum.
"Research has identified rehabilitation as a crucial factor, with only 10 percent of people in the UK returning to work following serious injury, compared to 30 percent in the US and 50 percent in Scandinavia," said David Smart, Business Development Director, ISO. "Getting people back to work following a serious injury is in everybody's interest — it reduces the cost burden for insurance companies and provides injured parties with opportunities for physiotherapy, occupational therapy, counseling and other treatments. The Rehabilitation First campaign is a key step in raising industry awareness of the importance of rehabilitation and in improving collaboration with partners, to improve our success in returning people to work following serious injury. Our Claims Outcome Advisor solution works in line with these aims, enabling treatment to be provided at the earliest opportunity rather than waiting until the claim has been settled — this increases the chances of the treatment being successful and the best outcome being achieved for all parties.
"The control and management of personal injury claims resides in the in-depth understanding of the injury. Today, producers of computer animated feature films use powerful software to calculate the movement of a single hair on a character's head — COA works in a similar way, drilling down to deal with every case on an entirely unique basis, rather than treating generic case types. It does this by calculating the recovery implications and potential costs of literally thousands of combinations of injuries and occupations, a level of functionality that equips claims handlers to control the claim from first notice of loss and be proactive throughout the claims cycle," added David Smart.
About COA
COA is the industry's first object-based solution to enable the complete management of personal injury claims portfolios. COA understands the severity and recovery implications of over 20,000 medical conditions, including injuries, treatments, complications and pre-existing conditions, and 14,000 occupations. COA helps claims handlers, managers and actuaries manage the unique and complex medical, legal, and occupational issues presented by personal injury claims, and helps ensure appropriate financial arrangements are agreed and implemented. Claims handlers can manage all aspects of a case from first notice of loss to return-to-work plans, rehabilitation and damages.
About ISO
Insurance Services Office Inc. (ISO) is a leading provider of insurance claims services and information about property and liability risk. ISO provides statistical, actuarial, underwriting and claims information and analysis; consulting and technical services; policy language; and information about specific locations for a broad section of commercial and personal lines of insurance. In the United States and around the world, ISO serves insurers and reinsurers, as well as agents, brokers, self insurers, risk managers, insurance regulators, and other government agencies.
For more information please contact:
David Smart, ISO
Tel: 01252 761351
Dsmart@iso.com
Philip Szomszor, IBA — PR for ISO
Tel: 01780 721433
Pszomszor@iba-europe.com
Release: Immediate
Contacts:
Giuseppe Barone / Erica Helton
MWW Group (for ISO)
201-507-9500
gbarone@mww.com / ehelton@mww.com