Independent adjuster advisor

• US 20060059021A1
• Filed: 09/15/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Computer Sciences Corporation (DXC Technology Company)
• Original Assignee: Computer Sciences Corporation (DXC Technology Company)
• Inventors: Meiser, Dana, Yulman, Jim, Gantt, Steve
• Application Number:
  US10/943,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20060059021A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

In various embodiments, assignments may be managed between a user system and a computer system. For example, insurance companies may manage assignments made to adjusters. Assignments may be assigned to vendors. Vendors may access an assignment program and transmit billing information and/or transmit reports to a computer system about assigned assignments. Billing information may be automatically and/or manually audited. Users may be able to correct errors discovered during audits of billing information. Bills without errors and/or bills with corrected errors may be automatically authorized and/or paid.

Claims

1. A method of managing assignments comprising:

accessing assignments through a user system;

assigning one or more assignments to an adjuster, wherein an assignment comprises one or more tasks to be completed by the adjuster;

transmitting billing information for an assignment from a user system to an insurance processing system; and

auditing the billing information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing assignments comprises accessing assignments stored on a memory of an insurance processing system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing assignments comprises accessing assignments stored on a memory of an insurance processing system via one or more Internet protocols.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically assigning one or more assignments to an adjuster.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding one or more tasks to an assigned assignment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein an assignment comprises an insurance claim.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a task comprises investigating an accident site.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein billing information comprises one or more billing codes, wherein a billing code is configured to be assigned to a task.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein billing information comprises an amount of time the adjuster spent on an assigned task.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein billing information comprises a price the adjuster charges for completing an assigned task.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein billing information comprises amounts of time a plurality of adjusters spent on a plurality of assignments.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein billing information comprises a professional category of the adjuster.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing business rules; and

automatically auditing the billing information, wherein automatically auditing the billing information comprises applying business rules to the billing information.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein billing information is automatically audited prior to transmitting billing information to the insurance processing system.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically auditing billing information prior to transmitting billing information to the insurance processing system;

notifying a user of errors in billing information; and

allowing a user to modify billing information to correct errors in billing information.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the billing information comprises one or more bills corresponding to one or more tasks, and further comprising automatically paying at least one bill.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a report from the user system to the insurance processing system, wherein the report comprises information requested in the assigned assignment.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a report from the user system to the insurance processing system, wherein the report comprises completed tasks.

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29. (canceled)

30. A carrier medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement:

accessing assignments through a user system;

assigning one or more assignments to an adjuster;

wherein an assignment comprises one or more tasks to be completed by the adjuster;

transmitting billing information for an assignment from a user system to an insurance processing system;

auditing the billing information.

31-57. -57. (canceled)

58. An insurance processing system comprising:

a CPU;

a memory coupled to the CPU, wherein the memory comprises program instructions executable to implement;

accessing assignments through a user system;

assigning one or more assignments to an adjuster;

wherein an assignment comprises one or more tasks to be completed by the adjuster;

transmitting billing information for an assignment from a user system to an insurance processing system; and

auditing the billing information.

59-155. -155. (canceled)