Workers compensation system for determining a cost of insurance based on real-time payroll data

• US 8,538,783 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WestGUARD Insurance Co. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Guard Insurance Group
• Inventors: Witkowski, Carl J, Richardson, John H
• Primary Examiner(s): Kyle, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): KANG, IRENE S
• Application Number:
  US12/732,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20100179840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1057 Benefits or employee welfare, e.g. insurance, holiday or retirement packages
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1091 Recording time for administrative or management purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A system/method implemented at an insurance company estimates a final premium charge and more accurate real time estimate during the lifetime of the policy for workers compensation insurance associated with a risk based on: receiving real-time payroll data associated with the risk; monitoring the received real-time payroll data to identify and record raw data elements that have an identified relationship with any of, or a combination of, the following: the risk'"'"'s business operation, insurability of the risk, character of the risk, or rating parameters associated with the risk'"'"'s policy; and determining the final premium charge of workers compensation insurance for the risk based on a premium modification that increases or decreases a premium charge based on an evaluation of the recorded raw data elements.

Claims

1. A computer-based method implemented at an insurance company to estimate a final premium charge and more accurate real time estimate during the lifetime of the policy for workers compensation insurance associated with a risk, said method implemented by executing, by a processor, computer readable program code stored in storage, said method comprising:

said processor executing computer readable program code at said insurance company and interfacing in real-time with the risk'"'"'s payroll processor;

said processor executing computer readable program code at said insurance company and receiving real-time payroll data associated with said risk from said risk'"'"'s payroll processor;

said processor executing computer readable program code at said insurance company and monitoring said received real-time payroll data to identify and record raw data elements that have an identified relationship with any of, or a combination of, the following;

said risk'"'"'s business operation, insurability of said risk, character of said risk, or rating parameters associated with said risk'"'"'s policy;

said processor executing computer readable program code at said insurance company and developing at least the following actuarial classes from said monitored real-time payroll data;

payroll, number of employees, job classification, and payroll per employee;

said processor executing computer readable program code at said insurance company and determining said final premium charge and more accurate real time estimate during the lifetime of the policy of workers compensation insurance for said risk based on a premium modification that increases or decreases a premium charge based on an evaluation of said actuarial classes developed in real-time by monitoring payroll data received in real-time from said risk'"'"'s payroll processor; and

said processor executing computer readable program code at said insurance company outputting said determined final premium charge.

2. A computer-based method implemented at an insurance company to estimate a final premium charge for workers compensation insurance associated with a risk, as per claim 1, wherein said computer-based method is performed over a network.

3. A computer-based method implemented at an insurance company to estimate a final premium charge for workers compensation insurance associated with a risk, as per claim 2, wherein said network is any of the following:

local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or the Internet.

4. An article of manufacture having computer readable storage medium having instructions executable by a processor to implement computer-based method implemented at an insurance company to estimate a final premium charge and more accurate real time estimate during the lifetime of the policy for workers compensation insurance associated with a risk, said computer readable storage medium comprising:

computer readable program code interfacing in real-time with the risk'"'"'s payroll processor;

computer readable program code receiving real-time payroll data associated with said risk from said risk'"'"'s payroll processor;

computer readable program code monitoring said received real-time payroll data to identify and record raw data elements that have an identified relationship with any of, or a combination of, the following;

said risk'"'"'s business operation, insurability of said risk, character of said risk, or rating parameters associated with said risk'"'"'s policy;

said insurance company developing at least the following actuarial classes from said monitored real-time payroll data;

payroll, number of employees, job classification, and payroll per employee;

computer readable program code determining said final premium charge and more accurate real time estimate during the lifetime of the policy of workers compensation insurance for said risk based on a premium modification that increases or decreases a premium charge based on an evaluation of said actuarial classes developed in real-time by monitoring payroll data received in real-time from said risk'"'"'s payroll processor; and

computer readable program code outputting said determined final premium charge.