Systems and methods for collecting insurance-related data

• US 8,805,718 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2010
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haywood, John C., Morrison, Maureen A., Musgrove, Joseph E. Jr., Panitzke, Jeffrey D., Peine, Sheila M., Pelaez, Andres, Wilson, Ryan L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ebersman, Bruce I
• Application Number:
  US12/836,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,489 Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for collecting and processing auto insurance claim-related data. Initial data is collected from a customer or a third party appraiser via a user interface. The initial data is used to retrieve relevant compliance guideline and policy information, which is used to modify and/or populate fields in the user interface. Collected and/or retrieved information is then stored and/or used to adjust an insurance claim workflow process.

Claims

1. A system for managing an auto insurance claim workflow for a claims department with a plurality of auto insurance claims processing applications, comprising:

a first data store storing auto insurance compliance guidelines for compliance with government-issued laws and regulations for a plurality of jurisdictions, the auto insurance compliance guidelines comprising identifying jurisdictions having requirements for providing customers with a copy of repair estimates and jurisdictions having requirements for explicitly disclosing to customers any use of after market parts;

a second data store storing policy data for a plurality of auto insurance policies; and

a computer processor configured to

use a first of the plurality of auto insurance claims processing applications to;

output an auto insurance data collection user interface containing at least one data field requesting information about an auto insurance claim for display on a display device;

receive first data associated with the auto insurance claim via the auto insurance data collection user interface;

determine, based on the received first data associated with the auto insurance claim, one of the plurality of jurisdictions applicable to the auto insurance claim;

retrieve auto insurance compliance guidelines applicable to the auto insurance claim from the first data store, based at least on the determined jurisdiction;

modify the auto insurance data collection user interface by at least one of adding additional data fields or removing data fields based on the retrieved auto insurance compliance guidelines and the first data associated with the auto insurance claim;

retrieve auto insurance policy data applicable to the auto insurance claim from the second data store, based on the first data associated with the auto insurance claim;

populate data fields included in the auto insurance data collection user interface with the retrieved auto insurance policy data;

receive second data associated with the auto insurance claim via the modified auto insurance data collection user interface; and

output the first data associated with the auto insurance claim,

use a second of the auto insurance claims processing applications to retrieve data representative of at least a portion of the first data associated with the auto insurance claim;

compare each of the auto insurance compliance guidelines with the data collected via the auto insurance data collection user interface to determine how many of the auto insurance compliance guidelines have been met;

determine a compliance score indicative of compliance with the retrieved auto insurance compliance guidelines and associated with the auto insurance claim, using a formula incorporating a number of the auto insurance compliance guidelines determined to be met and a total number of the retrieved auto insurance guidelines; and

use the determined compliance score to adjust an auto insurance claim workflow.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the auto insurance policy data comprises at least one of policy holder data, claim data, and policy provision data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to store data collected via the auto insurance data collection user interface in the second data store according to a common data format.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein adjusting the auto insurance claim workflow comprises transferring the auto insurance claim to a different claims department.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein adjusting the auto insurance claim workflow comprises providing recommendations for next steps in the auto insurance claim workflow.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the recommendations include items in a to-do list.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to modify a relationship with at least one of a vendor, an employee, and a service provider based on the compliance score.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second data store comprises a plurality of databases including at least one of a policy holder information database, a policy provisions database, and a claims information database.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of auto insurance claims processing applications includes at least one of a call center application, an appraisal application, an instruction determination application, and a compliance calculator.

10. A computerized method for managing an auto insurance claim workflow for a claims department with a plurality of auto insurance claims processing applications, comprising:

storing auto insurance compliance guidelines for compliance with government-issued laws and regulations for a plurality of jurisdictions in a first data store, the auto insurance compliance guidelines comprising identifying jurisdictions having requirements for providing customers with a copy of repair estimates and jurisdictions having requirements for explicitly disclosing to customers any use of after market parts;

storing policy data for a plurality of auto insurance policies in a second data store;

using a first of the auto insurance claims processing applications to;

output, by a computer processor, an auto insurance data collection user interface containing at least one data field requesting information about an auto insurance claim for display on a display device;

receive, by the computer processor and via the auto insurance data collection user interface, first data associated with the auto insurance claim;

determine, by the computer processor and based on the received first data associated with the auto insurance claim, one of the plurality of jurisdictions applicable to the auto insurance claim;

retrieve, by the computer processor, auto insurance compliance guidelines applicable to the auto insurance claim from the first data store, based at least on the determined jurisdiction;

modify, by the computer processor, the auto insurance data collection user interface by at least one of adding additional data fields or removing data fields based on the retrieved auto insurance compliance guidelines and the first data associated with the auto insurance claim;

retrieve, by the computer processor, auto insurance policy data applicable to the auto insurance claim from the second data store, based on the first data associated with the auto insurance claim;

populate data fields included in the auto insurance data collection user interface with the retrieved auto insurance policy data;

receive second data associated with the auto insurance claim via the modified auto insurance data collection user interface; and

output, by the computer processor, the first data associated with the auto insurance claim;

using, by the computer processor, a second of the claims processing applications to retrieve at least a portion of the first data received via the auto insurance data collection user interface;

comparing, by the computer processor, each of the auto insurance compliance guidelines with the data collected via the auto insurance data collection user interface to determine how many of the auto insurance compliance guidelines have been met;

determining, by the computer processor, a compliance score indicative of compliance with the retrieved auto insurance compliance guidelines and associated with the auto insurance claim, using a formula incorporating a number of the auto insurance compliance guidelines determined to be met and a total number of the retrieved auto insurance guidelines; and

using, by the computer processor, the determined compliance score to adjust an auto insurance claim workflow.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the auto insurance policy data comprises at least one of policy holder data, claim data, and policy provision data.

12. The method of claim 10, comprising storing, by the processor, data collected via the auto insurance data collection user interface in the second data store according to a common data format.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein adjusting the auto insurance claim workflow comprises transferring the auto insurance claim to a different claims department.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein adjusting the auto insurance claim workflow comprises providing recommendations for next steps in the auto insurance claim workflow.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the recommendations include items in a to-do list.

16. The method of claim 10, comprising identifying for future modification, via the processor, a relationship to at least one of a vendor, an employee, and a service provider based on the compliance score.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the second data store comprises a plurality of databases including at least one of a policy holder information database, a policy provisions database, and a claims information database.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of claims processing applications includes at least one of a call center application, an appraisal application, an instruction determination application, and a compliance calculator.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions, which, when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to carry out a method comprising:

storing auto insurance compliance guidelines for compliance with government-issued laws and regulations for a plurality of jurisdictions in a first data store, the auto insurance compliance guidelines comprising identifying jurisdictions having requirements for providing customers with a copy of repair estimates and jurisdictions having requirements for explicitly disclosing to customers any use of after market parts;

storing policy data for a plurality of auto insurance policies in a second data store;

using a first auto insurance claims processing application to;

output, by a computer processor, an auto insurance data collection user interface containing at least one data field requesting information about an auto insurance claim for display on a display device;

receive, by the computer processor and via the auto insurance data collection user interface, first data associated with the auto insurance claim;

determine, by the computer processor and based on the received first data associated with the auto insurance claim, one of the plurality of jurisdictions applicable to the auto insurance claim;

retrieve, by the computer processor, auto insurance compliance guidelines applicable to the auto insurance claim from the first data store, based at least on the determined jurisdiction;

modify, by the computer processor, the auto insurance data collection user interface by at least one of adding additional data fields or removing data fields based on the retrieved auto insurance compliance guidelines and the first data;

retrieve, by the computer processor, auto insurance policy data applicable to the auto insurance claim from the second data store, based on the first data;

populate data fields included in the auto insurance data collection user interface with the retrieved auto insurance policy data;

receive second data associated with the auto insurance claim via the modified auto insurance data collection user interface; and

output, by the computer processor, the first data associated with the auto insurance claim;

using a second auto insurance claims processing application to retrieve at least a portion of the first data associated with the auto insurance claim;

comparing each of the auto insurance compliance guidelines with the data collected via the auto insurance data collection user interface to determine a number of auto insurance compliance guidelines that have been met;

determining a compliance score indicative of compliance with the retrieved auto insurance compliance guidelines and associated with the auto insurance claim, using a formula incorporating the number of the auto insurance compliance guidelines determined to be met and a total number of the retrieved auto insurance guidelines; and

using the determined compliance score to adjust an insurance claim workflow.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the method comprises storing, by the processor, data collected via the auto insurance data collection user interface in the second data store according to a common data format.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the adjusting the insurance claim workflow comprises:

transferring, by the processor, the auto insurance claim to a different claims department.