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I've never used that one but I have managed during 04/05 with the Claim management system at www.clickclaims.com. I can't imagine managing adjusters and reporting to carriers without it. That system just won the AMBEST E-Fusion Award for 2006 for the best Claim Management system also. You can read about it at www.clickclaims.com or on the AM Best website in the EFusion Award section of their website.

Deb,
I looked at the click.com demo and it is very similar to FileTRAC in features. They both offer adjusters a way for clients to take a look at their specific files and electronically communicate with each other.

Most of the carriers I speak to, however, don't want to go to multiple websites for each of their adjusting servicing vendors to look at their claims. They would rather have the adjusters send PDF's to their emails or FTP sites. Both systems mentioned here also offer that feature ans well as to the billing. Very cool.

The thing I loved about the www.clickclaims.com was the ability to have live data. I m not sure if the other program is live. We had immediate access to data the minute it was uploaded to the clickclaims.com system. An uploaded doc automatically rolled the file to a management que to view the docs and we had the ability to then make them immediately viewable to the carrier. The feature I couldn't live without was the immediate access to the carrier reports as they had which was invaluable when we as managers had to sign our name to the Florida DOI affadavits on file status to comply with the DOI deadlines in 04 for inspections,etc. I couldn't have comfortably signed those affadavits without the reporting features. I cannot imagine in this day and age(although your right, I know some carriers still insist on email) using emails as you have lost total control over where the file status is and immediate access to all documents by all parties concerned. The emailed documents drive me nuts! During stressful periods such as 4/04, there are too many hands on the files to even consider where emails are. I did deal with some commercial carriers who still insisted on the emailed documents but as they became more familiar with using the carrier view features, eventually did away with the requirement we also email them in. With the carriers who required we upload them to their systems vs ours, we finally convinced them to use a carrier support person who downloaded all files with new documents ready for them and distribute them to their adjusters. I think in the end, there was 100% agreement the system worked without fail and by having them uploaded ot the CMS and protected on their servers, it eliminated the "lost" document problems having them in CMS for back up.

Good luck with your selection!

We did get to talk with one company today at the FL Windstorm conference that has been using FileTrac for about 5 months and she swore by it for managing her IA firm. I did see a web demo of FileTrac a good while ago and just as a glance it had the look of a solid application but I have never worked with their solution. Recently Dean who is their sales person told me that one of our PowerClaim XML users is doing a video for them demonstrating FileTrac and how it integrates with PowerClaim XML. When the video is ready they plan to have it on their website he stated.

 

We also today got to talk with an IA vendor that uses PowerClaim that has integrated their CMS package to transfer claims information to and from PowerClaim XML and they plan to resell their CMS system to other IA vendors. We also learned about another customer today who is doing the same thing but they do not plan to resell their CMS solution. We are told that others are doing the same but since we publicly introduced the Open Standard concept to the claims handling industry in 2000 right here on CADO no one needs to contact us for permission to integrate their solution with PowerClaim XML because the standard is fully defined by viewing a live claim file structure.

Thanks Deb and Gale,

SIMSOL is integrating with them as well as others.  Although we don't advertise as an "open standard" as Gale likes to refer to it, SIMSOL has been there for years and has successfully integrated its adjusting software to dozens of carrier and third-party claims and policy management systems.

In the past, the main reason for integration has been for the downloading of loss information into our administration screens.  This saves the average adjuster about 10-15 minutes per assignment. 

Recently, due to the rise in web services, now carriers are beginning to ask for the claim and estimate numbers to come back to them electronically and not just through PDF's.

Just last month SIMSOL, using our web service,  went live with the first successful upload back to a carrier/vendor with estimate and claim payment information.  This allows their inside adjusters to pay their pre-approved claims faster and much more economically -saving them money and making the policyholders happier.  Their inside adjusters no longer have to manually key in claim payment information.

As more carrier's develop web services and integrate with estimating and claims management platforms, their claims departments will see vast improvements in efficiency and customer support and approval ratings.

From the staff, independent and catastrophe adjusters' standpoint, there is a reduction in the manual entry of loss information, nothing to print and spend money on paper and ink on and sending preliminary, status, closing and payment recommendations becomes a completely automated process.  This saves them large chunks of time on a per claim basis so they can handle more claims in less time.  For the IA and CAT folks, it means more "gas in the tank" (if you get my meaning $$$).

It is a brave new claims world we are living in....be flexible, willing to learn new ways and just roll with the changes...thanks for listening.

JP - SIMSOL

 

Tonight I followed the link to ClickClaim and watched their demo and I can see from the demo why Debbie could love it when managing the hurricanes. Thomas Brown was in the industry when we started developing PowerClaim so he should know what the IA firms need to meet the demands of the carriers.

 

Today Virtual Claims Adjuster told us they added the ability one day this week to do bi-directional data exchange with PowerClaim XML though the open standard and that it is in testing so we have not seen it function as we have not seen that feature in FileTrac that they are now advertising as well.

 

I agree with John that more and more carriers want to get out of the emailing of claim files and it is a brave new claims world we are living in today. Both at NACA and FL Windstorm IA owners were talking about it a lot.

 

The fact that CMS vendors are connecting to PowerClaim XML through an open standard which we have committed to keep in place as an open standard and that Simsol is integrating with them in their own way that means IA/CAT vendors can permit the use of both Simsol and PowerClaim XML during a storm.

 

This is possible because their CMS package will work with both and present their claim files to the carriers with the same look and feel regardless of which brand of estimating software the CAT adjuster used to process the loss saving the carriers time and effort while enhancing the value of the vendor/adjuster. As far as I know this is a first in that there is bi-directional flow of live claims data from two different estimating packages to and from one CMS package.

 

A brave new claims world without a doubt.

 

Lee, we are working on a page on our website so third party CMS vendors like FileTrac that compete for their slice of the CMS market and offer live claims file data transfer with PowerClaim XML can have their logo, website link and a blip about their software so our users can see what CMS vendors support the open standard file structure that we introduced years ago.

While these CMS vendors do compete with our web based claims assignment and claims management report solution call Net Services we understand no one vendor can be all things to all people. To keep a sense of fair play we have no business relationships with these competitors and plan to list them in alphabetical order so our users can check out the free trials and find the CMS package that best meets their budget. If this vendor shares info on the above mentioned video in the mean time I will let you know.

We have never seen like the number of CMS packages coming on to the market. I am told it is due the fact that IA vendors as well as CAT adjusters’ together loss millions of dollars due to files being lost or mishandled due to not having functional web based claims management systems in 2004 and 2005.

I am opening up an oldy here!

I have used Filetrac and would like to know if anyone else has used it, and found any other web based CMS that is similar or better. VCA does not have e-mail integration from what I know (big problem for me), and does not have a document bundler / converter.

I am looking for a CMS for my firm and would appreciate any feedback.

Thx