Standard Insurance Co. Crawford & Co. Agree to Develop Integrated Disability Management Service

Standard Insurance Company and Crawford & Company announced an agreement to develop an integrated disability management (IDM) service. The agreement combines the disability insurance expertise of The Standard with Crawford’s workers’ compensation administration experience.

“An IDM approach reduces the administrative complexities of absence management for employers,” said Ellen Steel, vice president of benefits at Standard Insurance Company. “Integrated benefits offer employers another tool for managing absences, reducing costs, and improving employees’ productivity.”

With IDM, employers reportedly experience more effective coordination of claims, resulting in a greater awareness of causes and costs of absences, an understanding of productivity loss and fewer resources dedicated to disability management.

“This alliance between Crawford and The Standard creates an integrated solution for employers to consolidate all their disability needs,” said Grover Davis, chairman and CEO of Crawford. “Our IDM services will give employers consolidated views of their disability and workers’ compensation claim trends, and their employees will have a single point of contact for disability reporting. Together, we will be able to offer tremendous value to the marketplace by providing early identification and appropriate coordination of medical services,” added Davis.

The pairing of The Standard’s disability insurance coverage and Crawford’s workers’ compensation administration services enables seamless integration of disability and workers’ compensation claims management.

The combination of services includes common intake and case management resources for occupational or non-occupational disability claims. Consolidated experience reports help employers reportedly easily spot trends and implement responses to improve overall employee health and productivity.