Best Expands E-Fusion Award to Six Categories

A.M. Best Co. announced that the 2004 E-Fusion Insurance & Technology Awards have been expanded to six categories.

“Interest in our awards program has snowballed, so we need to better reflect the widespread business and technology innovation that’s taking place across the insurance industry,” stated Conference Chairman and A.M. Best CIO Paul C. Tinnirello.

“The E-Fusion Awards, now in their third year, seek to recognize innovative, business-oriented uses of technology by those in the insurance industry, including carriers, brokers, agents, reinsurers and providers,” said the bulletin. Last year there were 97 entries.

“Comparing an agent-service system built by a life company with a satellite-based weather-risk program from a reinsurer is difficult,” indicated Program Chairman Lee McDonald, who is coordinating the awards submissions. “We’ve been amazed by some of the projects that have come forward to participate, so we’d like our judges to better compare apples with apples.”

The categories now include:
— Underwriting Management: property/casualty and life/health underwriting systems, including risk-assessment and other generalized systems.
— Claims Management: property/casualty, health and life claims projects.
— Customer & Benefits Management: e-commerce and customer-service, marketing projects, customer-relation management projects, benefits management and others.
— Office Automation Management: all back-office systems projects, both financial and operations-oriented, field automation and productivity centers such as dashboard/cockpit projects.
— Agent/Broker Management: producer interfaces, commission-tracking, applications-management through agent/brokers and other third parties, along with producer-oriented portals offered by third parties.
— Special Coverage Management: excess and surplus lines for property/casualty insurance business, along with higher-risk and unusual coverages for life, annuity and health products.

The conference, “E-Fusion 2004 – The Business of Insurance,” is set for Oct. 17-19 in Baltimore, Md. Award entries are due by July 16. In August, a panel of judges will narrow the field to six semi-finalists in each category. At the conference, on Sunday, Oct. 17, semi-finalists present the business cases behind their projects. Judges will select three finalists in each category. On Monday, finalists will demonstrate their projects. The final recipients will be announced on Tues., Oct. 19, when the conference concludes. Candidate projects, products or services must have been introduced or redeveloped within the past 18 months.

The E-Fusion Insurance & Technology conference focuses on e-commerce, Internet communications and best practices by insurers in reducing costs and increasing revenues through innovative uses of technology. Details, registration materials and E-Fusion Award entry forms are available at www.efusion2004.com.