Claims Business: Duck Creek, CSAA, Verisk and Davies

Duck Creek Technologies is integrating commercial treatment guidelines commonly used for workers’ compensation and auto claims into its claims management program.

The Boston-based tech company said in a press release that it has formed a partnership with ODG by MCG, the firm that owns the Official Disability Guidelines that have been adopted by many state workers’ compensation systems. The partnership will allow insurance carriers to make educated decisions about the claims handling process and understand the expected cost and duration of an injury, Duck Creek said.

The ODG product will be integrated with Duck Creek’s Evidence Based Disability Accelerator product. The company said early engagement with appropriate activity modifications is vital for returning injured workers to their jobs.

Duck Creek is a software as a service provider that offers claims processing software to insurers.

“Our technology is made up of one system that processes all workers comp claims,” stated Andy Yohn, vice president of product management at Duck Creek Technologies.

CSAA, a California-based auto insurer and roadside assistance service, has launched a separate business unit that offers claims management, training and call center services.

CSAA Specialized Services grew out of an “employee innovation challenge” stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Walnut Creek-based insurance carrier said in a press release. The company said it began working with numerous state and local governments to help them respond to the pandemic.

“Our initial goals were simply to help our communities while also ensuring jobs for our claims employees in the wake of sudden changes in driving patterns and reduced claims due to the pandemic,” said Joey Daryanani, vice president of specialized services at CSAA Insurance Group. “We challenged our employees to help us imagine an innovative approach that would address both issues – and Specialized Services was born.”

CSAA Specialized Services will offer:

• Claims management services, including subrogation, total loss and salvage recovery and Medicare compliance.
• Training services with curriculums customized to meet an organization’s learning objectives.
• Call center support, including community-related services such as contact tracing and vaccine scheduling and unemployment insurance claims filing.

Daryanani has held numbers claims leadership positions during his 37 years with CSAA, the company said. He most recently led theClaims Central Services organization in addition to leading Specialized Services.

Verisk said it is integrating its Xactimate and XactAnalyis products with the IMGING property inspection data platform developed by Loveland Innovations.

The partnership will offer a full artificial intelligence and end-to-end property adjusting software solution that provides complete 3-D models and measurements of structures, “keeping estimators safely off roofs,” Verisk said in a press release.

Loveland Innovations, based in Pleasant Grove, Utah, developed an inspection platform that combines a patented technology that creates precise 3-D models and automates drone flights to allow for consistent data capture, Verisk said. IMGING also organizes photos to custom specifications in the cloud, uses automated artificial intelligence to identify potential damage for review and simplifies data centralization, reporting, sharing and collaboration.

Verisk is an insurance services software and data analytics provider based in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Davies, an international claims management provider headquartered in London, has acquired ProAdjust Ltd., a specialist loss adjusting and claims management service provider in Dublin, Ireland.

ProAdjust specializes in personal and commercial property claims and can deploy during claims surges, such as catastrophic events, Davies said in a press release.

The company will become part of Davies’ Claims Solutions division for the United Kingdom and Ireland, headed by Chief Executive Officer Kath Mainon. Martin Carway will continue to lead the business, reporting to Davies Ireland CEO Peter Haran. All 40 ProAdjust employees will continue in their roles with Davies.

“The continued rise we have seen in catastrophic events across the UK and Ireland in recent years has emphasized why it is so essential for insurers to have a flexible network of experienced field adjusters – that can be re-deployed quickly to impacted areas,” stated Dan Saulter, Group CEO of Davies.