IKON Adds Claims Management Solution for Atlantic American Corp.

May 10, 2005

IKON Office Solutions, an independent channel for document management systems and services, has implemented a claims management solution for Atlantic American Corp., which the insurance company estimates is saving approximately $100,000 annually and resulting in an approximate 80 percent reduction in postage costs for claims scanning, imaging and payment.

An insurance holding company involved in specialty markets in the heath, property and casualty insurance industries, Atlantic American collaborated with IKON to perform a Document Lifecycle Strategy Assessment, rendering cost-benefit recommendations designed to improve workflow, efficiencies and productivity. Conducted by analysts in IKON Enterprise Services–IKON’s global services organization – IKON Document Lifecycle Strategy Assessments map the lifecycle of mission critical documents, from input and capture through to storage and archival.

Serving customers across the United States through 3,500 independent agents and brokers, Atlantic American utilized IKON on-site managed services at its Atlanta headquarters to process thousands of claims and response cards.

Previously, staff members responsible for opening, sorting, recording and organizing claims were reportedly saddled with a multi-step, manual process, making the job time-consuming and inefficient. Complicating matters was an off-site, third party vendor that managed and scanned claims, reportedly adding processing time to the schedule and pushing Atlantic American close to a 15-day industry-regulated payment deadline. In addition, claims were returned to the company on un-indexed CDs, reportedly creating significant challenges for personnel searching for specific claims.

After following detailed workflow improvement recommendations provided through IKON’s Document Lifecycle Strategy Assessment, Atlantic American reported a savings of approximately $8,000 per month with a web-based server imaging system that scans and stores completed claims, to help provide personnel with quick and easy access to documents.

Manual check and mail labeling processes have been streamlined with a high-speed automated addressing system, saving valuable employee work hours and enabling Atlantic American to generate and send more than 50,000 pieces of mail per month. An approximate two-week turnaround on claims returns has been transformed to a nearly same-day process, and postage costs have decreased by nearly 80 percent.

Further efficiencies were reportedly achieved by renovating and remodeling Atlantic American’s IKON service center and mapping enhancements to IKON Service Excellence, IKON’s proprietary methodology designed to utilize best practices from across IKON’s customer base and serve as the framework for IKON’s on-site managed services engagements.

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