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Insurance Abstract
In an exemplary embodiment, a claim administrator receives a list
of salvage items associated with an insurance claim. The claims
administrator dispatches a contractor to retrieve and store the
salvage items, wherein the contractor is preferably a member of
a restoration network associated with the claim administrator. The
claim administrator then sells the salvage items to one or more
buyers and collects payment for the salvage items from the buyers.
The claims administrator also arranges for the delivery of the salvage
items from the contractor to the buyers. Finally, the claim administrator
distributes a first portion of the payment to the contractor and
a second portion of the payment to the insurance carrier associated
with the insurance claim. Thus, the claim administrator is able
to manage the sale of the salvage items in connection with the management
of the insurance claim.
Insurance Claims
1. A method for managing a sale of items salvaged from an insured
property, comprising:(a) receiving a list of salvage items associated
with an insurance claim;(b) dispatching a contractor to retrieve
and store the salvage items;(c) selling the salvage items to one
or more buyers;(d) collecting payment for the salvage items from
the buyers;(e) arranging delivery or pickup of the salvage items;(f)
distributing a first portion of the payment to the contractor and
a second portion of the payment to an insurance carrier associated
with the insurance claim; and(g) wherein steps (a)-(f) are performed
by a claim administrator in connection with the management of the
insurance claim.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of salvage items is
received from the insurance carrier associated with the insurance
claim.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of salvage items is
received from the contractor.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the contractor is also assigned
to perform restoration services at the insured property.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein the contractor is a member of
a restoration network associated with the claim administrator.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the salvage
items are sold via a web site.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the web site is operated by the
claim administrator.
8. A method for managing a sale of items salvaged from an insured
property, comprising:(a) receiving a list of salvage items associated
with an insurance claim;(b) displaying the salvage items on one
or more web pages of a web site;(c) selling the salvage items to
one or more buyers via the web site;(d) collecting payment for the
salvage items from the buyers; and(e) wherein steps (a)-(d) are
performed by a claim administrator in connection with the management
of the insurance claim.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the list of salvage items is
received from an insurance carrier associated with the insurance
claim.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the list of salvage items is
received from a contractor assigned to retrieve and store the salvage
items.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the contractor is also assigned
to perform restoration services at the insured property.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the contractor is a member
of a restoration network associated with the claim administrator.
13. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving detailed
information on each of the salvage items, wherein the detailed information
comprises one or more of the following: a product name of the salvage
item, a model number of the salvage item, a description of the salvage
item, a product category associated with the salvage item, a manufacturer
of the salvage item, a product condition of the salvage item, a
weight of the salvage item, an availability data of the salvage
item, and a photograph of the salvage item.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the detailed information on
each of the salvage items is received from a contractor assigned
to retrieve and store the salvage items.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the contractor is also assigned
to perform restoration services at the insured property.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the contractor is a member
of a restoration network associated with the claim administrator.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein the detailed information on
each of the salvage items is stored in a database in association
with a claim identifier.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying the detailed
information on each of the salvage items on the web pages of the
web site.
19. The method of claim 8, further comprising distributing a portion
of the payment to an insurance carrier associated with the insurance
claim.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising distributing another
portion of the payment to a contractor assigned to retrieve and
store the salvage items.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the contractor is also assigned
to perform restoration services at the insured property.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein the contractor is a member
of a restoration network associated with the claim administrator.
23. A method for managing a sale of items salvaged from an insured
property, comprising:(a) dispatching a contractor to retrieve a
plurality of salvage items associated with an insurance claim and
store the salvage items in a storage facility;(b) receiving detailed
information on each of the salvage items from the contractor, wherein
the detailed information comprises one or more of the following:
a product name of the salvage item, a model number of the salvage
item, a description of the salvage item, a product category associated
with the salvage item, a manufacturer of the salvage item, a product
condition of the salvage item, a weight of the salvage item, an
availability data of the salvage item, and a photograph of the salvage
item.(c) displaying at least a portion of the salvage items and
associated detailed information on one or more web pages of a web
site;(d) selling the salvage items to one or more buyers, wherein
at least a portion of the salvage items are sold via the web site;(e)
collecting payment for the salvage items from the buyers;(f) arranging
delivery or pickup of the salvage items from the storage facility;
and(g) distributing a first portion of the payment to the contractor
and a second portion of the payment to an insurance carrier associated
with the insurance claim.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein steps (a)-(g) are performed
by a claim administrator in connection with the management of the
insurance claim.
25. The method of claim 23, wherein the contractor is also assigned
to perform restoration services at the insured property.
26. The method of claim 23, wherein the contractor is a member
of a restoration network associated with the claim administrator.
Insurance Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001]Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002]Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003]In the property insurance industry, water loss claims have
traditionally posed significant problems for insurance carriers.
For example, it is common for contractors to unnecessarily demolish
and replace damaged structural materials (e.g., flooring and drywall),
which has greatly affected the severity of water loss claims. This
is caused in part by the fact that some contractors do not arrive
at the job site in a timely fashion to begin mitigation of the water
damage. Also, some contractors are not qualified and do not realize
that the damaged structural materials may be restored rather than
replaced. Even when contractors elect to restore damaged structural
materials, they frequently do not use the appropriate type or quantity
of restoration equipment and, as a result, the insurance carrier
may pay an excessive amount to the contractor for the restoration
services. In addition, if the damaged structural materials are not
sufficiently dried and restored, mold can be a problem both for
the claimant (from a health standpoint) and for the insurance carrier
(from a liability standpoint). Another problem is that some insurance
adjusters are not adequately trained to monitor the restoration
process and/or are simply overloaded with water loss claims. As
a result, there are large volumes of water loss claims that are
not properly evaluated and are paid out simply to close the claims.
Yet another problem is that a substantial amount of money is paid
to claimants for the replacement of contents affected by water damage
with little or no salvage value received for the damaged contents.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004]FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary system for processing
and monitoring insurance claims in accordance with the present invention.
[0005]FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the claims administration
web site of FIG. 1.
[0006]FIGS. 3A and 3B show a process flow diagram of an exemplary
method for processing and monitoring insurance claims in accordance
with the present invention.
[0007]FIG. 4 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"New Search" page for the claims administration web site
of FIG. 2.
[0008]FIG. 5 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Claim Info" page for the claims administration web site
of FIG. 2.
[0009]FIG. 6 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Claim Details" page for the claims administration web
site of FIG. 2.
[0010]FIG. 7 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Claim Dates" page for the claims administration web site
of FIG. 2.
[0011]FIG. 8 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Claim Contact List" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0012]FIG. 9 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Building Info" page for the claims administration web
site of FIG. 2.
[0013]FIGS. 10A and 10B show "screen capture" depictions
of a "Select Contractor" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0014]FIG. 11 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Contractor Contacts" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0015]FIG. 12 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Claim Forms" page for the claims administration web site
of FIG. 2.
[0016]FIG. 13 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Room Dimensions" page for the claims administration web
site of FIG. 2.
[0017]FIG. 14 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Equipment Validation" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0018]FIG. 15 shows a "screen capture" depiction of an
"Equipment History" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0019]FIGS. 16A, 16B, 16C and 16D show "screen capture"
depictions of a "Daily Humidity" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0020]FIG. 17 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Moisture Map" page for the claims administration web
site of FIG. 2.
[0021]FIG. 18 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Flooring Diagrams" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0022]FIG. 19 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Photos & Docs" page for the claims administration
web site of FIG. 2.
[0023]FIG. 20 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Notes" page for the claims administration web site of
FIG. 2.
[0024]FIGS. 21A and 21B show "screen capture" depictions
of a "Survey" page for the claims administration web site
of FIG. 2.
[0025]FIG. 22 shows a block diagram of an exemplary system for
managing the sale of salvage items in accordance with the present
invention.
[0026]FIG. 23 shows a process flow diagram of an exemplary method
for managing the sale of salvage items in accordance with the present
invention.
[0027]FIG. 24 shows an "Insurance Submission Form" for
recording detailed information on salvage items for subsequent entry
into the salvage management web site shown in FIG. 22.
[0028]FIG. 25 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
"Create Claim" page for the salvage management web site
shown in FIG. 22.
[0029]FIG. 26 shows a "screen capture" depiction of a
""Claim Information" page for the salvage management
web site shown in FIG. 22.
[0030]FIG. 27 shows a "screen capture" depiction of an
"Items For Sale" page for the salvage management web site
shown in FIG. 22.
[0031]FIG. 28 shows a "Contractor Assignment Form" for
recording detailed information on salvage items for subsequent entry
into the salvage management web site shown in FIG. 22.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0032]The present invention is directed to a system and method
for processing and monitoring insurance claims and/or managing the
sale of items salvaged from insured properties. While the invention
will be described in detail below with reference to an exemplary
embodiment, it should be understood that the invention is not limited
to the specific system configurations or methodologies of this embodiment.
For example, although the exemplary embodiment is described primarily
in the context of a residential property insurance claim stemming
from water damage to the insured property, the invention could be
used in connection with other types of property (such as commercial
property) or involving other types of losses (such as fire and smoke
damage, wind damage, and impact damage). In addition, although the
exemplary embodiment is described as embodying several different
inventive features, one skilled in the art will appreciate that
any one of these features could be implemented without the others
in accordance with the invention.
System Configuration of Claims Administration Web Site
[0033]Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary system for processing and
monitoring insurance claims in accordance with the present invention
is shown generally as reference numeral 10. The system 10 includes
a claims administration web site 12 that implements the basic World
Wide Web standards for the coding and transmission of hypertextural
documents. These standards currently include HTML (hypertext mark
up language) and HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol). The site 12
is operated by a claims administrator 14 that is responsible for
processing and monitoring insurance claims. The site 12 is accessible
by a plurality of different users via the Internet, although other
communication networks known in the art could also be used. It will
be seen that the site 12 provides a "one stop shop" for
users to access comprehensive claim files on hundreds or thousands
of insurance claims.
[0034]Users of the claims administration web site 12 generally
include the claims administrator 14 (i.e., the operator of the site),
a plurality of claimants 16 (i.e., the owners or occupiers of insured
properties), a plurality of insurance carriers 18 (i.e., the issuers
of insurance policies), and a plurality of contractors 20 (i.e.,
vendors and/or shops responsible for performing all or part of the
restoration services at the insured properties). Each of these users
may include a plurality of individual users. For example, the claims
administrator 14 may include claims processors, claims representatives,
and claims specialists. An insurance carrier 18 may include insurance
adjusters, insurance agents, claims processors, and management personnel.
A contractor 20 may include technicians, office staff and accounting
personnel. These users are exemplary of the users involved in the
processing and monitoring of a typical insurance claim. Of course,
it should be understood that a particular insurance claim may not
involve all of these users or may involve users other than those
depicted in FIG. 1.
[0035]FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of the claims administration
web site 12. The site 12 includes a server system 22 comprising
a web server 24 coupled to tour application servers 26a, 26b, 26c,
26d. The web server 24 is connected to the Internet and includes
a user interface that presents various web pages to the users, and,
includes functionality for the users to submit claim data into various
data input fields displayed on the web pages (which will be described
in greater detail below). The web server also acts as a load balancer
to distribute user traffic among the application servers 26a, 26b,
26c, 26d. While foul application servers are depicted in FIG. 2,
it should be understood that more or fewer application servers may
be implemented depending on the number of users accessing the site
12.
[0036]Each of the application servers 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d runs a
claim processing software application (shown in phantom lines) that
provides various insurance claim processing and monitoring capabilities
to the users. In this embodiment, the claim processing software
application comprises a single computer program written in the Visual
Studio C#.net programming language. Of course, a suite of computer
programs and/or other programming languages could also be used.
One skilled in the art will appreciate that users are able to utilize
the capabilities of the claim processing software application via
the user interface of the web server 24.
[0037]Each of the application servers 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d is coupled
to a claims database server 28, which stores claim data for a plurality
of insurance claims. Preferably, the claim data for each insurance
claim is stored in the claims database server 28 in association
with a claim identifier that is unique to that insurance claim.
A variety of different types of claim data may be stored for each
insurance claim, including data related to the claimant, data related
to the insurance carrier, data related to the insurance policy,
data related to the contractor assigned to the insurance claim,
data related to the insured property, data related to the damage
incurred at the insured property, and data related to the restoration
of any damaged property (which may comprise damaged structural materials
and/or damaged contents). It should be understood that the server
system 22 controls the storage of the various claim data in the
claims database server 28.
[0038]Each of the application servers 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d is also
coupled to a photos/documents database server 30, which stores additional
claim data for a plurality of insurance claims. Specifically, the
photos/documents database server 30 stores a variety of photographs
and documents related to the insured property, the damage incurred
at the insured property, and the restoration of any damaged property
(which again may comprise damaged structural materials and/or damaged
contents). Preferably, the photographs and documents for each insurance
claim are stored in the photos/documents database server 30 in association
with a claim identifier that is unique to that insurance claim.
It should be understood that the server system 22 controls the storage
of the photographs and documents in the photos/documents database
server 30.
[0039]In this embodiment, the photographs and documents are stored
separately in the photos/documents database server 30 (rather than
being stored with the other claim data in the claims database server
28) in order to allow for the storage of the photographs and documents
in a higher-capacity storage medium, and, to permit faster access
to the other claim data stored in the claims database server 28.
Of course, one skilled in the art will appreciate that all claim
data could be stored in a single database server or could be stored
in more than two database servers.
[0040]It should be noted that the claims database server 28 also
stores data related to various users of the site, including insurance
carriers and contractors available to perform restoration services.
Preferably, contractors are required to submit detailed information
about their services and capabilities in order to become a member
of the "restoration contractor network." All of this detailed
information is stored in the claims database server 28 and is used
to select the appropriate contractor for a particular insurance
claim, as will be described in greater detail below.
[0041]Each of the application servers 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d is also
coupled to a notification server 32. The notification server 32
runs a software application that receives a .wav file and a telephone
number from one of the application servers and automatically dials
the telephone number through an interface with the public telephone
network. The software application monitors the status of the call
and plays the .wav file when the call is answered so as to transmit
a voice message to the recipient. Preferably, the application server
generates the .wav file by retrieving a desired textual script from
the claims database server 28 (which stores a plurality of textural
scripts) and converting the textual script to the .wav file. In
this manner, the application server functions as a text-to-speech
generator. It will be seen that this feature is used in connection
with the transmission of automated reminder messages to contractors
as part of the management of the insurance claims.
[0042]In this embodiment, the web server 24, the application servers
26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, the claims database server 28, the photos/documents
database server 30, and the notification server 32 are all co-located
in the same geographic location. It should be understood, however,
that one or more of these servers could be located in a different
geographic location with appropriate connections to the other servers.
[0043]Referring still to FIG. 2, the claims administration site
12 is preferably a secure web site wherein each user is assigned
a user identifier (e.g., a user name) and password upon registration
with the site 12. The user identifier and password for each of the
users is stored in the claims database server 28 and defines the
claim data and/or web pages that may be accessed by the user. For
example, a claims specialist at the claims administrator may have
full access to all of the claim data and web pages, while a claimant
may have restricted access to only portions of the claim data and/or
web pages. Access rights may be granted or restricted based on claim
data, web pages, or a combination of both. For example, a claimant
may be granted access to a particular web page, but not have rights
to view all of the claim data available for display on that web
page. By contrast, a claims specialist at the claims administrator
may be able view all of the claim data on that same web page.
[0044]To gain access to the claims administration site 12, a user
accesses a login-in page presented by the server system 22 and enters
a user identifier and password into appropriate data input fields
displayed on the log-in page. The server system 22 authenticates
the user identifier and password (i.e., verifies that the user identifier
and password are stored in the claims database server 28) and determines
the access rights for the user. The user is then able to access
various web pages of the site 12 in accordance with the access rights
for that user.
[0045]FIGS. 4-21 show "screen capture" depictions of
the various web pages of the claims administration site 12. As can
be seen, each of these web pages displays a variety of data input
fields, selection buttons, hyperlinks and various textual information.
For example, the "New Search" page shown in FIG. 4 includes
a plurality of data input fields labeled "Client," "Client
Contact," "Contractor," `Phone #," "Policyholder
First Name," "Policyholder Last Name," "Policyholder
Company," "Policy #," "Claim #," "HSG
Control #," and "Claim Status," as well as two selection
buttons labeled "New" and "Search." In the case
of an existing claim, a user enters data into one or more of the
data input fields and selects the "Search" button. The
claims matching the search criteria are displayed in a list format
so that the user may select a particular claim and access the web
pages shown in FIGS. 5-21. At this point, the user may simply view
one or more of these web pages, or, may submit additional claim
data via the data input fields displayed on these web pages (depending
on the user's access rights). In the case of a new claim, a user
selects the "New" button whereby the user proceeds to
submit various claim data via the data input fields displayed on
the web pages shown in FIGS. 5-21.
[0046]The web pages shown in FIGS. 5-21 display claim data relating
to a particular insurance claim (wherein the data may be submitted
by one user or a plurality of users). As can be seen, each of these
web pages displays a columnar list along the left-hand side of the
page titled "Claim Menu." The "Claim Menu" list
includes hyperlinks to all of the web pages, namely, "Claim
Info," "Claim Details," "Claim Dates,"
"Claim Contact List," "Building Info," "Select
Contractor," "Contractor Contacts," "Claim Forms,"
"Water-Room Dimensions," "Water-Equipment Validation,"
"Water-Equipment History," "Water-Daily Humidity,"
"Water-Moisture Map," "Water-Flooring Diagrams,"
"Photos & Does," "Notes" and "Survey."
A selection of any of these hyperlinks causes the corresponding
web page to be displayed, thus allowing a user to easily navigate
between the various web pages of the site. An arrow icon indicates
the web page that is currently being displayed.
[0047]It can be seen that each of the web pages shown in FIGS.
5-21 displays four selection buttons labeled "<<prev,"
"Reset," "Save," and "next>>"
along the top of the page (just below the title of the page). The
"<<prev" and "next>>" buttons allow
navigation to the previous and next web pages in the "Claim
Menu" list. A selection of the "Reset" button clears
all of the data entered in the data input fields for that particular
web page. A selection of the "Save" button saves all the
data entered in the data input fields for that particular web page.
The "Reset" and "Save" buttons may be inaccessible
(or greyed-out) when the user does not have access rights that permit
these actions. Other data input fields and selection buttons displayed
on these web pages will be described below.
[0048]It should be understood that the web pages shown in FIGS.
4-21 are merely examples of the type of web pages that may be used
to implement the various features of the invention. Other web pages
could be used that display the claim data in a different format
and/or that display different types of claim data. For example,
in an extreme case, all of the claim data could be displayed on
a single web page. As such, throughout the following description
(including in the claims), the terms "web pages" and "web
page" are used interchangeably to refer to either a single
web page or a plurality of web pages that collectively display a
variety of different types of claim data.
Methodology of Processing and Monitoring Insurance claims
[0049]An exemplary method for processing and monitoring insurance
claims in accordance with the present invention will now be described
with reference to blocks 110 to 154 of the process flow diagram
shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. In conjunction with the process flow diagram
of FIGS. 3A and 3B, reference will be made to the various web pages
depicted in FIGS. 5-21. It should be noted that various "sample"
claim data has been entered into the data input fields of these
web pages in order to illustrate the processing and monitoring of
an insurance claim in accordance with the exemplary embodiment.
However, as discussed above, the invention is not limited to the
exemplary embodiment (let alone the "sample" claim data
of the exemplary embodiment). As such, it should be understood that
the "sample" claim data does not in any way limit the
scope of the present invention.
First Notice of Loss
[0050]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 110, a claimant reports damage
or loss at an insured property as a "first notice of loss."
The claims administrator may receive the first notice of loss in
a number of different ways. Preferably, when the claimant calls
a claims reporting telephone number provided by the insurance carrier,
the call is routed directly to the claims administrator, or, is
routed directly to the insurance carrier whereby the call is automatically
and transparently transferred to the claims administrator. In either
case, the claims administrator answers the call with "Insurance
Carrier" such that the claimant is unaware that a party other
than the insurance carrier is receiving the first notice of loss.
Other ways in which the claims administrator may receive the first
notice of loss will be described below.
[0051]In the exemplary embodiment, upon answering the call from
the claimant, the claims administrator begins entry of the new claim
by accessing the "New Search" page (FIG. 4) of the claims
administration web site 12. The claims administrator selects the
"New" button at the bottom of the "New Search"
page (FIG. 4) whereby the "Claim Info" page (FIG. 5) is
displayed.
[0052]The "Claim Info" page includes various data input
fields that must be completed by the claims administrator. For example,
the "Clients" field includes a drop-down menu from which
the claims administrator selects the insurance carrier responsible
for insuring the damaged property. The insurance carrier options
in the drop-down menu are pre-populated based on client (i.e., insurance
carrier) information stored in the claims database server 28. The
claims administrator may receive the insurance carrier information
from the claimant, or, this information may be known based on the
telephone number used by the claimant to report the loss. The "Client
Contact" field includes a drop-down menu from which the claims
administrator selects the names and telephone numbers of contact
people at the selected insurance carrier. The contact options in
the drop-down menu are pre-populated based on contact information
stored in the claims database server 28 in association with the
selected insurance carrier. The claims administrator selects the
contact at the insurance carrier who is responsible for the new
claim. The "HSG Control #" field and the "Claim #"
field are claim identifiers assigned by the claims administrator
and insurance carrier, respectively, to identify and monitor the
new claim. The information in the "HSG Control #" field
is automatically generated upon saving the new claim data to the
claims database server 28. The information in the "Claim #"
field is typically entered by the insurance carrier at a later time.
[0053]The "Claim Info" page also includes a "Policy
Information" heading under which appears data input fields
for "Building Limit," "Contents Limit," "Policy
#," "Effective Date," and "Expiration Date."
In the "Policy #" field, the claims administrator enters
the claimant's insurance policy number for the damaged property.
The "Building Limit" and "Contents Limit" fields
allow entry of the insurance policy's limits on coverage for the
structure and contents, respectively, of the damaged property. The
"Effective Date" and "Expiration Date" fields
allow entry of the insurance policy's effective and expiration dates.
The information in the latter four fields is typically entered by
the insurance carrier at a later time.
[0054]The "Claim Info" page also includes data input
fields under a "Policyholder" heading in which the claims
administrator enters personal and contact information (e.g., name,
address, telephone number) for the policyholder (i.e., claimant).
The page also includes data input fields under a "Loss Address"
heading in which the claims administrator enters personal and contact
information (e.g., name, address, telephone number) for the resident
of the damaged property. In a typical case in which the "Loss
Address" information is the same as the "Policyholder"
information, the claims administrator may select the "Same
As Policyholder" button whereby the "Loss Address"
fields are automatically populated with the information entered
into the "Policyholder" fields.
[0055]The "Claim Info" page also includes three selection
buttons located in the upper right portion of the page, namely,
the "Create New Client" button, the "Create Associate
Claim" button, and the "Show Associate Claim" button.
The "Create New Client" button allows the claims administrator
to add a new client (i.e., insurance carrier) to the claims database
server 28, the "Create Associate Claim" button allows
the claims administrator to identify the current claim as being
associated with another existing claim in the claims database server
28, and the "Show Associate Claim" button allows the claims
administrator to display any other claims in the claims database
server 28 that are already associated with the current claim.
[0056]Upon completion of data entry on the "Claim Info"
page, the claims administrator selects the "Save" button
whereby the data is stored in the claims database server 28. The
claims administrator then selects the "next>>" button
to navigate to the "Claim Details" page (FIG. 6). It should
be noted that the "Claim Details" page, as well as all
subsequent pages described below, includes a read-only "Reference"
field that displays the claims administrator's claim identifier,
the insurance carrier's claim identifier, and the name of the policyholder.
This "Reference" field provides an easy reference for
a user to confirm that the page relates to a particular claim.
[0057]The "Claim Details" page includes data input fields
for "Claim Type," "Type of Loss," "Secondary
Type of Loss," "Received By," "Reported By,"
"Deductible," "Loss Description," "Loss
Directions," "Detailed Findings/Job Scope," "Source
of Damage and Steps Taken to Contain," "Selected Contractor,"
"Primary Contact," and "Secondary Contact,"
as well as checkbox input fields for "Electricity," "Water,"
"Mitigation Accepted," and "Collected."
[0058]The "Claim Type" field includes a drop-down menu
from which the claims administrator selects the type of claim. In
this embodiment, the claim type options in the drop-down menu are
"Property Fire," "Property Power Outage," "Property
Vandalism," "Property Vehicle Impact," "Property
Water," "Property Weight of Ice or Snow," and "Property
Wind." In this sample claim, the claims administrator selects
the "Property Water" option.
[0059]Based on the selected claim type, the drop-down menu for
the "Type of Loss" field is populated with various types
of losses corresponding to the selected claim type. For example,
with a claim type of "Property Water," the drop-down menu
for the "Type of Loss" field is populated with "Frozen
Pipes," "Furnace Malfunction," "Hail,"
"Heavy Load," "Hurricane," "Ice Dam,"
"Miscellaneous," "Mold," "Occupant Accidental
Fire," "Occupant Left Water Running," "Sewage
Backup," "Skunk Odor," "Structural Collapse,"
"Toilet Backup/Category 2," "Toilet Backup/Sewage/Category
3," "Toilet Tank Break Category 1," "Tornado,"
"Tub or Shower Backup Category 2," "Vandalism,"
"Vehicle Impact," "Water Entering From Basement Walls,"
"Water Entering From Roof," "Water Entering From
Sump," "Water Entering From Wall," "Water Entering
From Window," "Water From Miscellaneous," "Water
From Ruptured Plumbing," "Water From Sprinkler System,"
"Water From Undefined Sources," and "Wind Storm."
In this sample claim, the claims administrator selects the "Water
from ruptured plumbing" option.
[0060]Based on the selected type of loss, the drop-down menu for
the "Secondary Type of Loss" field is populated with various
types of secondary losses corresponding to the selected type of
loss. For example, with a type of loss of "Water from ruptured
plumbing," the drop-down menu for the "Secondary Type
of Loss" field is populated with "Broken Hardware (Faucets,
etc.)," "Burst Pipe," "Ceiling," "City
Sewer Backup," "Clothes Washer Overflow or Leak,"
"Dishwasher Overflow or Leak," "Entering Through
Wall," "Entering Through Window," "Flood,"
"Humidity," "Leakage," "Refrigerator Icemaker
Sink Drain Leak," "Sprinkler System," "Tub or
Toilet Overflow," "Undefined Sources," and "Water
Entered Through Window or Door Seal" (although other options
could be added as desired). In this sample claim, the claims administrator
selects the "Burst Pipe" option.
[0061]The "Received By" field indicates the name of the
person at the claims administrator (or other person) entering the
details of the claim. The "Reported By" field indicates
the name or other identification of the person reporting the claim.
Typically, the "Reported By" field would identify the
claimant. However, as will be described in more detail below, in
some cases the claim may be reported by the insurance carrier in
which case the "Reported By" field would identify the
insurance carrier.
[0062]The "Deductible" field and associated "Collected"
checkbox allow entry of the claimant's insurance policy deductible
amount and an indication as to whether that deductible has been
collected from the claimant. This information is typically entered
by the insurance carrier at a later time.
[0063]The "Electricity" and "Water" checkboxes
allow an indication as to whether the insured property has working
electrical and water service available. The "Loss Description,"
"Loss Directions," and "Source of damage & steps
taken to contain" fields allow entry of the claimant's description
of the damage to the insured property, directions to the insured
property, and steps already taken to control or repair the damage
to the insured property, respectively. The "Mitigation accepted?"
checkbox allows an indication as to whether the claimant has agreed
to allow a contractor to perform initial mitigation steps to prevent
further damage to the insured property.
[0064]The "Detailed Findings/Job Scope" field allows
entry of detailed findings of the cause and extent of the damage
to the insured property. The information entered into this field
is typically not received from the claimant, but is entered by a
contractor after arrival at the insured property or by the claims
processor based on input from the contractor.
[0065]Upon completion of data entry on the "Claim Details"
page, the claims administrator selects the "Save" button
whereby the data is stored in the claims database server 28. The
claims administrator then navigates to the "Building Info"
page (FIG. 9).
[0066]The "Building Info" page includes data input fields
labeled "Building Style," "Year Built," "Square
Feet," "Siding," "Roofing," "Year
Roof Installed," "Basement," "Garage,"
"Outbulding," and "Owner Notes." If the claimant
has information for the "Year Built," "Square Feet,"
"Year Roof Installed," and "Owner Notes" fields,
the claims processor enters this information into the appropriate
fields. The remaining data input fields include drop-down menus
that are automatically populated with typical options for each of
those fields. The claims administrator selects the appropriate option
for those fields from the drop-down menus. Of course, if the claimant
does not have all (or any) of the information for the data input
fields on the "Building Info" page, the information may
be entered later by either the claims administrator, the contractor
(who may enter the information after arriving at the insured property),
or the insurance carrier (who may enter the information based on
records related to the insured property).
[0067]Upon completion of data entry on the "Building Info"
page, the claims administrator selects the "Save" button
whereby the data is stored in the claims database server 28. The
claims administrator then navigates to the "Claim Dates"
page (FIG. 7).
[0068]The "Claim Dates" page includes data input fields
labeled "First Notice of Loss," "Date of Loss,"
"Shop Placement Date," "Date Insured Contacted,"
"Date Inspected," "Date Started," "Date
Target Completion," "Date Completed," and "Date
Closed." Each of these data input fields allows entry of a
date and a time. Preferably, a pop-up calendar is provided for easy
entry of the desired date. Adjacent to each date/time data input
field are selection buttons labeled "Current Date" and
"Delete." Selection of the "Current Date" button
causes the current date and time to be entered into the date/time
data input fields. Selection of the "Delete" button causes
the date/time data input fields to be cleared.
[0069]The date and time for some of the data input fields on the
"Claim Dates" page will be entered by the claims administrator
during the call with the claimant. For example, the "First
Notice of Loss" field allows entry of the date and time that
the claims administrator receives and enters the claim data. The
"Date of Loss" field allows entry of the date and time
that the loss occurred, which is typically provided by the claimant
and may be a "best estimate" as to the actual time and
date that the loss occurred. The "Date Insured Contacted"
field allows entry of the date and time that the claims administrator
contacts (e.g., telephones) the claimant. In the case where the
claimant's call is routed to the claims administrator, this field
will reflect a date and time that is substantially the same as the
"First Notice of Loss" date and time. In other cases,
as will be described in greater detail below, the claims administrator
may receive the first notice of loss through other means and then
contact the claimant at a later date and time.
[0070]The date and time for other data input fields on the "Claim
Dates" page will be entered at a later time by either the claims
administrator or a contractor assigned to the claim (as discussed
in greater detail below). For example, the "Shop Placement
Date" field allows entry of the date and time that a contractor
is dispatched to the insured property. The "Date Inspected"
field allows entry of the date and time that the contractor arrives
at the insured property. The "Date Started" field allows
entry of the date and time that the contractor begins restoration
services at the insured property. The "Date Completed"
field allows entry of the date and time that the restoration of
the damaged property is determined to be complete. The "Date
Closed" field allows entry of the date and time that the claim
is considered closed (based on the receipt of all required documentation
from the insurance carrier, the contractor and the claimant, and
the transmission of all required documentation to the insurance
carrier, the contractor, and the claimant).
[0071]The "Claim Dates" page also includes three read-only
fields titled "Target" next to the "Shop Placement
Date" field, the "Date Insured Contacted" field,
and the "Date Inspected" field. The dates and times in
these "Target" fields are automatically calculated (as
will be described below) and represent the desired dates and times
by which the associated action should be completed. For example,
the "Target" date and time for the "Shop Placement
Date" field is calculated as thirty minutes from the date and
time entered in the "First Notice of Loss" field. This
target sets a goal of dispatching a contractor to the insured property
(i.e., the "shop placement") within thirty minutes from
receipt of the first notice of loss. The "Target" date
and time for the "Date Insured Contacted" field is calculated
as fifteen minutes from the date and time entered in the "First
Notice of Loss" field. This target accounts for cases in which
the first notice of loss is not received directly from the claimant
(as will be described below). In those cases, the goal is to have
the claims administrator contact the claimant within fifteen minutes
of receipt of the first notice of loss. The "Target" date
and time for the "Date Inspected" field is calculated
as two hours from the date and time entered in the "Shop Placement
Date" field. This sets a goal for the contractor to arrive
at the insured property within two hours from the time of dispatch.
[0072]The "Claim Contact List" page (FIG. 8) displays
a contact list of various parties involved in the claim process.
In this embodiment, the contact list is automatically populated
with data entered into the "Policyholder" and "Loss
Address" fields of the "Claim Info" page (FIG. 5).
The "Edit" and "Delete" buttons allow a user
to edit or delete a party from the contact list. In addition, the
"Add New Contact" button allows a user to enter additional
parties to the contact list as desired.
[0073]As discussed above, the claims administrator may not receive
the first notice of loss directly from the claimant. For example,
the claimant may call a claims reporting telephone number provided
by the insurance carrier whereby the call is routed to a call-answering
service contracted by the insurance carrier. The routing of the
call to the call-answering service may or may not be transparent
to the claimant and, thus, the claimant may be aware that the first
notice of loss is being received by someone other than the insurance
carrier. A claims processor at the call-answering service collects
initial claim information from the claimant and, in accordance with
guidelines provided by the insurance carrier, assesses whether the
claimed loss is covered by the claimant's insurance policy. If so,
the claims processor at the call-answering service initiates a "warm
transfer" of the call to the claims administrator (i.e., the
claimant's call is forwarded to the claims administrator without
the claimant having to hang-Lip and call back). The claims administrator
then collects information from the claimant and enters the information
into the appropriate web pages (as described above) to complete
the first notice of loss.
[0074]As another example, a claimant may call the insurance carrier
directly whereby the call is answered by a claims processor at the
insurance carrier. The claims processor at the insurance carrier
collects initial claim information from the claimant, and then calls
the claims administrator and provides that information for entry
into the web pages (as described above). Alternatively, the insurance
carrier may provide the initial claim information to the claims
administrator via e-mail or other type of communication system.
As yet another example, the insurance carrier may connect to the
claims administration web site 12 through the Internet and directly
enter the initial claim information into the web pages (as described
above).
[0075]As yet a further example, a claimant may call, e-mail, or
otherwise notify the Insurance carrier of a loss to the insured
property. The insurance carrier then notifies the claims administrator
of the claimed loss, and the claims administrator calls the claimant
to collect and enter the initial claim information into the web
pages (as described above). Finally, the insurance carrier may receive
initial claim information from the claimant and enter the information
into an insurance carrier database. The claims administrator then
retrieves the information from the insurance carrier database, either
directly or using a screen-scraper to collect the information from
a computer screen, and transfers that information to the appropriate
data input fields of the web pages (as described above).
Select Contractor
[0076]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 112, the claims administrator
selects a contractor to perform restoration services at the insured
property. In the exemplary embodiment, with the claimant still on
the telephone, the claims administrator navigates to the "Select
Contractor" page (as shown on FIG. 10A), which displays a list
of the top three contractors in the claims database server 28 who
are available to provide restoration services within the zip code
of the insured property, as entered on the "Claim Info"
page (FIG. 5). To obtain the "top three" list, each of
these contractors is evaluated in accordance with a plurality of
weighted factors.
[0077]Some of these factors relate to the contractor's capabilities
regardless of past performance, including: (1) the contractor's
ability to provide certified technicians to perform the restoration
services; (2) the contractor's ability to use preferred restoration
equipment and measurement equipment; and (3) the experience level
of the technicians performing the restoration services. Other factors
relate to the past performance of the contractor in providing restoration
services at other insured properties, including: (1) information
received on the contractor from claimant surveys; (2) the average
time to arrive at the insured property from the time of dispatch;
(3) the availability of the contractor at the time of assignment;
(4) the completeness of the contractor's daily documentation (e.g.,
temperature readings, humidity readings, moisture content readings,
etc.); (5) the timeliness of the contractor's submission of documentation;
(6) the average time to bill after completion of the restoration
services; (7) the average number of days to complete the restoration
services; and (8) the average total expense of past invoices. Of
course, one skilled in the art will appreciate that other factors
could also be considered in accordance with the invention. Based
on this evaluation, the contractors are ranked the top three contractors
are listed on the "Select Contractor" page.
[0078]Next, the claims administrator contacts the first-listed
contractor to determine whether the contractor is able to perform
the restoration services. If the first-listed contractor cannot
be reached or is not able to perform the restoration services, the
claims administrator contacts the second-listed contractor and then
the third-listed contractor until a contractor is reached who agrees
to perform the restoration services. If none of the listed contractors
can be reached or agree to perform the restoration services, the
claims administrator selects the "More" button whereby
additional contractors are displayed on the "Select Contractor"
page. When a contractor is reached who agrees to perform the restoration
services, the claims administrator selects the "Select"
button for that contractor whereby the selected contractor is associated
with that particular claim in the claims database server 28.
[0079]Alternatively, if the claimant has a preferred contractor,
the claims administrator may select that particular contractor to
perform the restoration services (or enter information on that particular
contractor into the claims database server 28 if not yet entered).
Likewise, an insurance carrier may have its own network of contractors
or may provide the claims administrator with a list of preferred
contractors. In that case, the claims administrator may select a
contractor from the insurance carrier's list for assignment to the
claim.
[0080]Upon selection of a contractor, contact information for the
contractor is retrieved from the claims database server 28 and populated
into the "Select Contractor" page (as shown on FIG. 10B)
and the "Contractor Contacts" page (FIG. 11). The "Select
Contractor" page is also populated with a history of the selection
of the contractor. The "Contractor Contacts" page also
includes an "Add" button that allows a user to add additional
contact information for the selected contractor whereby the added
contact information will be stored in the claims database server
28.
Dispatch Contractor
[0081]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 114, the claims administrator
dispatches the selected contractor to the insured property. In the
exemplary embodiment, with the claimant still on the telephone,
the claims administrator establishes a three-way telephone conference
between the claims administrator, the claimant and the contractor.
The claimant and the contractor, facilitated by the claims administrator,
exchange further information about the origin of loss and the damage
to the insured property. Based on the additional information received
during this three-way telephone conference, the claims administrator
may enter additional information into the "Claim Info"
page (FIG. 5) and/or the "Claim Details" page (FIG. 6).
Preferably, the claimant and the contractor also reach an agreement
as to when the contractor will arrive at the insured property. Most
preferably, the contractor agrees to arrive at the insured property
within two hours. While still on the phone with the claimant, the
claims administrator preferably provides the claimant with a telephone
number and contractor arrival code that may be used by the claimant
to report the contractor's arrival at the insured property. Upon
dispatching the contractor to the insured property, the claims administrator
navigates to the "Claim Dates" page (FIG. 7) and enters
the date and time that the contractor was dispatched to the insured
property in the "Shop Placement Date" field.
[0082]As described above, in some cases the claims administrator
may not receive the first notice of loss directly from the claimant.
In those cases, upon receiving the first notice of loss, the claims
administrator preferably calls the claimant and proceeds to select
and dispatch a contractor to the insured property (as described
above). If the claimant cannot be reached, the claims administrator
will preferably select and dispatch a contractor to the insured
property in order to mitigate damage to the insured property.
Monitoring Contractor's Arrival at Insured Property
[0083]Referring to FIG. 3A, at blocks 116 and 118, the contractor's
arrival at the insured property is monitored so that one or more
automated reminder messages may be transmitted to the contractor
if the contractor has not reported his arrival at the insured property
in a specified period of time from either receipt of the notice
of loss (block 110) or dispatch of the contractor to the insured
property (block 114). Each reminder message is preferably a textual
or audio alert notifying the contractor of an obligation to arrive
at the insured property and/or complete a description of damage
to the insured property. These reminder messages may comprise either
a voice message or a text message transmitted to the contractor's
telephone, an e-mail or instant message transmitted to the contractor's
computer or handheld communication device (e.g., PDA), or a combination
of any of the foregoing. One skilled in the art will appreciate
the importance of monitoring a contractor's arrival at the insured
property to verify that the contractor has arrived and begun the
process of mitigating damage to the insured property in a timely
manner.
[0084]In the exemplary embodiment, when the contractor arrives
at the insured property, he calls the claims administrator and reports
his date and time of arrival. The claims administrator then enters
the reported date and time of arrival into the "Date Inspected"
field on the "Claim Dates" page (FIG. 7). Alternatively,
the contractor may directly access the "Claim Dates" page
using a handheld communication device (e.g., PDA) or laptop computer
and then directly enter his arrival date and time into the "Date
Inspected" field. Preferably, the claimant also verifies the
contractor's date and time of arrival by calling the telephone number
provided by the claims administrator at the time of reporting the
first notice of loss and entering the provided contractor arrival
code via a telephone keypad. Upon receipt of the contractor arrival
code, a date and time-stamped message is stored in the claims database
server 28 indicating that the claimant has reported the contractor's
arrival at the insured property. This date and time-stamped message
may be used to verify the date and time of arrival reported by the
contractor.
[0085]As discussed above, the "Claim Dates" page (FIG.
7) includes a "Shop Placement Date" field that indicates
the date and time that the contractor was dispatched to the insured
property. When the claims administrator enters a date and time into
this data input field, it triggers the monitoring of the "Date
Inspected" field (which represents the date and time that the
contractor arrives at the insured property). By monitoring the "Date
Inspected" field, it can be determined whether the contractor
has reported his arrival at the insured property. If no date and
time has been entered into the "Date Inspected" field
within a specified period of time from the "Shop Placement
Date" date and time, the application server retrieves a desired
textual script from the claims database server 28 (which stores
a plurality of textual scripts) and generates a .wav file based
on the textual script. An example of a textual script for this situation
is provided below: [0086][Contractor's name of business]--This is
a CodeBlue Alert! Your initial Job Scope for [claim #] for [claimant's
name] at [claimant's address] has not been uploaded to the CodeBlue
website or called into the CodeBlue Command Center. Please have
the lead technician on this claim call CodeBlue as soon as possible
with this information. If you need assistance from the CodeBlue
Support Team, call 715-555-5555. Thank you in advance for your prompt
response to this notification!It should be understood that the information
in brackets is replaced by the relevant data stored in the claims
database server 28. Of course, the textual script could simply state
that the contractor must immediately report to the insured property
to begin mitigation services. The application server then transmits
the contractor's telephone number and the .wav file to the notification
server 32, which automatically dials the telephone number through
an interface with the public telephone network and plays the .wav
file so as to transmit a voice message to the contractor (as described
above).
[0087]In this embodiment, the voice message is transmitted to the
contractor if no date and time has been entered into the "Date
Inspected" field within 21/2 hours from the "Shop Placement
Date" date and time. This 21/2 hour period of time provides
sufficient time for the contractor to arrive at the insured property
within the goal of two hours from the time of dispatch. Of course,
it should be understood that other periods of time could also be
used in accordance with the invention (e.g., any period of time
between 1 hour and 5 hours). Optionally, additional voice message
could be transmitted to the contractor wherein each subsequent voice
message provides escalating urgency to the contractor. Preferably,
if the period of time exceeds a maximum limit, the claims administrator
is notified by e-mail or another communication means so that the
claims administrator may either contact the contractor directly
to inquire as to the contractor's arrival at the insured property
or select and dispatch another contractor to the insured property.
Perform Initial Mitigation Services
[0088]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 120, upon arrival at the insured
property, the contractor immediately takes steps to mitigate further
damage to the insured property. The initial mitigation steps may
include determining the origin of loss and repairing any damage
relating to the origin of loss. For example, if the origin of loss
is a burst water pipe, the contractor will shut off the water to
the pipe and may replace or repair the pipe if water service is
immediately required. The initial mitigations steps may also include
removal of standing water from the insured property using appropriate
water removal equipment, as is known in the art. The initial mitigation
steps taken by the contractor will, of course, vary depending upon
the type of loss and the damage incurred at the insured property.
Obtain Documentation of Damage to Insured Property
[0089]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 122, the contractor proceeds
to obtain documentation on the damage to the insured property. In
the exemplary embodiment, the contractor prepares a drawing or sketch
of the floor plan of the insured property. The contractor also documents
the damage to the insured property, such as by taking digital photographs
of the origin of loss and of each affected room of the damaged property
before any demolition occurs. Preferably, the contractor also has
the capability to take thermal imaging photographs showing the relative
moisture content in various damaged structural materials. The contractor
may also take a digital photograph of the exterior of the structure.
The contractor then uploads these documents and photographs to the
claims administration web site 12 by accessing the "Flooring
Diagrams" page (FIG. 18) and the "Photos & Docs"
page (FIG. 19).
[0090]The "Flooring Diagrams" page includes data input
fields titled "Add picture/doc" and "Description,"
as well as selection buttons labeled "Browse . . . " and
"Add." Using a computer or handheld communication device
(e.g., PDA), the contractor enters the filename of an electronic
version (.pdf, .jpeg, .tif, etc.) of the floor plan document in
the "Add picture/doc" field, either by using the "Browse
. . . " button to browse the directories on his computer or
handheld communication device (e.g., PDA) or by directly entering
the filename in the "Add picture/doc" field. The contractor
then enters a description of the floor plan document in the "Description"
field. Then, the contractor selects the "Add" button to
upload the file from the contractor's computer or handheld communication
device (e.g., PDA) to the photos/documents database server 30. The
"Flooring Diagrams" page is then automatically populated
with a list of the floor plan document and any other flooring diagrams
stored in the photos/documents database server 30. Each line of
the list includes "Edit" and "Delete" buttons
to enable a user to revise or delete information on that particular
line.
[0091]The "Photos & Docs" page includes data input
fields titled "File Type," "Description," and
"File," as well as selection buttons labeled "Browse
. . . " and "Add." Under the title "File can
be viewed by:," are three checkboxes labeled "Contractor,"
"Client," and "Policyholder." The drop-down
menu for the "File Type" field is pre-populated with the
options "Certification Document," "Certification
of Satisfaction," "Email Attachment." "Excel
Document," "Insurance Document," "PDF Document,"
"Photo." "Policyholder signature," "Price
List," "Psychrometric Document," "State Required
License," "Subrogation," "Uploaded from JPP,"
"Word Document," and "Work Authorization."
[0092]To upload each of the digital photographs and/or thermal
imaging photographs discussed above, the contractor selects "Photo"
from the drop-down menu of the "File Type" field and enters
a description of the photograph in the "Description" field.
The contractor then enters the filename of the photograph in the
"File" field, either by using the "Browse . . . "
button to browse the directories on his computer or handheld communication
device (e.g., PDA) or by directly entering the filename in the "File"
field. Then, the contractor selects the "Add" button to
upload the file from the contractor's computer or handheld communication
device (e.g., PDA) to the photos/documents database server 30. The
"Photos & Docs" page is then automatically populated
with a list of the uploaded photograph and any other photographs
and documents stored in the photos/documents database server 30.
Each line of the list includes "Edit" and "Delete"
buttons to enable a user to revise or delete information on that
particular line. The "File can be viewed by:" checkboxes
may be used by the claims administrator to permit or restrict access
to various photographs and documents for the contractor, the insurance
carrier, and the claimant.
[0093]Preferably, the contractor accesses the "Flooring Diagrams"
page and the "Photos & Docs" page and uploads the
documents and photographs to the claims administration web site
12 while the contractor is at the insured property. To do so, the
contractor may use a handheld communication device (e.g., PDA) or
a laptop computer having Internet access capabilities. Alternatively,
in cases where the contractor does not have these capabilities,
the contractor may upload the documents and photographs using a
computer located at the contractor's shop.
[0094]It should be understood that the various photographs and
documents displayed on the "Flooring Diagrams" page and
the "Photos & Docs" page may be viewed by the insurance
carrier and/or claims administrator in order to verify the origin
of loss and assess the extent of damage to the insured property.
With this information, the insurance carrier and/or claims administrator
is able to determine whether the claimant's insurance policy covers
the type of loss shown in the photographs and documents. Advantageously,
this determination may be made simply by accessing the claims administration
web site 12 and does not require that the insurance carrier and/or
claims administrator be physically present at the insured property.
Collect Drying Chamber Data
[0095]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 124, the contractor begins
the restoration process by establishing one or more drying chambers
within the insured property. A drying chamber is an area defined
by the contractor that contains damaged property (i.e., damaged
structural materials and/or contents). A drying chamber may be an
entire level of a structure (such as a basement) or may be a portion
of a level of a structure (such as a kitchen, bathroom, and family
room located on the main floor of a structure). The drying chamber
may be defined and enclosed by the structure itself (such as the
walls, floor, and ceiling of a basement) or may be defined and enclosed
through the use of temporary walls placed by the contractor to separate
damaged property from undamaged property or to divide a large area
into smaller drying chambers. Typically, the temporary walls are
plastic sheeting attached to the existing structure in such a manner
as to define and enclose the drying chamber.
[0096]Upon establishing the drying chambers, the contractor determines
the category of water loss for the insured property and the class
of water loss for each of the drying chambers within the insured
property. The category and class of a water loss are preferably
determined in accordance with the ANSI/IICRC S500-2006 standard,
wherein the category indicates the type of water (i.e., category
1--clean water; category 2--contaminated water; category 3--grossly
contaminated water) and the class indicates the amount of water
(i.e., class 1--least amount of water, materials have absorbed little
moisture; class 2--large amount of water, wet carpet, water wicked
into walls less than 24 inches; class 3--greatest amount of water,
water wicked into walls more than 24 inches from overhead ceiling;
class 4--specialty drying situations, wet materials with low permeance/porosity).
[0097]Next, the contractor records dimension data associated with
each of the drying chambers. Preferably, the dimension data comprises
a width measurement, a length measurement, a height measurement,
and a linear feet of wall measurement for each room within the drying
chamber. Of course, if the drying chamber comprises an entire level
of a structure (such as a basement), the level itself is a room
such that the contractor will record a width measurement, a length
measurement, a height measurement, and linear feet of wall measurement
for the entire level.
[0098]In the exemplary embodiment, the contractor accesses the
claims administration web site 12 and navigates to the "Room
Dimensions" page (FIG. 13). In the "Category" field,
the contractor selects the category of water loss (1, 2, or 3) for
the insured property from the drop-down menu. The contractor also
enters the date and time that the damage occurred at the insured
property in the "Date Affected" and "Time Affected"
fields (such as by using the pop-up calendar and drop-down menu
provided adjacent these fields). Next, the contractor enters the
date and time that he began to provide restoration services at the
insured property in the "Date Started" and "Time
Started" fields (such as by using the pop-up calendar and drop-down
menu provided adjacent these fields).
[0099]The contractor then proceeds to enter data in the "Room
Dimensions" section of the "Room Dimensions" page
on a room-by-room basis. For each room, the contractor enters the
name of the drying chamber in the "Drying Chamber" field.
For example, a drying chamber may be defined as "main floor"
or "basement." In the "Class" field, the contractor
selects the class of water loss (1, 2, 3, 4) for the drying chamber
from the drop-down menu. Next, the contractor enters the name of
the room in the "Room" field, and enters the dimension
data for that room in the "Width," "Length,"
"Height," and "Linear Feet Wall" fields. The
data in the "One air mover every_linear feet" field may
be entered by the contractor or may be automatically calculated
based on the class of water loss for that room. For example, for
a class 1, 2, 3, and 4 water loss, the air movers are preferably
spaced every 16 linear feet, 14 linear feet, 12 linear feet and
14 linear feet, respectively. With the room data entered, the contractor
selects the "Add" button whereby the room data will be
stored in the claims database server 28. It should be understood
that the contractor then repeats the entry of room data for every
room within every drying chamber.
[0100]The data in the "Total Linear Feet," "Total
Square Feet," and "Total Cubic Feet" fields are automatically
calculated based on the dimension data of all of the rooms within
all of the drying chambers. The table at the bottom of the page
is automatically populated with a list of all of the data stored
in the claim database server 28 for every room within every drying
chamber, along with automatically calculated linear wall feet, square
feet, and cubic feet data for each room. The table includes "Edit"
and "Delete" buttons for each room on the list to enable
a user to revise or delete the data for any of the rooms.
[0101]Preferably, the contractor accesses the claims administration
web site 12 and enters all of the data on the "Room Dimensions"
page while the contractor is at the insured property. To do so,
the contractor may use a handheld communication device (e.g., PDA)
or a laptop computer having Internet access capabilities. Alternatively,
in cases where the contractor does not have these capabilities,
the contractor may record the data using other means and then enter
the data on the "Room Dimensions" page at a later time
(e.g., when the contractor returns to his shop). As another alternative,
the contractor may provide the data via telephone or email to the
claims administrator who then enters the data on the "Room
Dimensions" page.
Collect Initial Psychrometric Data
[0102]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 126, the contractor continues
the restoration process by collecting initial psychrometric data.
Preferably, the initial psychrometric data comprises temperature
and relative humidity readings taken at various inspection locations
both inside and outside the insured property. It will be seen that
the contractor will also collect daily psychrometric data to enable
the claims administrator and/or insurance carrier to monitor the
progress of the restoration of the damaged property.
[0103]In the exemplary embodiment, the contractor accesses the
claims administration web site 12 and navigates to the "Daily
Humidity" page (FIGS. 16A-16D). As can be seen on FIG. 16A,
this page includes a "Drying Chamber" field with a drop-down
menu populated with the drying chambers that were defined and entered
by the contractor on the "Room Dimensions" page (FIG.
13). The page also includes data input fields titled "Inspection
Date," "Inspection Time," "Inspection Location,"
"Temperature," and "Relative Humidity (%)."
The "Inspection Location" field includes a drop-down menu
populated with an identifier for each dehumidifier selected by the
contractor on the "Equipment Validation" page (FIG. 14),
along with selections for "HVAC," "Inside(Wet),"
"Outside," and "Unaffected Area." The page also
includes two read-only fields titled "GPP" and "GD,"
as well as corresponding selection buttons titled "Calculate
GPP" and "Add." The page also includes a list of
inspection data for a particular drying chamber, as shown on the
bottom of FIG. 16A.
[0104]Using a thermometer and a relative humidity meter (such as
a hygrometer or psychrometer), the contractor collects temperature
and relative humidity readings near every dehumidifier placed within
a drying chamber. Preferably, the contractor takes the temperature
and relative humidity readings near the exhaust port of each dehumidifier.
In addition, the contractor collects temperature and relative humidity
readings from the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
equipment located at the insured property, if any. For example,
residential and commercial properties often include central heating
and air conditioning systems, in which case the contractor can measure
temperature and relative humidity at the return air inlet. The contractor
also collects temperature and relative humidity readings from inside
an affected area (i.e., wet or damaged) of the insured property,
from inside an unaffected area (i.e., not damaged) of the insured
property, and from an area outside the insured property (i.e., outdoors).
Preferably, the contractor will take digital photographs showing
the various temperature and relative humidity readings on the thermometer
and relative humidity meter, respectively, for inclusion in the
claim file. Most preferably, the contractor uploads these photographs
to the claims administration web site 12 by accessing the "Photos
& Docs" page (FIG. 19) (as described above).
[0105]As shown on FIG. 16A, the contractor first selects a drying
chamber using the drop-down menu of the "Drying Chamber"
field. The contractor also enters the date and time of collecting
the temperature and relative humidity readings into the "Inspection
Date" and "Inspection Time" fields (such as by using
the pop-up calendar and drop-down menu provided adjacent these fields).
Next, using the drop-down menu of the "Inspection Location"
field, the contractor selects an inspection location and enters
the temperature and relative humidity readings collected at that
inspection location in the "Temperature" and "Relative
Humidity (%)" fields.
[0106]The contractor then selects the "Calculate GPP"
button whereby the specific humidity for that inspection location
is automatically calculated based on the temperature and relative
humidity readings for that inspection location (using standard psychrometric
formulas known in the art). The calculated specific humidity is
then displayed in units of grains of water per pound of air (GPP)
in the "GPP" field. Alternatively, the contractor could
collect specific humidity readings (rather than temperature and
relative humidity readings) using specific humidity meters known
in the art, in which case the specific humidity calculation would
not be required.
[0107]Upon selection of the "Calculate GPP" button, the
grain depression for each dehumidifier and HVAC system is automatically
calculated based on the difference between the specific humidity
of the ambient air and the specific humidity of the air exiting
the dehumidifier or HVAC system (using standard psychrometric formulas
known in the art). The calculated grain depression is then displayed
in the "GD" field. Next, the contractor selects the "Add"
button whereby all of the entered inspection data is stored in the
claims database server 28. The list of inspection data (as shown
on the bottom of FIG. 16A) is then automatically populated with
all the inspection data stored in the claims database server 28
for the selected drying chamber (which is preferably arranged chronologically
and by inspection location). It can be seen that the list of inspection
data includes "Edit" and "Delete" buttons for
each line of inspection data to enable a user to edit or delete
the inspection data on that line. It should be understood that the
contractor performs the above-described process for every drying
chamber.
[0108]Preferably, the contractor accesses the claims administration
web site 12 and enters the inspection data on the "Daily Humidity"
page while the contractor is at the insured property. To do so,
the contractor may use a handheld communication device (e.g., PDA)
or a laptop computer having Internet access capabilities. Alternatively,
in cases where the contractor does not have these capabilities,
the contractor may enter the inspection data on the "Daily
Humidity" page using a computer located at the contractor's
shop. As another alternative, the contractor may call the claims
administrator while at the insured property whereby the claims administrator
enters the inspection data on the "Daily Humidity" page
based on input from the contractor.
[0109]Finally, as shown on FIGS. 16B-16D, the "Daily Humidity"
page includes a "Daily Humidity Graph," a "GD Graph,"
and a "Temperature Graph" that plot the specific humidity,
grain depression and temperature data in relation to the inspection
dates for various inspection locations. These graphs are automatically
generated from the list of inspection data shown on the bottom of
FIG. 16A. As will be described in greater detail below, these graphs
may be analyzed by the contractor, the claims administrator and/or
the insurance carrier to determine whether a drying chamber presents
an acceptable drying environment, to assess the functionality of
the restoration equipment, or to assess the living conditions within
the insured property.
Collect Initial Moisture Content Data and Determine Target Values
[0110]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 128, the contractor continues
the restoration process by collecting initial moisture content data.
Preferably, the initial moisture content data comprises moisture
content readings from various damaged structural materials within
the affected rooms of the insured property. It will be seen that
the contractor will also collect daily moisture content data for
comparison against target values for the moisture content readings.
As such, the contractor (as well as the claims administrator and/or
the insurance carrier) will be able to determine when the damaged
structural materials have been restored to a pre-loss condition.
[0111]In the exemplary embodiment, the contractor accesses the
claims administration web site 12 and navigates to the "Moisture
Map" page (FIG. 17). This page includes data input fields for
"Inspection Date," "Room," "Affected Location,"
"Affected Type," "Reading," and "Target."
The "Room" field includes a drop-down menu populated with
the names of the rooms that were defined and entered by the contractor
on the "Room Dimensions" page (FIG. 13). The "Affected
Location" field includes a drop-down menu pre-populated with
the options "Subfloor," "Wall1," "Wall2,"
Wall3," "Wall 4," "Wall1 Sill," "Wall2
Sill," Wall3 Sill," "Wall4 Sill," "Flooring,"
"Floor Joist," "Rafter," "Wall Stud,"
"Header," "Insulation," "Ceiling,"
"Baseboard," and "Stairs." The "Affected
Type" field includes a drop-down menu pre-populated with the
options "Carpet," "Ceramic Tile," "Concrete,"
"Conventional Wood Framing," "Drywall," "Engineered
Wood Plank," "Laminated Flooring," "Metal Framing,"
"Oriented Strand Board," "Paneling," "Particle
Board," "Plaster," "Plywood," "Real
Wood Plank," "Vinyl Composition Tile," and "Vinyl
Flooring." This page also includes selection buttons labeled
"Add" and "Preloss Conditions Certificate."
At the bottom of the page is a list of moisture content data for
all of the damaged structural materials within all of the affected
rooms of the insured property.
[0112]Using a moisture meter (e.g., a penetrating meter or a non-penetrating
meter), the contractor collects moisture content readings for all
of the damaged structural materials within all of the affected rooms
of the insured property. For any given room, these structural materials
may comprise all or a subset of the options listed in the drop-down
menu for the "Affected Location" field. In addition, the
contractor will note the type of material for each of the damaged
structural materials, which preferably comprises one of the options
listed in the drop-down menu for the "Affected Type" field.
Preferably, the contractor will take digital photographs showing
the various moisture content readings on the moisture meter for
inclusion in the claim file. Most preferably, the contractor uploads
these photographs to the claims administration web site 12 by accessing
the "Photos & Docs" page (FIG. 19) (as described above).
[0113]On the "Moisture Map" page (FIG. 17), the contractor
enters the date that the moisture content data was collected in
the "Inspection Date" field (such as by using the pop-Lip
calendar provided adjacent this field). Then, for each of the moisture
content readings collected in the affected rooms of the insured
property, the contractor selects the appropriate room, location
and material type from the drop-down menus of the "Room,"
"Affected Location" and "Affected Type" fields,
respectively, and enters the moisture content reading in the "Reading"
field. In this embodiment, the contractor also enters a desired
target value for the moisture content reading in the "Target"
field, which will vary depending on the type of moisture meter used
to collect the moisture content readings. Alternatively, the "Target"
field could be automatically populated with a predetermined target
value based on the material type selected in the "Affected
Type" field.
[0114]Next, the contractor selects the "Add" button whereby
all of the entered moisture content data is stored in the claims
database server 28. The list of moisture content data at the bottom
of the page is then automatically populated with all the moisture
content data stored in the claims database server 28 for the particular
claim (which is preferably arranged chronologically by room and
affected location). It can be seen that the list of moisture content
data includes "Edit" and "Delete" buttons for
each line of moisture content data to enable a user to edit or delete
the moisture content data on that line.
[0115]Preferably, the contractor accesses the claims administration
web site 12 and enters the moisture content data on the "Moisture
Map" page while the contractor is at the insured property.
To do so, the contractor may use a handheld communication device
(e.g., PDA) or a laptop computer having Internet access capabilities.
Alternatively, in cases where the contractor does not have these
capabilities, the contractor may enter the moisture content data
on the "Moisture Map" page using a computer located at
the contractor's shop. As another alternative, the contractor may
call the claims administrator while at the insured property whereby
the claims administrator enters the moisture content data on the
"Moisture Map" page based on input from the contractor.
Obtain Work Authorization
[0116]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 130, the contractor obtains
proper work authorization from the claimant with respect to the
restoration and/or reconstruction of the damaged property (wherein
the amount of restoration vs. reconstruction will depend on the
category of water loss and the type of materials affected by the
water loss). In the exemplary embodiment, the contractor obtains
a "form" work authorization agreement from the "Claim
Forms" page (FIG. 12), which provides a variety of different
forms commonly used by the claims administrator, the contractors,
and the insurance carriers in the course of processing and monitoring
insurance claims.
[0117]The "Claim Forms" page includes data input fields
titled "Email To:" and "Form Type," as well
as a selection button labeled "Print," "Email"
and "Preview." The drop-down menu of the "Form Type"
field presents a pre-populated menu of forms, including an "Emergency
Services Work Authorization Agreement," a "Certification
of Completion and Satisfaction of Emergency Services," a "Certificate
of Completion and Satisfaction of Reconstruction Services,"
a "Certificate of Returned to Pre-Loss Moisture Content Conditions,"
an "Emergency Services Cover letter," a "Reconstruction
Estimate Cover Letter," a "Reconstruction invoice Cover
Letter," a "Survey," and a "Thank You Letter."
Upon selection of one of these forms, a user can either print the
form by selecting the "Print" button, e-mail the form
by entering an e-mail address into the "Email To:" field
and selecting the "Email button, or preview the form by selecting
the "Preview" button.
[0118]In this case, the contractor selects the "Emergency
Services Work Authorization Agreement" form from the drop-down
menu and then selects the "Print" button to print the
form. Preferably, the contractor is able to print the form on-site
via either a handheld communication device (e.g., PDA) or a laptop
computer connected to a printer. Alternatively, the contractor may
print the form at the contractor's office prior to arrival at the
insured property. Regardless of when the contractor prints the form,
the claimant then signs and dates the "Emergency Services Work
Authorization Agreement" form to thereby authorize restoration
and/or reconstruction of the damaged property. Finally, the contractor
uploads the signed "Emergency Services Work Authorization Agreement"
to the claims administration web site 12 by accessing the "Photos
& Docs" page (FIG. 19) (as will be described below).
Select and Place Restoration Equipment Within Insured Property
[0119]Referring to FIG. 3A, at block 132, the contractor now selects
and places the appropriate type and quantity of restoration equipment
in each drying chamber that will meet the restoration requirements
for that drying chamber. Typically, the restoration requirements
for a drying chamber comprise air movement requirements (e.g., a
total number of air movers required for each room within the drying
chamber, or, the CFM requirements for each room within the drying
chamber) and dehumidification requirements (e.g., a total volume
of water to be removed from the drying chamber in a specified period
of time).
[0120]In the exemplary embodiment, the contractor accesses the
claims administration web site 12 and navigates to the "Equipment
Validation" page (FIG. 14). This page includes a "Drying
Chamber" field with a drop-down menu populated with the drying
chambers that were defined and entered by the contractor on the
"Room Dimensions" page (FIG. 13). The page also includes
two columns titled "Air movers" and "Dehumidifiers."
[0121]As can be seen, the "Air movers" column includes
a "Total number of air movers needed" read-only field
and an "Air movers remaining" read-only field, followed
by a "Room" field with a drop-down menu populated with
the names of the rooms defined for the selected "Drying Chamber,"
followed by a "Needed in this room" read-only field and
a "Remaining" read-only field. Beneath these fields is
a selection list titled "Air mover Brand," which includes
a listing of commercially-available air movers identified by brand
name and model number. The selection list of the exemplary embodiment
includes the following air mover options: Abatement Technologies
Abatement PAS600, Abatement Technologies Abatement PAS1200, Abatement
Technologies Abatement PAS1800, Abatement Technologies Abatement
PAS2400, Dri-eaz Ace #F259, Dri-eaz Sahara #F188, Dri-eaz Sahara
Pro #F65-Pro, Dri-eaz Sahara Pro HP #F65-Pro HP, Dri-eaz Santana
SX #F199, Dri-eaz Santana EX #F230, Dry Air Gale Force, Dry Air
Force 9, Dry Air Clean Force, Dry Air Max Force, Dry Air Tempest,
Dry Air Typhoon, Dry Air Twister, EuroClean ML2500, Phoenix Focus,
Powerflite PD500, Powerflite F5 Powr Dryer, Powerflite Powr Dryer
350, Powerlite Powr Dryer 500, Powerflite Powr Dryer 750, Powerflite
Powr Dryer 750DX. Pullman-Holt F500, Dri-eaz Defendair EX #F258,
Dri-eaz HEPA 500 #F284, Injectidry Panel System, Phoenix Guardian
Hepa, and Phoenix Mini Guardian Hepa. Beneath the "Air mover
Brand" selection list is a table of air movers that have been
already selected by the contractor. Of course, this table will initially
be blank.
[0122]Using the drop-down menu of the "Drying Chamber"
field, the contractor selects a drying chamber whereby the total
number of air movers needed for that drying chamber are automatically
calculated and displayed in the "Total number of air movers
needed" field, as well as the "Air movers remaining"
field. The contractor then uses the drop-down menu of the "Room"
field to select a specific room within the selected drying chamber
whereby the number of air movers needed for that room are automatically
calculated and displayed in the Needed in this room" field,
as well as the "Remaining" field. Preferably, the total
number of air movers needed for the drying chamber and the number
of air movers needed for the selected room are calculated in accordance
with the ANSI/IICRC S500-2006 standard, as is known in the art.
Alternatively, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the air
movement requirements may be based on the total CFM requirement
for the drying chamber and the CFM requirement for the selected
room (rather than the number of needed air movers as described).
[0123]Next, the contractor selects an air mover that the contractor
has available for placement from the "Air mover Brand"
list, enters the quantity in the "How many air movers of this
type do you want to use" field, and then selects the "Add"
button whereby the "Air movers remaining" and "Remaining"
fields decrement by the selected quantity. Selection of the "Add"
button also causes the selected air mover data to be stored in the
claims database server 28. The table of air movers at the bottom
of the "Air movers" column is then automatically populated
with all the air movers stored in the claims database server 28
for the selected room. It can be seen that the table includes a
"Delete" button for each selected air mover to enable
a user to delete the air mover from the list. The contractor then
repeats the air mover selection process for the selected room until
the "Remaining" field reads zero. It should be understood
that the contractor performs the above-described process for every
room of every drying chamber.
[0124]The "Dehumidifiers" column includes a "Total
Square Feet" read-only field and a "Total Cubic Feet"
read-only field, followed by a "Total Pints to be Removed"
read-only field and a "Pints Remaining" read-only field.
Beneath these fields is a selection list titled "Dehumidifier
Brand." which includes a listing of commercially-available
dehumidifiers identified by brand name and model number. The selection
list of the exemplary embodiment includes the following dehumidifier
options: Air Quest 1200, Dry Air Atlantic, Dry Air Dry Pro 5000,
Dry Air Dry Pro 7000, Dri-eaz 1200 #F203, Dri-eaz 80DX #F265, Dri-eaz
Evolution #F292-EVO, Dri-eaz LGR 2000 #F232, Dri-eaz LCR 2400 #F246,
Dri-eaz Dri-Tec 150 #F212, Dri-eaz Dri-Tec Pro 150 #F323, Dri-eaz
Dri-Tec #F325, EBAC Orion 10270GR, EBAC Triton 11393GR, Phoenix
200 Max, Phoenix 300, Trailer Mounted Desiccant, Hydro-X, Vac-Pac,
Water Claw, Flood Pro, Tes, Water Out, and Dry Pro. Beneath the
"Dehumidifier Brand" selection list is a table of dehumidifiers
that have been already selected by the contractor. Of course, this
table will initially be blank.
[0125]Using the drop-down menu of the "Drying Chamber"
field, the contractor selects a drying chamber whereby the total
square feet and total cubic feet for that drying chamber are automatically
calculated and displayed in the "Total Square Feet" and
"Total Cubic Feet" fields, respectively, based on the
dimension data entered into the various fields of the "Room
Dimension" page (FIG. 13). In addition, the total pints of
water to be removed from the drying chamber are automatically calculated
and displayed in the "Total pints to be Removed" field,
as well as the "Pints Remaining" field. Preferably, the
total pints of water to be removed from the drying chamber is calculated
in accordance with the ANSI/IICRC S500-2006 standard, as is known
in the art.
[0126]Next, the contractor selects a dehumidifier that the contractor
has available for placement from the "Dehumidifier Brand"
list whereby the "AHAM rating" field is automatically
populated (in pints per day) based on data for the selected dehumidifier
retrieved from the claims database server 28. The contractor also
selects the type of dehumidifier from a drop-down menu of the "Dehumidifier
Type" field (typically "LGR"), and then selects the
"Add" button whereby the "Pints Remaining" decrements
by the AHAM rating for the selected dehumidifier. Selection of the
"Add" button also causes the selected dehumidifier data
to be stored in the claims database server 28. The table of dehumidifiers
at the bottom of the "Dehumidifiers" column is then automatically
populated with all the dehumidifiers stored in the claims database
server 28 for the selected drying chamber. It can be seen that the
table includes a "Delete" button for each selected dehumidifier
to enable a user to delete the dehumidifier from the list. The contractor
then repeats the dehumidifier selection process for the drying chamber
until the "Pints Remaining" field reads zero. It should
be understood that the contractor performs the above-described process
for every drying chamber.
[0127]The contractor then places the selected air movers and dehumidifiers
in the appropriate rooms and drying chambers (assuming, of course,
that the contractor has not already placed the selected equipment
throughout the equipment selection process). The contractor then
enters the date that the selected equipment was placed in the rooms
and drying chambers in the "Date Recorded" field and selects
the "Finalize" button. Selection of the "Finalize"
button causes the equipment selection data for that date to be automatically
populated into the "Equipment History" page (FIG. 15).
As can be seen, the "Equipment History" page displays
a chronological list of selected and placed restoration equipment
for each drying chamber. Each line on the list includes a "Delete"
button to enable the claim administrator to delete the restoration
equipment on that particular line. As will be described in greater
detail below, the contractor may add or remove restoration equipment
during the restoration process and enter this information on the
"Equipment Validation" page (FIG. 14). These changes will
be reflected on the "Equipment History" page.
[0128]Preferably, the contractor accesses the claims administration
web site 12 and selects the restoration equipment on the "Equipment
Validation" page while the contractor is at the insured property.
To do so, the contractor may use a handheld communication device
(e.g., PDA) or a laptop computer having Internet access capabilities.
Alternatively, in cases where the contractor does not have these
capabilities, the contractor may select the restoration equipment
on the "Equipment Validation" page using a computer located
at the contractor's shop. As another alternative, the contractor
may call the claims administrator while at the insured property
whereby the claims administrator selects the restoration equipment
on the "Equipment Validation" page based on input from
the contractor.
[0129]Finally, the contractor will preferably take digital photographs
of the selected restoration equipment standing alone and/or as placed
within the various rooms of the drying chambers for inclusion in
the claim file. Most preferably, the contractor uploads these digital
photographs to the claims administration web site 12 by accessing
the "Photos & Docs" page (FIG. 19) (as described above).
Monitor Contractor's Submission of Work Authorization and Initial
Inspection Data
[0130]Referring to FIG. 3A, at blocks 134 and 136, the contractor's
submission of the work authorization (block 130), documentation
of damage to the insured property (block 122), drying chamber data
(block 124), restoration equipment selections (block 132), initial
psychrometric data (block 126) and initial moisture content data
(block 128) is monitored so that one or more automated reminder
messages may be transmitted to the contractor if the contractor
has not submitted all or a portion of this information in a specified
period of time from dispatch of the contractor to the insured property
(block 114). Each reminder message is preferably a textual or audio
alert notifying the contractor of an obligation to submit this information.
These reminder messages may comprise either a voice message or a
text message transmitted to the contractors telephone, an e-mail
or instant message transmitted to the contractor's computer or handheld
communication device (e.g., PDA), or a combination of any of the
foregoing.
[0131]In the exemplary embodiment, as discussed above, the "Claim
Dates" page (FIG. 7) includes a "Shop Placement Date"
field that indicates the date and time that the contractor was dispatched
to the insured property. When the claims administrator enters a
date and time into this data input field, it triggers the monitoring
of the various data input fields on the "Room Dimension"
page (FIG. 13), the "Equipment Validation" page (FIG.
14), the "Daily Humidity" page (FIG. 16A), the "Moisture
Map" page (FIG. 17), the "Flooring Diagrams" page
(FIG. 18) and the "Photos & Docs" page (FIG. 19).
By monitoring these data input fields, it can be determined whether
the contractor has submitted the required information. If no data
has been entered into one or more of these data input fields within
a specified period of time from the "Shop Placement Date"
date and time, the application server retrieves a desired textual
script from the claims database server 28 (which stores a plurality
of textual scripts) and generates a .wav file based on the textual
script. An example of a textual script for this situation is provided
below: [0132][Contractor's name of business]--This is a CodeBlue
Alert! A signed work authorization, room dimensions, equipment validation,
psychrometric readings, moisture content readings, flooring diagram,
and photos have not been uploaded to the CodeBlue website for [claim
#] for [claimant's name] at [claimant's address]. If this information
is not uploaded to the CodeBlue website [required response time],
then this will affect your ranking and ability to receive future
claims! Please upload this information as soon as possible! Call
the CodeBlue Support Team at 715-555-5555 with any questions! Thank
you in advance for your prompt response to this notification!It
should be understood that the information in brackets is replaced
by the relevant data stored in the claims database server 28. The
application server then transmits the contractor's telephone number
and the .wav file to the notification server 32, which automatically
dials the telephone number through an interface with the public
telephone network and plays the .wav file so as to transmit a voice
message to the contractor (as described above).
[0133]In this embodiment, the voice message is transmitted to the
contractor if all of the required information has not been entered
into the various data input fields within 18 hours, 22 hours, and
24 hours from the "Shop Placement Date" date and time
(i.e., the voice message may be transmitted to the contractor up
to three different times). In these cases, the "[required response
time]" in the textual script comprises "within the next
6 hours" at the 18 hour point, "within the next 2 hours"
at the 22 hour point, and "immediately" at the 24 hour
point. Of course, it should be understood that other periods of
time could also be used in accordance with the invention (e.g.,
any period of time between 2 hours and 24 hours). Preferably, if
the period of time exceeds a maximum limit, the claims administrator
is notified by e-mail or another communication means so that the
claims administrator may contact the contractor directly to inquire
as to the contractor's submission of the required information.
Collect Daily Inspection Data
[0134]Referring to FIG. 3B, at block 138, after the restoration
equipment has been operating within the drying chambers of the insured
property for a period of time (e.g., a day), the contractor returns
to the insured property for the purpose of collecting daily psychrometric
data and daily moisture content data. In addition, the contractor
analyzes the restoration equipment operating within the drying chambers
and makes any necessary changes to the equipment configuration.
[0135]In the exemplary embodiment, the contractor accesses the
claims administration web site 12 and navigates to the "Daily
Humidity" page (FIGS. 16A-16D) to enter the daily psychrometric
data and then navigates to the "Moisture Map" page (FIG.
17) to enter the daily moisture content data. It should be understood
that the process of entering the daily psychrometric data in the
data input fields of the "Daily Humidity" page is the
same as the process described above for the entry of the initial
psychrometric data. Similarly, the process of entering the daily
moisture content data in the data input fields of the "Moisture
Map" page is the same as the process described above for the
entry of the initial moisture content data.
[0136]Next, the contractor navigates to the "Equipment Validation"
page (FIG. 14) and selects a drying chamber from the drop-down menu
of the "Drying Chamber" field. If there are no changes
to the restoration equipment for that drying chamber, the contractor
selects the "Finalize" button whereby the equipment selection
data for that date is automatically populated into the "Equipment
History" page (FIG. 15). If the contractor has added any restoration
equipment within the drying chamber, the contractor adds such equipment
via the "Add" selection buttons (as described above).
On the other hand, if the contractor has removed any restoration
equipment from the drying chamber, the contractor deletes such equipment
via the "Delete" selection buttons (as described above).
The contractor then selects the "Finalize" button whereby
the equipment selection data for that date is automatically populated
into the "Equipment History" page. It should be understood
that this process is repeated for each of the drying chambers within
the insured property.
[0137]Finally, the contractor may find it desirable to take one
or more photographs to further document the restoration process.
If so, the contractor will navigate to the "Photos & Docs"
page (FIG. 19) and upload the photographs to the claims administration
web site 12 (as described above). It should be noted that the photographs
may comprise digital photographs of the damaged property, thermal
imaging photographs showing the relative moisture content in various
damaged structural materials, or even digital photographs showing
various temperature, relative humidity, and moisture content readings
on the thermometer, relative humidity meter and moisture meter,
respectively.
Monitor Contractor's Submission of Daily Inspection Data
[0138]Referring to FIG. 3B, at blocks 140 and 142, the contractor's
submission of the daily psychrometric and moisture content data
and validation of the restoration equipment operating within the
drying chambers (block 138) is monitored so that one or more automated
reminder messages may be transmitted to the contractor if the contractor
has not submitted all or a portion of this information by a specified
time deadline. Each reminder message is preferably a textual or
audio alert notifying the contractor of an obligation to submit
this information. These reminder messages may comprise either a
voice message or a text message transmitted to the contractor's
telephone, an e-mail or instant message transmitted to the contractor's
computer or handheld communication device (e.g., PDA), or a combination
of any of the foregoing.
[0139]In the exemplary embodiment, various data input fields on
the "Equipment Validation" page (FIG. 14), the "Daily
Humidity" page (FIG. 16A), and the "Moisture Map"
page (FIG. 17) are monitored to determine whether the contractor
has submitted the required information. If no data has been entered
into one or more of these data input fields by a specified time
deadline, the application server retrieves a desired textual script
from the claims database server 28 (which stores a plurality of
textual scripts) and generates a .wav file based on the textual
script. An example of a textual script for this situation is provided
below: [0140][Contractor's name of business]--This is a CodeBlue
Alert! The following information should be uploaded to the CodeBlue
website before the end of the day each day until mitigation is complete
for [claim #] for [claimant's name] at [claimant's address]: equipment
validation showing any equipment added or removed from the loss
site, psychrometric readings, moisture content readings, and any
additional photos or notes regarding the status of this claim. If
this information is not uploaded daily it will affect your ranking
and ability to receive future claims. Call the CodeBlue Support
Team at 715-555-5555 with any questions. Thank you in advance for
your prompt response to this notification!It should be understood
that the information in brackets is replaced by the relevant data
stored in the claims database server 28. The application server
then transmits the contractor's telephone number and the .wav file
to the notification server 32, which automatically dials the telephone
number through an interface with the public telephone network and
plays the .wav file so as to transmit a voice message to the contractor
(as described above).
[0141]In this embodiment, the voice message is transmitted to the
contractor if all of the required information for the current day
has not been entered into the various data input fields by 3:00
p.m. Then, the voice message is transmitted to the contractor again
if all of the required information for the current day has not been
entered into the various data input fields by 5:00 p.m. (i.e., close
of business day). Of course, it should be understood that other
time deadlines could also be used in accordance with the invention.
Preferably, if the required information has not been entered by
a specified date and time, the claims administrator is notified
by e-mail or another communication means so that the claims administrator
may contact the contractor directly to inquire as to the contractor's
submission of the required information.
Evaluate Drying Condition Indicators
[0142]Referring to FIG. 3B, at block 144, the contractor, the claims
administrator and/or the insurance carrier (i.e., a user) are able
to evaluate "drying condition indicators" to determine
whether the drying chamber presents an acceptable drying environment.
In the exemplary embodiment, these drying condition indicators comprise
the various graphs shown on the "Daily Humidity" page,
as shown on FIGS. 16B-16D. As discussed above, these graphs comprise
a "Daily Humidity Graph" (FIG. 16B), a "GD Graph"
(FIG. 16C) and a "Temperature Graph" (FIG. 16D) that plot
the specific humidity, grain depression and temperature data in
relation to the inspection dates for various inspection locations.
The "GD Graph," of course, only includes data for the
dehumidifiers and HVAC system. It can be seen that these graphs
provide a visual representation of the list of inspection data shown
on the bottom of FIG. 16A.
[0143]For example, in viewing the "Daily Humidity Graph,"
the specific humidity values within a drying chamber should preferably
decrease at a certain rate. If the specific humidity values are
not decreasing as rapidly as expected, it may be caused by high
specific humidity outside of the insured property. Displaying the
specific humidity values for multiple inspection locations on the
same graph allows a user to easily make this determination. Of course,
if the specific humidity values outside of the insured property
are not high, then the user may determine that the drying chamber
does not present an acceptable drying environment. In this case,
the restoration equipment within the drying chamber may be adjusted
to correct this problem.
[0144]As another example, viewing the "GD Graph" allows
a user to easily determine that a dehumidifier is not functioning
properly (i.e., has a high grain depression value). When viewed
in conjunction with the "Temperature Graph," however,
the user may spot an ambient temperature increase that accounts
for the high grain depression value. As yet another example, viewing
the "Temperature Graph" allows a user to easily spot high
temperature values within an unaffected area of an insured property
(i.e., outside the drying chamber). If so, the user may contact
the claimant to determine if the claimant prefers to stay in a hotel
during the restoration process.
[0145]Thus, the "Daily Humidity Graph," the "GD
Graph," and the "Temperature Graph" may be used to
determine whether a drying chamber presents an acceptable drying
environment, as well as to assess the functionality of the restoration
equipment and the living conditions within the insured property.
Of course, one skilled in the art will appreciate that these graphs
may be used for other purposes as well.
Determine Whether Damaged Property Has Been Restored to a Pre-Loss
Condition and Print Certificate of Restoration
[0146]Referring to FIG. 3B, at block 146 and 148, the contractor
makes a determination as to whether the damaged property has been
restored to a pre-loss condition. To do so, the contractor accesses
the "Moisture Map" page (FIG. 17) and compares the moisture
content reading for each of the affected locations to the corresponding
target value. If the moisture content readings for the affected
locations have not reached their target values, then the restoration
equipment is kept in place and the process of blocks 138-146 is
repeated the next day. Of course, if some (but not all) of the moisture
content readings for the affected locations have reached their target
values, then the contractor may decide to remove certain restoration
equipment from a particular drying chamber. This equipment change
will be reflected on the "Equipment Validation" page (FIG.
14) (as discussed above).
[0147]However, if all of the moisture content readings for all
of the affected locations have reached their target values, then
the damaged property is considered to be restored to its pre-loss
condition. At that point, the contractor selects the "Preloss
Conditions Certificate" button on the "Moisture Map"
page (FIG. 17) whereby the final moisture content readings and corresponding
target values are automatically populated into a "Certificate
of Returned to Pre-Loss Moisture Content Conditions" form located
on the "Claim Forms" page (FIG. 12). The contractor then
navigates to the "Claim Forms" page and selects the "Certificate
of Returned to Pre-Loss Moisture Content Conditions" form from
the drop-down menu and then selects the "Print" button
to print the form. Preferably, the contractor is able to print the
form on-site via either a handheld communication device (e.g., PDA)
or a laptop computer connected to a printer. Alternatively, the
contractor may print the form at the contractor's office at a later
time. Regardless of when the contractor prints the form, the contractor
and the claimant both sign and date the "Certificate of Returned
to Pre-Loss Moisture Content Conditions" form to thereby certify
that the damaged property has been restored to its pre-loss condition.
Finally, the contractor uploads the signed "Certificate of
Returned to Pre-Loss Moisture Content Conditions" form to the
claims administration web site 12 by accessing the "Photos
& Docs" page (FIG. 19) (as described above).
[0148]Preferably, the contractor takes digital and/or thermal imaging
photographs sufficient to show that the damaged property has been
restored it its pre-loss condition. These photographs may comprise
digital photographs of the "restored" property, thermal
imaging photographs showing the relative moisture content in the
"restored" structural materials, and digital photographs
showing the final moisture content readings on the moisture meter.
The contractor will then navigate to the "Photos & Docs"
page and upload the photographs to the claims administration web
site 12 (as described above) so that they become part of an "evidence
file" of the claim (along with the signed "Certificate
of Returned to Pre-Loss Moisture Content Conditions"). It can
be appreciated that this "evidence file" may be used at
a later time should the claimant (or another third party) attempt
to argue that the damaged property was not sufficiently restored
it its pre-loss condition.
[0149]Finally, it should be noted that the selection of the "Preloss
Conditions Certificate" button on the "Moisture Map"
page (FIG. 17) causes the "Date Completed" field of the
"Claim Dates" page (FIG. 7) to be automatically populated
with the current date and time (i.e., the date and time that the
"Preloss Conditions Certificate" button was selected).
Monitor Contractor's Submission of Final Documentation
[0150]Referring to FIG. 3B, at blocks 150 and 152, the contractor's
submission of final documentation is monitored so that one or more
automated reminder messages may be transmitted to the contractor
if the contractor has not submitted all or a portion of the final
documentation within a specified period of time from completion
of the restoration services. This final documentation may comprise
a variety of different documents, such as a signed "Certificate
of Returned to Pre-Loss Moisture Content Conditions" (discussed
above), a signed "Certification of Completion and Satisfaction
of Emergency Services" and/or "Certificate of Completion
and Satisfaction of Reconstruction Services" (which are other
forms on the "Claim Forms" page (FIG. 12)), and a final
invoice for the restoration services. Each reminder message is preferably
a textual or audio alert notifying the contractor of his obligation
to submit final documentation on the claim. This reminder messages
may comprise either a voice message or a text message transmitted
to the contractor's telephone, an e-mail or instant message transmitted
to the contractor's computer or handheld communication device (e.g.,
PDA), or a combination of any of the foregoing.
[0151]In the exemplary embodiment, the "Date Completed"
field of the "Claim Dates" page (FIG. 7) is monitored
and an automated reminder message is immediately transmitted to
the contractor upon completion of the restoration services. To do
so, the application server retrieves a desired textual script from
the claims database server 28 (which stores a plurality of textual
scripts) and generates a .wav file based on the textual script.
An example of a textual script for this Situation is provided below:
[0152][Contractor's name of business]--This is a CodeBlue Alert!
Regarding [claim #] for [claimant's name] at [claimant's address],
your CodeBlue Emergency Services Invoice is due within 12 hours
of completion of mitigation. All affected materials must be returned
to pre-loss conditions and a signed Certificate of Returned to Pre-Loss
Moisture Content Conditions and a signed Certificate of Completion/Satisfaction
should be uploaded with your Emergency Services Invoice to the CodeBlue
website as soon as possible. If these are not uploaded within the
next 12 hours then it will affect your ranking and ability to receive
future claims. Call the CodeBlue Support Team at 715-555-55555 with
any questions. Thank you in advance for your prompt response to
this notification!It should be understood that the information in
brackets is replaced by the relevant data stored in the claims database
server 28. The application server then transmits the contractor's
telephone number and the .wav file to the notification server 32,
which automatically dials the telephone number through an interface
with the public telephone network and plays the .wav file so as
to transmit a voice message to the contractor (as described above).
[0153]If the contractor has not submitted all or a portion of the
final documentation within a specified period of time from the "Date
Completed" field date and time (as determined by monitoring
the "Description" field on the "Photos & Docs"
page for specific terms), the application server retrieves another
textual script from the claims database server 28 (which stores
a plurality of textual scripts) and generates a .wav file based
on the textual script. An example of a textual script for this situation
is provided below: [0154][Contractor's name of business]--This is
a CodeBlue Alert! Regarding [claim #] for [claimant's name] at [claimant's
address], the CodeBlue Emergency Services Invoice, a signed Certificate
of Returned to Pre-Loss Moisture Content Conditions and a signed
Certificate of Completion/Satisfaction must be uploaded to the CodeBlue
website as soon as possible or it will affect your ranking and ability
to receive future claims. Call the CodeBlue Support Team at 715-555-5555
with any questions. Thank you in advance for your prompt response
to this notification!It should be understood that the information
in brackets is replaced by the relevant data stored in the claims
database server 28. The application server then transmits the contractor's
telephone number and the .wav file to the notification server 32,
which automatically dials the telephone number through an interface
with the public telephone network and plays the .wav file so as
to transmit a voice message to the contractor (as described above).
[0155]In this embodiment, the voice message is transmitted to the
contractor if all of the final documentation has not been submitted
within 12 hours from the "Date Completed" field date and
time. Of course, it should be understood that other periods of time
could also be used in accordance with the invention (e.g., any period
of time up to 24 hours). Optionally, additional voice message could
be transmitted to the contractor wherein each subsequent voice message
provides escalating urgency to the contractor. Preferably, if the
period of time exceeds a maximum limit, the claims administrator
is notified by e-mail or another communication means so that the
claims administrator may contact the contractor directly to inquire
as to the contractor's submission of the final documentation.
[0156]Preferably, each time an automated reminder message is transmitted
to the contractor (as described above with respect to various types
of messages), information relating to the message (e.g., the contractor
name, the contractor's time zone, the contractor's telephone number,
the contractor's e-mail address, the textual script of the message,
and the status of the message) is stored in the claims database
server 28 and automatically populated to an "Alerts History"
page (not shown). It should be understood that various other types
of messages may be transmitted to the contractor based on any desired
"start" dates and times and "stop" dates and
times. It Should also be understood that the transmission of the
various messages may be triggered by other types of indicators and
need not be based on any particular dates and times. One skilled
in the art will appreciate that the automated reminder system described
herein provides a means to monitor the performance of hundreds or
thousands of contractors with little or no involvement on the part
of the claims administrator during the restoration process.
Obtain Claimant Survey
[0157]Referring to FIG. 3B, at block 154, after the restoration
services have been completed, the claims administrator provides
the claimant with a survey for the purpose of obtaining the claimant's
satisfaction with the claims administrator, the contractor, and
the overall restoration and claims process. In the exemplary embodiment,
the claims administrator transmits an e-mail to the claimant with
a hyperlink to a "Survey" page (FIGS. 21A and 21B) of
the claims administration web site 12. The "Survey" page
displays a series of seven questions to be answered or completed
by the claimant. Specifically, question 1 asks the claimant to rate
his satisfaction with the claims administrator, questions 2-5 ask
the claimant to rate his satisfaction with various aspects of the
contractor's performance, question 6 asks the claimant to rate his
satisfaction with the overall restoration and claims process, and
question 7 allows the claimant to provide general comments about
the process. Below each question are options labeled "a. Extremely
Satisfied," "b. Very Satisfied," "c. Satisfied,"
"d. Unsatisfied," and "e. Very Unsatisfied."
Each option (a-e) includes a selection button that allows the claimant
to select one of the available options. A text input field below
question 7 allows the claimant to enter text comments as described
above.
[0158]Upon completion of the survey, the claimant selects the "Save"
button whereby the survey data is stored in the claims database
server 28. As described above, information received from claimant
surveys may be considered as a factor in determining the ranking
of a contractor. Upon storing the survey data in the database, the
completed survey is displayed on the "Survey" page as
shown on FIG. 21C (in which the seven questions are presented along
with the claimant's selected ratings and comments). The "Survey"
page of FIG. 21C is "read-only" such that a user may not
modify the survey data displayed on the page.
[0159]It should be understood that the survey could be provided
to the claimant in other forms. For example, the contractor could
provide a hard copy of the survey to the claimant upon completion
of the restoration services. Also, the claims administrator could
mail a hard copy of the survey to the claimant. In either case,
upon completion of the survey, the claimant would mail a hard copy
of the completed survey to the claims administrator who would manually
enter the survey data into the "Survey" page. In addition,
the claimant could return the survey answers in the e-mail itself
(i.e., the e-mail with the hyperlink to the "Survey" page).
[0160]Throughout the entire process described above with respect
to blocks 112-154, the claims administrator preferably enters detailed
notes related to the processing of the insurance claim. The notes
entered and stored may include reminders of tasks to be completed,
comments on various aspects of the claim processing, or any other
information that relates to the claim. The entered notes are stored
in the claims database server 28 and are automatically populated
into a notes list so as to provide a detailed diary of the claim.
In addition, the entered notes may be emailed to a desired recipient.
[0161]In the exemplary embodiment, the "Notes" page (FIG.
20) includes data input fields titled "To," "From,"
"Attachment" and "Standard Notes," with a large
text entry field positioned under the "Standard Notes"
field. Selection buttons labeled "Browse" and "Insert
Note" are positioned next to the "Attachment" and
"Standard Notes" fields, respectively, with selection
buttons labeled "Send Email" and "Add Note"
positioned under the large text entry field. Checkboxes labeled
"Contractor," "Client," "Policyholder,"
and "Confidential" are positioned along the side and at
the bottom of the large text entry field.
[0162]Using the "Notes" page, the claims administrator
enters the text for the desired note into the large text entry field.
Text can be directly entered into the field, or, the claims administrator
can use the drop-down menu of the "Standard Notes" field
to select from numerous canned or boilerplate notes. Selecting a
boilerplate note from the drop-down menu and selecting the associated
"Insert Note" button populates the large text entry field
with the boilerplate note. The claims administrator can then edit
the boilerplate note as desired. The claims administrator can also
attach a file to a note by using the "Attachment" field
and associated "Browse" button to locate and attach a
file from their local computer. The "Contractor," "Client,"
and "Policyholder" checkboxes allow the claims administrator
to select which users will be able to view the note once it has
been entered into the claims database server 28. The "Confidential"
checkbox allows the claims administrator to indicate that the note
is proprietary to the claims administrator. Of course, selecting
the "Confidential" checkbox automatically unchecks the
"Contractor," "Client," and "Policyholder"
checkboxes.
[0163]With a note entered in the large text entry field and any
files optionally attached, the claims administrator selects the
"Add Note" button whereby the note is stored within the
claims database server 28. The note is also automatically populated
to the notes list at the bottom of the page, along with a date and
time stamp of when the entry was made and a record of who made the
entry. The "File" column of the notes list indicates any
files attached to the note (as described above). It can be seen
that each line of the notes list includes an "Edit" button
that allows the claims administrator to edit information on that
line.
[0164]In addition to storing a note, the claims administrator can
also email the note using the "To" and "From"
fields and selection of the "Send Email" button. After
entering the desired text in the large text entry field and attaching
any files, as described above, the claims administrator enters the
email address of a desired recipient(s) in the "To" field
and enters his own email address in the "From" field (so
that the recipient can identify the sender). Selection of the "Send
Email" button (instead of the "Add Note" button)
causes the note and any attached files to be e-mailed to the recipient(s),
and, causes the note to be stored in the claims database server
28 and populated to the notes list at the bottom of the page. In
the case of the claims administrator using the "Email"
button instead of the "Add Note," the email addresses
of the recipient(s) and the sender are appended to the text displayed
in the "Note" column of the notes list. Thus, the text
displayed indicates that the note was also sent as an email.
System Configuration of Salvage Management Web Site
[0165]Referring to FIG. 22, an exemplary system for managing the
sale of items salvaged from insured properties in accordance with
the present invention is shown generally as reference numeral 210.
The system 210 includes a salvage management web site 222 (similar
to the claims administration web site 12) that is operated by a
claims administrator 214 responsible for managing the salvage of
damaged contents associated with numerous insurance claims (preferably
the same entity as the claims administrator 14 discussed above).
The site 212 is accessible by a plurality of different users via
the Internet, although other communication networks known in the
art could also be used.
[0166]Users of the salvage management web site 222 generally include
the claims administrator 214 (i.e., the operator of the site who
is responsible for the management and sale of salvage items), a
plurality of buyers 216 (i.e., the purchasers of salvage items),
a plurality of insurance carriers 218 (i.e., the issuers of insurance
policies covering the salvage items), and a plurality of contractors
220 (i.e., vendors and/or shops responsible for handling the salvage
items and/or performing all or part of the restoration services
at the insured properties, as described above). Of course, it should
be understood that each of these users may include a plurality of
individual users. These users are exemplary of the users involved
in the management and sale of salvage items associated with a typical
insurance claim. Of course, it should be understood that the management
and sale of a particular salvage item may not involve all of these
users or may involve users other than those depicted in FIG. 22.
[0167]The salvage management web site 212 includes a server system
222 comprising a web server 224 coupled to an application server
226. The web server 224 is connected to the Internet and includes
a user interface that presents web pages to the users, and, includes
functionality for the users to submit data into various data input
fields displayed on the web pages (which will be described in greater
detail below). It should be understood that while one application
sever is depicted in FIG. 22, additional application servers may
be used depending on the number of users accessing the site 212.
[0168]The application server 226 runs a salvage management software
application (shown in phantom lines) that provides capabilities
for managing the collection and sale of salvage items. In this embodiment,
the salvage management software application comprises a single computer
program written in the Visual Studio C#.net programming language.
Of course, a suite of computer programs and/or other programming
languages could also be used. One skilled in the art will appreciate
that users are able to utilize the capabilities of the salvage management
software application via the user interface of the web server 224.
[0169]The application server 226 is coupled to a salvage database
server 228, which stores salvage data for a plurality of salvage
items associated with a plurality of insurance claims. Preferably,
the salvage data for each insurance claim is stored in the salvage
database server 228 in association with a claim identifier that
is unique to that insurance claim. In addition, the salvage data
for each salvage item is preferably stored in the salvage database
server 228 in association with an item identifier that is unique
to that salvage item. A variety of different types of salvage data
may be stored for each salvage item of each insurance claim, including
data related to the type and condition of the salvage item, data
related to the physical location of the salvage item, data related
to the contractor assigned to handle the salvage item, data related
to the insurance carrier responsible for insuring the salvage item,
data related to the posting and sale of the salvage item, and data
related to a buyer of the salvage item. It should be understood
that the server system 222 controls the storage of the various salvage
data in the salvage database server 228.
[0170]The salvage database server 228 also stores data related
to various users of the site 212, including contractors available
to collect, handle, store and ship/deliver the salvage items. As
described above, the contractors are preferably required to submit
detailed information about their services and capabilities in order
to become a member of the "restoration contractor network"
(including their availability to provide salvage item services in
particular zip codes). All of this detailed information is stored
in the salvage database server 228 and is used to select the appropriate
contractor for a particular salvage claim, as will be described
in greater detail below. It should be noted that the contractor
data stored in the salvage database server 228 is substantially
similar to the contractor data stored in the claims database server
28 (described above), although there may be slight differences due
to the fact that some contractors may provide salvage services (but
not mitigation/restoration services) and some contractors may provide
mitigation/restoration services (but not salvage services).
[0171]In this embodiment, the web server 224, the application server
226, and the salvage database server 228 are all co-located in the
same geographic location. It should be understood, however, that
one or more of these servers could be located in a different geographic
location with appropriate connections to the other servers.
Methodology of Managing the Sale of Salvage Items
[0172]An exemplary method for managing the sale of salvage items
in connection with the management of an insurance claim in accordance
with the present invention will now be described with reference
to blocks 310-328 of the process flow diagram shown in FIG. 23.
It should be noted that a brief description of the entire salvage
process will now be provided, followed by a more detailed description
with further reference to the various forms and web pages presented
by the salvage management site 212.
[0173]Looking to block 310 of FIG. 23, the salvage process begins
with the submission of a salvage claim (i.e., a list of salvage
items) to the claims administrator. The salvage claim will typically
be submitted by either an insurance carrier or a contractor already
assigned to provide mitigation and/or restoration services at an
insured property (as described above). The claims administrator
enters the salvage items into the salvage database server 228, and,
at block 312, the claims administrator assigns a contractor to the
salvage claim (if not already assigned). The contractor is preferably
a member of the "restoration contractor network" (as described
above) and is assigned to the salvage claim based on the zip code
in which the salvage items are located and the ranking of the contractor
(as will be described below).
[0174]At block 314, the assigned contractor retrieves the salvage
items from the insured property, cleans the items (if necessary),
captures detailed information about the salvage items, and provides
the detailed information to the claims administrator at block 316.
The detailed information about each salvage item is further entered
into the salvage database server 228. At block 318, the contractor
stores the salvage items at the contractor's warehouse, shop, or
other storage facility. At block 320, after reviewing the detailed
information provided by the contractor and entering it into the
salvage database server 228, the claims administrator posts the
salvage items for sale through one or more sales venues, such as
online auction sites and classified listings.
[0175]At block 322, the claims administrator monitors the sales
postings to determine if any of the salvage items have been sold.
If a salvage item has been sold, at block 324 the claims administrator
terminates the "for-sale" postings and listings for that
particular salvage item, and collects payment (including applicable
taxes) for the salvage item from the buyer. At block 326, the claims
administrator arranges delivery or pickup of the salvage item from
the storage facility. At block 328, the claims administrator disburses
a portion of the proceeds of the sale to the contractor and the
insurance carrier, with the claims administrator maintaining records
of the various payments for tax purposes.
[0176]Looking in more detail at block 310, in a first exemplary
method, an insurance carrier receives a list of items for salvage
from a claimant (i.e., policyholder) in relation to a loss suffered
at an insured property. Using an "Insurance Submission Form"
provided by the claims administrator, as shown in FIG. 24, the insurance
carrier enters information about the salvage items based upon a
description provided by the claimant, or in some cases, based upon
a first-hand description of the salvage items provided by the insurance
carrier's own insurance adjuster. Using the "Insurance Submission
Form" as shown in FIG. 24, the insurance carrier enters a description
of each salvage item, provides information about the location of
the salvage items, and enters information related to the insurance
policy covering the salvage items.
[0177]As seen in FIG. 24, the "Insurance Submission Form"
includes fields for entering a description of a salvage item, the
quantity of the item, an estimated replacement cost value (RCV)
of the item, an estimated actual cash value (ACV) of the item, the
original purchase price of the item (if known), and any comments
or special instructions regarding the item (for example, noting
damage to the item). The insurance carrier enters information for
each salvage item into the appropriate fields of the form, if that
information is known. For instance, the insurance carrier may not
have information regarding the original purchase price of the salvage
item if that information was not provided by the claimant. Also,
the insurance carrier will typically choose to enter a value for
only one of the RCV or ACV fields, but not both. The "Insurance
Submission Form" also includes fields for attaching digital
photographs or electronic documents related to the salvage item.
In cases where the form will be submitted to the claims administrator
electronically, the insurance carrier can attach the photographs
or documents by selecting the "Attach Photo" button and
selecting a file to attach to one of the photo fields.
[0178]The "Insurance Submission Form" also includes fields
for entering the name, address and contact information for either
a claimant or a contractor (depending upon who has physical possession
of the salvage items). In most cases, the salvage items will be
located at the insured property site, in which case the insurance
carrier would provide the claimant's name, address and contact information
in the "Pickup from Insured" fields. In other cases, as
will be described in greater detail below, a contractor may have
already retrieved and warehoused the salvage items, in which case
the contractor's name, address and contact information would be
provided in the "Pickup from Contractor" fields. The form
also includes fields for the insurance carrier to provide information
related to the insurance carrier's claim number, the date of loss,
the name of the claimant, the name of the adjuster assigned to the
claim, and the date that the salvage items will be available for
pickup by a contractor.
[0179]Upon completion of the "Insurance Submission Form,"
the insurance carrier submits the form to the claims administrator.
The form may be submitted to the claims administrator in hard copy
form via hand delivery, mail or facsimile, or electronically via
e-mail or web site upload. Preferably, the form is submitted to
the claims administrator electronically, and most preferably the
form is uploaded to the salvage management web site 212. In cases
where the form is submitted to the claims administrator in hard
copy form, any attached files (as described above) would of course
not be included.
[0180]Upon receipt of a completed "Insurance Submission Form,"
the claims administrator reviews the information for completeness.
In cases where the form is received in a hard copy form, the claims
administrator accesses the "Create Claim" web page as
shown in FIG. 25. Access to this web page requires the claims administrator
to log into the salvage management web site 212 using a user identifier
and password (in a manner similar to that described above with respect
to the claims administration web site 12). At the "Create Claim"
page, the claims administrator enters insurance carrier and adjuster
information for the salvage claim using drop-down menus populated
with the names of existing clients (i.e., insurance carrier). The
claims administrator then selects the "Create Claim" button
whereby the salvage claim is assigned an identification number in
the salvage database server 228 and the "Claim Information"
page shown in FIG. 26 is presented.
[0181]The "Claim Information" page includes data entry
fields mirroring those on the "Insurance Submission Form"
(as described above), including fields for entering the policyholder's
(i.e., claimant's) first name and last name, the insurance carrier's
name (via a drop-down menu), a claim number, and a policy number.
The bottom half of the page includes fields for entering detailed
information about each salvage item, including product name, product
model number, description, category 1, category 2, manufacturer,
manufacturer's website, available date, product condition, product
quantity, and weight. The category 1 and category 2 fields include
drop-down menus populated with common categories or classifications
of goods (such as "home and garden" and "furniture").
The page further includes a field for inserting or uploading a product
image file (such as a digital photograph) with a corresponding field
for entering a description of that image. Using the "Insurance
Submission Form" provided by the insurance carrier, the claims
administrator enters the information about each salvage item into
the data input field on the "Claim Information" page.
If specific information is not known, those fields are either left
blank or the claims administrator can contact the insurance carrier
or claimant for further information about the item. The claims administrator
then selects the "Submit" button whereby all of the data
for each salvage item is stored in the salvage database server 228.
[0182]In cases where the "Insurance Submission Form"
is received by the claims administrator in an electronic format,
the claims administrator accesses the form and transfers the information
from the form to the corresponding fields on the "Claim Information"
page (either by manual typing or by cutting/pasting), and the saves
each item to the salvage database server 228 by selecting the "Submit"
button (as described above). Preferably, the salvage management
software application is operable to automatically transfer data
from the fields on the "Insurance Submission Form" to
corresponding fields in the salvage database server 228 using data
transfer techniques known in the art. For example, the automatic
transfer of data may include parsing the data to separate the information
into multiple fields as required. Most preferably, the salvage management
software application is operable to automatically detect that an
"Insurance Submission Form" has been uploaded or otherwise
transmitted to the salvage management web site 212 or transmitted
to the claims administrator via email, and automatically transfers
the data from the form to the salvage database server 228.
[0183]With the initial information on the salvage items entered
into the salvage database server 228, at block 312, the claims administrator
selects a contractor to handle the salvage claim in a manner similar
to that described above with respect to the selection of a contractor
for the performance of mitigation/restoration services. Preferably,
the claims administrator selects a contractor from within the "restoration
contractor network" (as described above) who is available to
provide salvage services within the zip code in which the salvage
items are located and who has a suitable ranking, as based on a
plurality of weighted factors. Some of these factors relate to the
contractor's capabilities regardless of past performance, including:
(1) the coverage area of the contractor; (2) the contractor's number
of employees; (3) the contractor's number of vehicles; and (4) the
contractor's hours of operation. Other factors relate to the past
performance of the contractor in providing salvage services, including:
(1) information received on the contractor from claimant surveys;
(2) the average time from assignment to customer contact; (3) the
average time from assignment to item pickup; (4) the average time
for the contractor to return required documentation; (5) the quality
of the contractor's documentation; (6) the attitude or ease of use
of the contractor; and (7) the contractor's availability to provide
delivery services. Of course, one skilled in the art will appreciate
that other factors could also be considered in accordance with the
invention.
[0184]Upon selection of a contractor, the claims administrator
transmits a copy of the "Insurance Submission Form" to
the contractor via facsimile, e-mail, or other delivery method.
Then, at block 314, the contractor travels to the insured property
site and retrieves the salvage items listed on the form. For each
salvage item, the contractor cleans the item (if necessary) and
obtains additional documentation on the item, such as taking additional
digital photographs of the item and providing detailed information
on the condition of the item.
[0185]Looking to FIG. 28, the "Contractor Assignment Form"
is used by the contractor to enter detailed information about the
salvage items in a manner similar to that described above with respect
to the "Insurance Submission Form." Specifically, it can
be seen that the "Contractor Assignment Form" includes
sections for the entry of contractor contact information, item pickup
information, various date and time information, contractor shipping
and viewing information, contractor delivery information, and detailed
item information for each salvage item.
[0186]The contractor contact information section includes fields
for the entry of the contractor's business name, the name of a contact
person at the contractor's office, an office phone number, and a
cell phone number. The item pickup section includes fields for the
entry of specific information about where to pickup the salvage
item, including a contact name, address, phone number, and any special
pickup instructions. While the salvage items are typically located
at the insured property, the item pickup information allows the
contractor to enter specific pickup information obtained directly
from the claimant or property owner.
[0187]The date and time section includes fields for the entry of
the first notification of availability of the item (i.e., dispatch
date and time), when the contractor contacted the claimant to arrange
pickup of the item (i.e., contact date and time), the scheduled
date and time for the contractor to pickup the item (i.e., scheduled
pickup date and time), the actual date and time that the contractor
picked up the item (i.e., actual pickup date and time), when the
contractor placed the item in his storage facility (i.e., inventory
date and time), and when an item was returned to the claimant upon
his decision to keep the item (i.e., returned date and time).
[0188]The "Shipping Info" field allows the contractor
to enter information about shipping methods that he can provide
(e.g., truck delivery, pick-up at warehouse only, etc.). The "Viewing
Info" field allows the contractor to enter information about
when the salvage item will be available for viewing or inspection
at the contractor's storage facility.
[0189]The "Contractor Delivery Parameters" field allows
the contractor to enter any special requirements or restrictions
on the delivery of the salvage item, such as item weight limits
or delivery distance limits.
[0190]The detailed item information section includes fields for
entry of an item identifying number, the quantity of an item, a
general item description, and any comments or special instructions
about the item. Additional fields allow entry of even more detailed
information, including the brand, model number, serial number, age,
dimensions, capacity, weight, material, color, and condition of
the item. Of course, not every field is applicable to every item,
those in applicable fields are left blank. The "Features/Accessories"
field allows the contractor to identify any special features for
an item and/or note any accessories included with the item. The
"Description" field allows the contractor to provide any
other additional description of the item. The "Photos"
field allows the contractor to attach any digital photographs of
the item.
[0191]Not every field of the "Contractor Assignment Form"
will be applicable to every salvage item, in which case the contractor
will typically leave those fields blank. Likewise, in some cases,
the contractor may simply choose not to provide information for
a particular field. The primary purpose of the "Contractor
Assignment Form" is to obtain detailed information about the
salvage item and the availability of that item so that the item
can be properly identified to potential buyers and properly priced
by the claim administrator. It is not required that the contractor
enter information in every field of the form for every salvage item.
[0192]At block 316, the contractor submits the detailed item information
for all of the salvage items to the claims administrator using the
"Contractor Assignment Form." As with the "Insurance
Submission Form," the "Contractor Assignment Form"
may be submitted to the claims administrator in hard copy form via
hand delivery, mail or facsimile, or electronically via e-mail or
web site upload. Preferably, the form is submitted to the claims
administrator electronically, and most preferably the form is uploaded
to the salvage management web site 212. In cases where the form
is submitted to the claims administrator in hard copy form, any
attached files (as described above) would oi course not be included.
[0193]Upon receipt of the "Contractor Assignment Form,"
the claims administrator enters the detailed item information into
the salvage database server 228 (as described above), either adding
new information or updating existing information as appropriate.
Preferably, the salvage management software application is operable
to automatically transfer data from the fields on the "Contractor
Assignment Form" to corresponding fields in the salvage database
server 228 using data transfer techniques known in the art. For
example, the automatic transfer of data may include parsing the
data to separate the information into multiple fields as required.
Most preferably, the salvage management software application is
operable to automatically detect that a "Contractor Assignment
Form" has been uploaded or otherwise transmitted to the salvage
management web site 212 or transmitted to the claims administrator
via email, and automatically transfers the data from the form to
the salvage database server 228.
[0194]At block 318, upon completion of documentation of the salvage
items, the contractor transports the items from the insured property
site to a storage facility, such as a warehouse or shop maintained
by the contractor. Of course, in some cases, a contractor may already
be assigned to an insured property (e.g., if the contractor previously
performed mitigation/restoration services at the insured property)
and may receive the salvage items directly from the claimant without
having received a copy of an "Insurance Submission Form."
In those cases, the contractor may use the "Contractor Assignment
Form" to record initial and detailed information about the
salvage items and submit the "Contractor Assignment Form"
to the claims administrator. In that case, the "Contractor
Assignment Form" would be processed by the claims administrator
in a manner similar to that described for the "Insurance Submission
Form." In other cases, either the contractor or the insurance
carrier may, instead of using the forms as described, directly enter
data into the "Claim Information" page of FIG. 26 by accessing
the salvage management web site 212. Thus, the initial salvage item
description and the detailed information for that item may be obtained
in various ways and in various sequences within the scope of the
present invention. The steps described in blocks 310-318 of FIG.
23 as just described are not required to be performed sequentially,
but may be performed in other sequences, or may be combined.
[0195]At block 320 of FIG. 23, the claims administrator accesses
new items posted to the salvage database server 228 which, as described
above, have typically been entered by the claims administrator based
on information received from an insurance carrier and/or a contractor.
The claims administrator reviews all of the data entered for a salvage
item and verifies that item is property categorized. Based on the
type of item and its condition, the claims administrator assigns
a sales price to the salvage item and stores that sale price in
the salvage database server 228 along with an indicator designating
that the item is "for sale." Typically, the claims administrator
will assign a sales price to the salvage item based on historical
data (i.e., by manually reviewing similar items in the salvage database
server 228), although an automated pricing software application
could also be used.
[0196]As will be described in greater detail below, the salvage
items designated as "for sale" will be displayed on a
web page of the salvage management web site 222 so that potential
buyers can view and purchase the items. In addition to, or instead
of, posting the items for sale on the salvage management web site
222, the claims administrator may determine that an item is suitable
for posting on other online sale sites (such as eBay or Craigslist,
either as an auction or fixed-price sale), is suitable for posting
on specialized web sites (such as college campus classified advertising
sites), is suitable for posting through conventional advertising
(such as newspapers or specialized advertising publications), or
is suitable for sale thorough a specialized dealer (such as in the
case of firearms or antiques). These and other sales venues, in
any desired combinations, may be chosen by the claims administrator.
[0197]In the case of selling a salvage item through conventional
advertising or a specialized dealer, the claims administrator provides
a description of the salvage item and the sale price to the appropriate
person or entity. In the case of online sites or electronic advertising
mediums (such as eBay, Craigslist, or online classified advertising),
the salvage management software application is preferably operable
to parse, format, or otherwise translate the item description information
from the salvage database server 228 into the appropriate format
for uploading or transmitting directly to the selected site. Most
preferably, the salvage management software application is operable
to include boilerplate "barker" information and text to
the description of the item being uploaded or transmitted based
on recognition of keywords in the name or description of the salvage
item. The salvage management software application is also operable
to insert contact information for the claims administrator into
the listing being transmitted or uploaded, including the claims
administrator's twenty-four hour contact telephone number, through
which potential buyers can contact the claims administrator for
additional information on the salvage item.
[0198]As shown in FIG. 27, with a salvage item designated as "for
sale" as described above, the salvage management software application
populates a web page on the salvage management web site 222 with
a listing of the item, along with all items in the salvage database
server 228 designated as "for sale." Potential buyers
of the items access the salvage management web site 222 through
the Internet, and can navigate or browse through the items for sale
using the "Categories" hyperlinks along the left-hand
side of the page. As can be seen, the item listings include a description
and photo(s) of the item, and preferably include information about
shipping or pickup of the item.
[0199]Registration is required to purchase items from the salvage
management web site 222. Accordingly, a "sign in" button
allows new buyers to register with the salvage management web site
222. Existing users can sign in using their email address and password.
Once registered and signed-in, buyers can purchase items using the
"buy now" button adjacent a displayed item, which adds
the item to the user's virtual shopping cart. To view the virtual
shopping cart or to finalize a purchase of an item, the registered
buyer may select the "View Cart" or "Checkout"
buttons displayed on the page. Payment information for the item
may be any known type of electronic or physical payment, including
PayPal, electronic bank draft, check, money order, or credit card.
Upon completion of the transaction, data related to the sale of
the item is stored in the salvage database server 228.
[0200]With the item listed for sale on the salvage management web
site 222 and/or listed on other web sites or through other advertising
means, at block 322 of FIG. 23, the claims administrator monitors
the status of the item listings to determine when the item has been
sold. If a buyer purchases the item through the salvage management
web site 222, an e-mail notification is sent to the claims administrator.
If the salvage item is listed on other web sites, or through other
advertising means, the claims administrator monitors electronic
communications from the web site (e.g., eBay) for notification of
the sale, or, in the case of sale through specialized dealers, maintains
contact with the dealer to track sale information. In cases where
the item is advertised in classified type advertising means, potential
buyers contact the claims administrator directly via telephone or
e-mail. In those cases, the claims administrator receives payment
information directly from the buyer and enters that information
into the salvage database server 228.
[0201]At block 324 of FIG. 23, when the claims administrator determines
that an item has been sold, the claims administrator withdraws any
duplicative listings for the same item on other listing services
or web sites, and verifies that payment has been received from the
buyer. Regardless of the channel through which the item sold, the
claims administrator verifies that payment for that item was received,
whether in the form of PayPal, electronic bank draft, check, money
order, cash payment, or credit card. In collecting payment, the
claims administrator also collects any sales or use taxes required
by local taxing authorities, usually as determined by the physical
location of the salvage item, as well as any shipping costs for
delivering the item to the buyer.
[0202]Upon verification of receipt of payment from the buyer, at
block 326, the claims administrator contacts the contractor in possession
of the item to arrange pick-up, delivery or shipping of the item.
In many cases, the buyer will go to the contractor's storage facility
to pick-up the item. In other cases, particularly in the case of
large or bulky items, the contractor will deliver the item to the
buyer using the contractor's transportation. In other cases, the
claims administrator will instruct the contractor to ship the item
through commercial shippers, such as United Parcel Service, Federal
Express, or the United States Post Office. In any case, any shipping
or delivery charges are collected by the claims administrator from
the buyer as part of the sales transaction. As with all of the other
data related to the salvage item, the claims administrator stores
the data and information related to the sale in the salvage database
server 228.
[0203]At block 328 of FIG. 23, with the item sold and delivered
to the buyer, the claims administrator distributes proceeds from
the sale of the salvage item to the contractor and insurance carrier
according to agreed-upon terms. The claims administrator may also
access the salvage management web site 222 to generate financial
reports for the sale of each item, or for the sales of all items
associated with a particular contractor or insurance carrier. Using
this financial data, the claims administrator also issues a year-end
IRS Form 1099 reporting miscellaneous income to every contractor
paid in relation to the sale of a salvage item. As can be seen,
the method of the present invention permits an insurance carrier
to recover value for the salvage items without having to take physical
possession of the items and without having to handle the sales transactions.
[0204]While the present invention has been described and illustrated
hereinabove with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it should
be understood that various modifications could be made to this embodiment
without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the
invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiment described
and illustrated hereinabove, except insofar as such limitations
are included in the following claims. |