Benchmark IME Meets 2015 Insurance-Canada Technology Conference:

Posted on: March 24, 2015

Benchmark Independent Medical Examinations (“Benchmark”) was represented at the 2015 Insurance-Canada Technology Conference (“ICTC”) held last week at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where we unveiled and assisted with the launch of a new software technology product, “ExpfeFlow”. ExpeFlow is a proprietary software solution of ExpeFlow Inc. – owned by one of the Principals of Benchmark – that has been designed natively for the management of medical and healthcare claims and Independent Medical Examinations (“IME”). The ICTC is a very high level conference with primarily insurance executive/senior management level employees in attendance. We were the only IME vendor that was present at the conference.

While we were not, at first glance, the typical type of vendor one would expect to see at an Information Technology Conference, we were met with warm reception and everybody that visited our booth over the course of the two days was impressed with both Benchmark and ExpeFlow and how Benchmark has used this software platform to transition from IME to technology, and spin-off a company designed to service the AB/IME requirements of an insurer from a technological perspective. In essence, we have become vertically integrated because we can provide the software to expedite the process and also provide the IME as well. In fact, as people discovered from talking to us, we were, perhaps, in the best position to achieve this goal because we are not only the developer of the software but both ourselves (Benchmark) and our customers (Property and Casualty Insurers, Group Health and Life Insurers, Government, Employers, and the legal community) are also the end user of the product. As a result, nobody understands the requirements more intimately or takes quality more seriously than we do.

However, one of the questions that was repeatedly posed to us is, why did we decide to pursue this ambitious and costly software initiative which is certainly an atypical corporate strategy for an IME company? In short, our core company (Benchmark – www.benchmarkime.com) cannot be a preferred vendor for all insurance companies. However, we decided to leverage our investment of capital and time in perfecting/refining our internal processes, to commercialize a software solution based on all the intelligence and quality process we had developed over the years. As a result, we took this knowledge and launched our ExpeFlow software platform which is a brand new private cloud based AB/IME workflow system. The first of its kind in North America. What we discovered, as intuitive as it may seem, is that any company utilizing the ExpeFlow system whether it be an IME, Insurance Company, or a Law Firm will be able to realize the same type of results that we have been able to achieve. At a high level, ExpeFlow:

• Makes the IME/AB process more transparent by: Standardizing the process based on a desired workflow and enforcing it with cloud based business rules; Providing a real-time window into an entire file at each stage (adjuster/practitioner(s)/lawyer/IME) which has never been done before; Keeping all users in the same secure, encrypted private cloud thus ensuring complete accountability at each workflow milestone (cross platform, multi-device, or bring your own device policies are no longer a technical issue, support burden, or security issue); and by controlling device usage and in-house security – enhancing compliance with privacy legislation such as PIPEDA.
• Turns the traditionally very reactive AB IME/claims management process into a proactive one by: A step-by-step driven workflow that guides all users down the same best practices approach; Ensuring junior and mid-level users make the appropriate decisions proactively; Use of a cycle time management engine that prompts all users on a file to stay on track; Automatically escalating, if required, any step in a process if starts to deviate from a pre-determined timeline; and by distilling each file into a series of steps that are tracked.
• Associating traditional file metrics with a workflow/process all in the same system – previously hard to get (if not impossible) data analytics are now available even including elusive cycle time reports and performance reports.
• Controlling massive sources of “leakage” for insurers – ExpeFlow provides an insurer with the ability to eliminate many of the common issues upfront and more clearly and quickly identify the previously hidden sources.
• Automates workflow and processes – efficiency and quality of all users on the system is greatly enhanced due to the automated workflow and processes, reduced typing, and working with source documents, thus only handling them once.

When it was time to conduct our 20 minute presentation at the conference, we were asked to address the security perils of the claims communication workflow and so it had a very narrow focus and this was by design. As a result, our presenter – Sean Cassidy – attempted to convey why the current methods of communication can be risky from a security and privacy perspective and also leave a lot to be desired in terms of efficiency. The final conclusion was that, with today’s technology, all participants in the claims circle of communication are far better communicating within the confines of a secure private cloud based workflow platform such as our ExpeFlow product. You can find the slides attached if you are interested in learning more about the security and privacy issues inherent with traditional claims handling. Please click here to download the slides.

In summary, it was a very valuable experience attending the 2015 ICTC, we were pleased to be the only IME in attendance, and it was exciting to see the level of interest and genuine excitement about our new ExpeFlow product and how surprised the attendees were to see the level of sophistication we have integrated into our IME processes over the course of the past 10 years.