Content posted in July 2009
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Solved: Healthcare, All Of It
Next week, we'll be running a series of contributed articles that offer various perspectives on Health IT. But it hardly seems necessary now, after John Hodgman (probably best know as "PC" in Apple's "I'm a Mac. I'm a PC" ad campaign) solved all of our nation's healthcare problems in a recent segment on the Daily Show:
Honor Roll: This Week's Top Insurance Blogs (July 26-Aug. 1, 2009)
Our favorite insurance technology-related blog posts from around the Web (July 26-August 1, 2009):
Celtic Insurance Automates Approvals
Celtic Insurance automates key decision-making processes to speed application approvals and differentiate itself from competitors on eHealthInsurance.com.
CNA Names Bob Lindemann President and COO, CNA Commercial
Lindemann comes to CNA from Zurich North America, where he led a turnaround of the company's middle market business.
Scampas Out as MetLife CIO
Jeanette Scampas, who replaced Steve Sheinheit as MetLife's enterprise CIO in early 2008, has left the company, according to an internal memo.
Blue Plans to Share WellPoint’s Cost Comparison Capability
The Care Comparison tool will extend facility-specific information for 35 specific medical procedures performed at more than 2,800 locations, to over 48 million health plan members.
Craig Raymond Named Chief Risk Officer & Chief Actuary for John Hancock Financial
Craig Raymond named Chief Risk Officer & Chief Actuary for John Hancock Financial; newly created position will span organization with goal of strengthening carrier's risk management capabilities.
EQC Improves Claims Response With Guidewire Platform
The Earthquake Commission of New Zealand implements Guidewire's ClaimCenter solution to better connect with its field adjusters and claimants.
Conseco Appoints Asset-Liability Management VP
Conseco has promoted Christopher J. Foote to vice president, asset-liability management.
The Standard Launches Online Benefit Modeling Tool
Pension Estimator tool allows participants to model an unlimited number of potential scenarios, including alternative retirement dates, interest rate assumptions, salary increase assumptions and annuitization options.
Obama Plan Leaves OFC an Open Question
The government's financial services regulatory reform proposal treats insurance as an afterthought, but federally driven consumer financial protection could open the door to an optional federal charter.
Hyland Offers ECM via SaaS to Europe
Hyland Software has opened a new data center in the U.K. that will enable it to offer its SaaS OnBase solution to European carriers.
HCL Confirms Strategic Partnership With Shanghai-Based Insurance Solutions Provider
HCL confirms strategic partnership with Shanghai-based insurance solutions provider eBaoTech Corp. for joint delivery with of Web-based core insurance process management solutions.
IBM to Acquire SPSS
IBM's $1.2 billion bid to acquire the Chicago-based business analytics vendor is expected to close later this year.
ImageRight 5.1 Designed to Enhance Content Access and Workflow
Vertafore's latest version of the ImageRight solution integrates better with Outlook and Sharepoint, according to the Vendor.
Youth, Social Networking, and The "Deification of Imbecility"
However, this inexorable wave of change sweeps us along, it might be fun to cast a gimlet eye upon upon youth-driven change. At least that's what Nathan Conz - incidentally I&T's most youthful editor - seems to think. Nate offers us all a welcome friday chuckle with Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson's wry take on youth-driven commercial culture as the "deification of imbecility" and the reason "everything sucks."
Those Darn Kids
The Late Late Show's Craig Ferguson delivered a cold open monologue earlier this week on a marketing culture that values youth over experience. Is it insurance or technology related? Well, probably not, but it could be relatable to an industry striving to reach the youngest generations through new distribution channels like the TwitterBook and the MyTunes...
Honor Roll: This Week's Top Insurance Blogs (July 19-25)
Our favorite insurance technology-related blog posts from around the Web (July 19-25, 2009):
Novarica: Tech Transforming P&C Claims Amid Downturn
Carriers are moving forward with existing core claims systems initiatives and investing in emerging technologies such as analytics, fraud detection, geographic information systems, mobile applications and Web 2.0 to drive operational efficiency and improved customer service.
USAA Dials Up iPhone App
USAA unveils iPhone application that gives customers mobile access to their insurance, banking and investment accounts.
Jacqueline Brainard Joins Conseco as VP, Re-Engineering
Jacqueline Brainard joins Conseco as VP, Re-Engineering; former BCS Financial exec will support carrier's efforts to transform internal processes.
Leveraging the Claims Transaction for Competitive Advantage
As carriers continue to modernize their claims processes, the opportunity to leverage claims data for competitive advantage has grown accordingly, says Larry Wood, director, P&C practice, Robert E. Nolan Co.
Rapid Change Threatens Traditional Life Insurance Distribution Strategies
Just as insurers prepared for OFC will gain market share from those who are not, companies that effectively leverage online mechanism will eat the lunch of the stodgier companies who fail to invest in the necessary technology enablement.
Mutual of Omaha Gains Agility and Efficiencies as It ’Greens’ Its Technology
Data center reconfiguration and server virtualization have yielded not only business agility benefits but also significant cost efficiencies related to environmentally friendly modifications to the physical plant and server farm.
Conning: Life Insurers Prepared for Optional Federal Charter Will Enjoy Competitive Advantage
Insurers prepared for what Conning calls a likely single-licensure, single regulatory system, in terms of distribution, geographic focus, and other issues, will gain a significant advantage in the event of federal regulation of some portion of the life insurance industry, according to the research firm.
The Future of Insurance Sales and Distribution
By Greg Webber, President, Insurance Systems, SunGard
Recently, one of my children graduated from university, which led to one of those typical (father to son) financial responsibility discussions. In this case, we were talking about the need for him to purchase his own automobile insurance.
ING Introduces Online Education Tool for Consumers
ING has rolled out ING for Life, a consumer-facing online learning tool.
FBL Financial Signs With CSC
FBL Financial Group has licensed CSC's Legal Solutions Suite.
Duck Creek Releases v4.0 Policy Administration System
Version 4.0 of Duck Creek Policy Administration uses an improved data model that improves usability and data accessibility, and includes Duck Creek's EXAMPLE Author tool in .NET, according to the vendor.
UniRisX Appoints David Piesse as New Chairman of Asia Pacific Operations
UniRisX appoints David Piesse, former head of Sun Microsystems Global Insurance Practice, as new Chairman of Asia Pacific Operations.
Northwestern Mutual Able to Stay the Course on IT Investment, Recession Notwithstanding
Financial strength and robust planning capabilities have enabled the insurer to keep major initiatives on track and limit the impact of market chaos on its technology investment, according to Northwestern Mutual chief technology officer Karl Gouverneur.
ProspX Unveils E-Mail Collaboration Tool
ProspX has released SalesConnect 4.0. featuring EmailConnect.
A New Policy Administration Paradigm: Synthesizing Agility and Cost Savings
Insurers must devise a strategy to create a policy administration infrastructure that takes a more holistic view of product development and provides a flexible environment for product support - ensuring a more agile and cost-effective insurance product management process.
Baldwin Mutual Taps Lyzasoft Solution for Desktop Data Analysis
Lyza application spares the Alabama-based regional P&C company inefficient data collection and analysis processes.
Hosted Policy Admin System MUSIC to Startup's Ears
Startup Montpelier US Insurance achieves its ambitious launch goals by adopting OneShield's Dragon policy administration system.
Karen Clark, TigerRisk Form Partnership
Karen Clark & Company and TigerRisk Partners have formed a strategic partnership to provide insurers with an integrated catastrophe risk management approach.
The SaaS Revolution and Insurance Distribution: Using SaaS-based Distribution Platforms
SaaS offers insurance companies the opportunity to make some real improvements to their distribution channels, with faster returns and lower up-front investments than ever before. It is, however, still more than a simple flip of a switch. A successful implementation still depends on getting the basics right and being aware of what new challenges need to be addressed.
Berthiaume’s Influence Spreads at Chubb
Mark Berthiaume, Chubb Specialty Insurance's CIO since 2001, has taken on the CIO role for Chubb Commercial Insurance, in addition to stewardship of the carrier's Surety IT organization and Specialty's field operations, and responsibility for global IT strategy.
Andrade Will Head The Hartford’s P&C Company
Most recently co-leader of The Hartford's Property and Casualty Operations, Andrade joined the company in 2006 to head its claims organization.
Honor Roll: This Week's Top Insurance Blogs (July 12-18)
Our favorite insurance technology-related blog posts from around the Web (July 12-18, 2009):
MetLife Reorganization To Drive Streamlined Product Development
William Mullaney, who has headed Institutional Business, has been named president of the new U.S. Business organization.
AIG-Israel Selects IT Security Solution
AIG-Israel has selected Raz-Lee Security's iSecurity System to protect its server infrastructure.
What Hockey Gloves and IT Security Have In Common
Quite some time ago, I wrote a blog post about my pinky finger, which was shattered by an opponent's stick during an ice hockey game a couple years prior. I discussed my experiences dealing with the various doctors and physical therapists I worked with to repair the valuable appendage and how an EHR of some sort could have helped streamline the process.
Good Planning Can Help IT benefit from an IFRS Implementation
Implementation of globally accepted accounting standards will require significant changes in business processes and systems in order to amend accounting treatment and satisfy reporting requirements.
United America Indemnity Goes Live with New Policy Admin
United America Indemnity has implemented a new policy administration solution from Duck Creek Technologies.
Travelers Launches Agent Training Program
Travelers has launched AgentU, an independent agent education initiative.
Milliman Releases Employee Benefits Tool Set
Tools enable greater transparency for sponsors and participants in benefits plan, as well as providing decision support and managed account options.
Honor Roll: This Week's Top Insurance Blogs (July 5-11)
Our favorite insurance technology-related blog posts from around the Web (July 5-11, 2009):
Forecast Cloudy: Chrome, Cloud Computing and the Google/Microsoft Rivalry
The big technology buzz this week has been around Google's Chrome operating system, positioned as an open source, cloud computing-based alternative to Microsoft's Windows platform.
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