Implementing a new claims management system doesn’t have to be painful. Despite what you may think, successfully deploying a claims system starts with clear objectives and strategies. Planning is the key factor to smoothly implementing a new claims software. Before you implement your claims system be sure to do your homework.
What To Do Before Implementing Claims System
Take time to analyze your current system
- The perfect system does not exist, but most of it does, where’s the void?
- What do you currently have, like, dislike? What’s on your wish list?
- What is included in the offering that is simply a matter of implementation?
- What needs to be added?
The results are well worth the effort if you plan well. After you’ve mapped out your mission here are a few more items to consider:
Re-evaluate your hardware and software requirements
Companies are slowly opening up to new technology opportunities that can relieve their IT department of system maintenance. With new technology options such as cloud computing emerging, it is important to take time to explore other possible IT choices.
Consult with claims managers, accounting personnel, and compliance personnel to discuss individual departmental and company or extraneous industry requirements.
The ideal deployment satisfies every user’s needs, so the involvement of your entire organization is critical during fact-finding and preparation of data to ensure expectations are met.
Provide claims system vendors with a “hands-on” understanding of your expectations.
Collaborating and communication are essential in your planning process to ensure there is a unified understanding of the end result.
Establish development and test environments that work with your risk tolerance.
An ideal development and test environment are in a testing sandbox. This allows your current system to run parallel to the new claims system. In a sandbox environment, beta-quality code is pushed to the beta-test isolated sandbox environment for testing by other developers, business users, and the client. The testing sandbox can be accessible over the Internet and password-protected. It uses client-neutral testing data and does not contain any sensitive information. Establish migration control by setting up a sandbox environment on your existing site. This allows you the opportunity to test the claims system with your own private data on your local network. This development and testing sandbox is independent of the live production system but gives you full control of migration.
Selecting, purchasing, and implementing a claims management system is often looked at as a complex and intensive activity claims managers undertake. With so many moving pieces involved in the claims management system implementation process, effectively planning each step helps to keep you on track to increase workflow productivity, improve the quality of your customer service communication, and provide your organization with the most ideal software option.