Bridge
User Guide - Claims
Version 2.4.83

Version 2.4.83Bridge User GuideUser Guide - Claims

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction

Guide

Claims Workflow

Claims Screen Elements and Navigation

Moving Through the Claims Workflow

Sequential Navigation and Common Controls

Jumping Directly to a Screen

Common Screens Widget

Notes

Documents

Attachments

E-mails

Audit Trail

Financial Summary

Claim Actions Widget

Selecting the Policy for a Claim

Assigning an Adjuster

Claim Information Widget

Selecting the Claim Status

Policy Information Widget

Viewing Policy Information

Viewing Policy Participant Information

Claim Parties Widget

Attaching a Claim Party

Creating a New Claim Party From Within a Claim

Editing a Claim Party From Within a Claim

Claims Search / List

Other Claims Features

Managing Claim Payments

Adding a Payment to a Claim

Viewing and Modifying a Claim Payment

Reversing a Claim Payment

Setting the Reserve and Estimate Values for a Claim

Creating and Managing Notes and Follow-ups in a Claim

Adding a Note or Follow-up to a Claim

Viewing and Editing a Note or Follow-up

Deleting a Note

Marking a Follow-up as Resolved

Generating and Managing Claims Documents

Generating a Claim Document

Viewing Saved Documents

Managing Claim Attachments

Attaching Files to a Claim

Viewing and Editing a Claim Attachment

Deleting a Claim Attachment

Certifying Claim Attachments

Sending and Managing Claim E-mails

Viewing the E-mail History

Sending E-mails

Reviewing Claim Changes in the Audit Trail

Viewing the Claim Financial Summary Report

Claims Configuration

Adjuster Auto-Assignment

Creating a New Adjuster Auto-Assignment Rule

Viewing and Modifying an Adjuster Auto-Assignment Rule

Deactivating an Adjuster Auto-Assignment Rule

Deleting an Adjuster Auto-Assignment Rule

Document Templates

E-mail Templates

Creating a New E-mail Template

Viewing and Modifying an E-mail Template

Deactivating an E-mail Template

Deleting an E-mail Template

Claims General Settings

Navigating Claims General Settings

General Settings – Claim Numbering

General Settings – Claim Sub-Statuses

Creating a New Claim Sub-Status

Viewing and Modifying a Claim Sub-Status

Deactivating a Claim Sub-Status

General Settings – Party Roles

Creating a New Party Role

Viewing and Modifying a Party Role

Deactivating a Party Role

General Settings – Scheduled E-mails

General Settings – Additional Settings

Automatic Claim Payment Rules

Payment Integration Rules

Creating a New Payment Rule

Viewing and Modifying a Payment Rule

Deactivating a Payment Rule

Deleting a Payment Rule

Professional Service Companies

Creating a New Professional Service Company

Viewing and Modifying a Professional Service Company

Custom Validation Rules

Creating a New Custom Validation Rule

Viewing and Modifying a Custom Validation Rule

Deleting a Custom Validation Rule

Workflow Events

Creating a New Workflow Event

Viewing and Modifying a Workflow Event

Deactivating a Workflow Event

Deleting a Workflow Event

Configuring Claims Documents

Creating a New Claims Document Configuration

Viewing and Modifying a Claim Document Configuration

Deactivating a Claim Document Configuration

Managing Templates Within a Claim Document Configuration

Configuring Claims E-mails

Creating a New Claims E-mail Configuration

Viewing and Modifying a Claims E-mail Configuration

Deactivating a Claims E-mail Configuration

Deleting a Claims E-mail Configuration

Index

Version 2.4.83Bridge User GuideUser Guide - Claims

Version 2.4.83Bridge User GuideUser Guide - Claims

Introduction

Welcome to the Bridge insurance access portal. The system provides a full workflow, from the administration of products and coverage, to the submission and management of individual policies.

Access to all features, options, and data are controlled by the settings in your user account. This guide is for users with claims management rights, covering all aspects of configuring, submitting, and managing claims.

This guide assumes the user is familiar with the general functions of the system. For instructions on logging in and using common features throughout the system, see the User Guide - Introduction document.

Guide

Click a link to jump to the appropriate section.

Claims Workflow / Submitting a First Notice of Loss.
Claims List / View and manage claims.
Other Claims Features / Working with features associated to individual claims. Includes payments, notes, documents, attachments, and e-mails.
Configuration / Configure settings for the claims system.

Version 2.4.83Bridge User GuideUser Guide - Claims

Claims Workflow

In the event of an insured loss, the Claims module is used to submit and process a claim from the initial entry to final payment.

  1. The claims process begins with a First Notice of Loss (FNOL). Under the Claims menu, select First Notice Of Loss. A new claim is created and the claims workflow screen opens.

The claims form is in the center of the screen, with widgets on either side containing additional information and controls. See the Claims Screen Elements and Navigation section for detailed descriptions of the screen components.

  1. Work through the steps of the claim form, completing all necessary information. Fields marked with a red asterisk *are required.
  1. Once enough information has been provided and saved, the Select Policy link may become available in the Claim Actions widget. This allows the claim to be associated to a specific policy valid at the date of loss. This step may be optional, or may be required before submitting the claim.
  1. Once the first notice of loss is complete, click Submit Claim. The claim is assigned to an agent for handling.
  1. Take note of the Claim No displayed in the Claim Information widget. This will be used to access the claim in the future.
  1. To open an existing claim for review, open the Claims menu and select Search / List. The Claims page opens, listing all available claims.
  1. Locate the Claim No in the System Number column and click the link. The claims workflow screen opens.

Version 2.4.83Bridge User GuideUser Guide - Claims

Claims Screen Elements and Navigation

This section details the layout and functions of the claims screen. This can be reviewed in advance of creating a claim, or can be used as a reference source when viewing or creating a claim.

The primary claims form is displayed in the center of the screen, with additional panels called Widgets to the left and right providing information and controls.

Click on a section of the screen below to jump to the appropriate section.

Version 2.4.83Bridge User GuideUser Guide - Claims

Moving Through the Claims Workflow

The workflow is divided into Steps displayed in the progress bar above the form. Each Step may contain several individual Screens, displayed in the Navigation widget.

The coloring of the steps indicate the current status.

/ Completed Step: / Once all screens in a step have been completed and saved, that section of the progress bar changes to blue.
/ Incomplete Step: / Any steps that have not yet been completed are shown in grey.

/ Current Step: / When viewing a particular screen, the current step is highlighted in dark blue or dark grey, depending on whether the step is completed or not.

Sequential Navigation and Common Controls

All screens in the workflow are organized in a specific order. The Next and Previous buttons at the bottom of the page are used to move through the workflow sequentially, one screen at a time, while the Save button updates the current screen without moving. Additional options may be available, depending on the configuration of the workflow.

Next / Saves the current screen and moves to the next screen in the workflow.
Clicking Next performs the recalculation and validation process. Calculated fields are refreshed and all data is checked against any rules defined for the completed screen. Some rules may provide warnings or information, while others require corrections to the data before allowing you to proceed to the next screen. Messages at the top of the page provide information about any validation results.
Previous / Moves to the previous screen in the workflow. This is used to look back through previous screens, either for review or to make changes. Clicking Previous does not save the current screen. If any changes have been made, a message appears warning that changes will be lost.
Moving back through previous screens does not perform any validation or recalculate any values. However, using the Save or Next buttons activates the same validations and calculations that were performed the first time through each screen.
Save / Saves the current screen and performs all validations and calculations that are associated with the current screen. This can be used to refresh calculations without having to proceed to the next screen and then return.

Jumping Directly to a Screen

The Navigation widget provides instant access to the entire workflow. While navigating through the workflow, the current step is expanded and all available screens within that step are displayed. All completed steps and screens are marked with a green checkmark icon, while incomplete steps and screens are marked with a red circle icon.

To jump to a different screen in the current step, click the name of the screen in the list. To jump to a screen in a different step, click the step name to expand the list of screens, then click the required screen.

Changes are not saved when jumping to a different screen. Use the Next or Save buttons to save the current screen before navigating away.

/ Note: When jumping forward to Incomplete steps and screens, be aware that some fields may be dependent on fields that were skipped over. Some values may not be completely calculated, and validations may require that the skipped fields be completed before proceeding.

The Payments screen is a standard system screen, available if you have the necessary administration rights. See the section on Managing Claim Payments for more information.

Version 2.4.83Bridge User GuideUser Guide - Claims

Common Screens Widget

The Common Screens widget provides access to a variety of information related to the current claim.

Not all options are available at all times, and access to each option may be restricted if the user does not have the necessary security roles.

Notes

Notes can be added to a claim to provide additional information or to serve as a reminder if any actions need to be taken at a later date (Follow Ups).

The Notes option in the Common Screens widget opens the Notes and Follow-ups list. The list contains all notes currently attached to the claim, and options for creating and managing notes.

For more information, please see the section on Creating and Managing Notes and Follow-ups.

Documents

The system can produce a wide variety of documents, customized for the current claim and product. These may be generated manually, or automatically based on certain criteria within the claim.

The Documents option in the Common Screens widget opens the Documents list. The list contains all generated documents currently attached to the claim, and options for generating new documents.

For more information, please see the section on Generating and Managing Claims Documents.

Attachments

Files can be attached to a claim in order to provide additional information or to document details of the coverage. Many file types are supported, particularly image and document files.

The Attachments option in the Common Screens widget opens the Attachments list. The list contains all files attached to the current claim, and options for creating and managing attachments.

For more information, please see the section on Managing Claim Attachments.

E-mails

As e-mails are sent in relation to a claim, they are stored in the system.

The E-mails option in the Common Screens widget opens the E-mails list. The list contains all e-mails sent from the current claim, and the option to send new e-mails.

For more information, please see the section on Sending and Managing Claim E-mails.

Audit Trail

The system logs most activities related to a claim, with the old values, new values, dates and times, and the user who made the changes. This information is available through the Audit Trail report.

The Audit Trail option in the Common Screens widget opens the Audit Trail window.

For more information, please see the section on Reviewing Claim Changes in the Audit Trail.

Financial Summary

As reserves, estimates, and payments are created and modified in relation to a claim, a summary report is available to see a comparison of the totals.

The Financial Summary option in the Common Screens widget opens the Claim Financial Summary window.

For more information, please see the section on Viewing the Claim Financial Summary Report.

Version 2.4.83Bridge User GuideUser Guide - Claims

Claim Actions Widget

The Claim Actions widget lists the available actions that can be taken on the claim in its current status. Below are some general descriptions of each action.

The available actions are determined by the type of transaction, the status of the transaction, the availability of items to work with (such as e-mails and documents), and the user's security roles.

If no actions are available for the current claim, the Claim Actions widget is not displayed.

Select Policy / Once the Date of Loss has been specified for the claim, click Select Policy to choose the appropriate policy for the claim. The Policy Selection window opens. See Selectingthe Policy for a Claim for details.
Submit Claim / Once all necessary claim information has been provided, click Submit Claim to submit the claim for processing.
Depending on the details of the claim, an adjuster may be assigned automatically.
Assign Adjuster / Click Assign Adjuster to select or replace the adjuster for the claim. See Assigning an Adjuster for details.
Create Payment / Click Create Payment to enter a payment for policy participants or claim parties. This is the same as entering a payment on the Payments screen. At least one policy participant or claim party must be attached to the claim for this option to be available. See Adding a Payment to a Claim for details.

Selecting the Policy for a Claim

Once the Date of Loss has been provided, displayed in the Claim Information widget, the Select Policy option becomes available in the Claim Actions widget. This option opens the Policy Selection window.

Date of Loss / This field displays the date of loss provided for the claim.
Policy Number / To select the appropriate policy for the claim, enter at least the first three characters of the policy number or assured name. Only policies that are valid for the date of loss will be available.

Click Save & Close to save the policy selection and close the window, or click Close to close the window without selecting a policy.

Once a policy has been selected, the Policy No: is displayed in the Policy Information widget.

Assigning an Adjuster

Submitting a claim may automatically assign an adjuster, replacing any previous adjuster assignment. The adjuster may be changed manually after automatic assignment.

If an adjuster has not already been assigned to a claim, click Assign Adjuster to add an adjuster to a claim. The Adjuster window opens.

Adjuster / Select the adjuster to attach to the claim. The list includes all available users that have been defined as adjusters.

Click Save & Close to save the selection and close the window, or click Close to close the window without saving.

Version 2.4.83Bridge User GuideUser Guide - Claims

Claim Information Widget

The Claim Information widget displays information about the current claim.

The widget displays the following information:

Claim No / The system claim number.
Status / The current status of the claim.
Date Reported / The date that the claim was entered into the system.
Date of Loss / The reported date of loss.
Adjuster / Displays the adjuster assigned to the claim.

Selecting the Claim Status

To change the status and sub-status of a claim, click the Status link. The Claim Information details window opens.

Claim Status / Select one of the preset system statuses.
Sub-Status / Select one of the custom status options.

Click Save & Close to save the settings and close the window, or click Close to close the window without saving.

Version 2.4.83Bridge User GuideUser Guide - Claims

Policy Information Widget

Once a policy has been associated to the claim, the Policy Information widget provides access to the policy information and policy participants.