
What is it?
ISO (Insurance Services Office) ClaimSearch is a tool that allows claims handlers to access a list of all previous property or injury claims involving a particular person or vehicle to help determine when injuries or vehicle damage may be related to a prior accident, to better separate out what we owe from what was pre-existing, and to help recognize indicators of fraud. Like law enforcement agencies, insurance companies also have access to this tool. But like any information system, the results we receive are only as good as the data we feed in at the start. Here’s how, together, we can make the most of an ISO ClaimSearch. See additional info at https://bradfordbarthel.com/2023/07/06/iso-claimsearch/.[1]
How can claims staff access it?
Claims handlers typically run an ISO ClaimSearch in one of two ways. Claims handlers may have direct access to the ISO ClaimSearch website with a login and password, in which case they would enter a claim number as well as the data they’re looking to match, such as a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), claimant’s name and birthdate, name and Social Security number or name and zip code, etc.
Some companies’ claim systems have an ISO ClaimSearch function built in, allowing the claims handler to run a search for any prior claims matching any of the information on file once they have filled in certain required fields. For instance, once they have a claimant’s name, address, and the VIN for the vehicle driven in the accident, they can run a search that will reveal any prior claims involving the same driver or vehicle. It may also provide periodic automatic updates when new matches come up in the ISO system.
How does it work?
When insurance companies sign up for access to the ISO ClaimSearch tool, they’re also agreeing to share information from their own databases with the same system. Personal and commercial automotive insurance carriers, health insurers and workers’ compensation insurance carriers all provide information which is pulled directly from their individual claims handling systems. When an ISO ClaimSearch is run, the results include a lot more than just claim numbers and names of insurance companies who handled previous claims involving the same parties. ISO results provide names and contact information for claims handlers, accident descriptions, injury descriptions and the types of coverage that applied, all of which can let a claims handler know when it’s time to call a previous carrier for more information about a similar injury or damages. ISO results frequently include the names of hospitals and other medical providers, as well as body shops used in vehicle repairs, allowing us to follow up with them as well. They also allow us to see if a claimant has opened up a workers’ compensation claim or a first-party claim with their own carrier for the same accident we’re currently investigating.
Okay, maybe not that secret.
Of course, plaintiff injury attorneys are well aware of our use of ISO ClaimSearch. Articles on plaintiff attorney websites caution their clients to be upfront with their representation about previous injuries and accidents because they trust insurance companies will find out about them at some point. They publicly characterize ISO searches as “a social network just for insurance carriers” used “to get their hands on as much information as possible so that they can minimize their payouts.”[2] While plaintiff counsel spin tries to paint insurance companies as heartless corporations looking for any means to avoid making a payment, ultimately we can all benefit when information on prior claims is known by all the parties involved. That’s the only way we can negotiate a fair settlement value based on all the relevant factors.
A secret weapon is only as good as its ammunition.
Obviously, the more information we have to run with, particularly early in a claim, the better results we can achieve from an ISO ClaimSearch. Thinking strategically, it helps to identify what data will produce the best results, and better yet, what data will lead directly to more information. A claimant’s name is an important starting point but we’ll usually need more to narrow down the results, particularly when we’re dealing with the Smiths and Jones of the world. An address is always good, but the number of hits may depend on how long the claimant has lived in the same location. Mobile numbers may remain consistent throughout an adult’s lifetime these days but that has not always been the case. VINs are vital for tracing previous claims involving the same vehicle, and some claim systems require a VIN to run any ISO ClaimSearch at all. If your driver can take a photo of the other vehicle’s VIN at the scene, that’s great. If they can’t, a photo of a license plate is the next best thing, as claims handlers may be able to run a license plate search that will provide the associated VIN.
Looking to the future.
ISO ClaimSearch is one of our best weapons right now, but better yet, the same practices that allow us to make the most of its results today also will set us up for success with tomorrow’s tools. While there is a lot of debate as to the possibilities and risks inherent in the machine learning systems currently labeled Artificial Intelligence, it seems clear that such technology probably will be integrated into our claims handling systems sooner rather than later.[3] The more information we can gather from claimants at the accident scene, and the more we can retrieve from resources like an ISO ClaimSearch, the better predictive analytics systems will be able to point us towards prior injuries, damages and other factors for us to consider when determining fair claim values.
Still, even with all the technological tools at our disposal, every claim starts the same way, with the people at the scene. One driver with a phone camera, or just a pen and paper, capturing the right pieces of information — a name, a phone number, a license plate, a VIN — can make all the difference.
Move forward fearlessly.
ISO ClaimSearch is, indeed, a powerful weapon that should be used by claims professionals to help mitigate transportation claims. Contact Napa River now to find out more about how to best use this weapon so that you can concentrate on what matters most — protecting your company and staff.
Napa River Insurance Services, Inc.
A Third-Party Administrator
Napa River Insurance Services, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hudson Insurance Company.
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[1] Nicolas P. Ward, “ISO ClaimSearch Proves to be an Effective Tool for Defendants,” Bradford & Barthel, LLP, July 6, 2023, https://bradfordbarthel.com/2023/07/06/iso-claimsearch/.
[2] The Law Office of Jeena R. Belil, PC, “Don’t Try to Outsmart the Insurance Companies: ISO Searches,” June 3, 2022, https://www.jeenabelil.com/blog/2022/06/dont-try-to-outsmart-the-insurance-companies-iso-searches/.
[3] Riskonnect, “Claims Automation AI: The Future of Claims is Here,” https://riskonnect.com/claims-administration/claims-automation-ai-the-future-of-claims-is-here/.