Looking for Bill Basics

Most insurance premium invoices will include a summary or cover page that includes:

• Policy name and number
• Pay period, statement date
• Effective date and year
• Premium installments
• Balance due and due date

The bill, which is often sent monthly or quarterly, should also include the U.S. Postal Service mailbox address for payment, and a phone number to reach out to your insurance company or a representative. Depending on the policy type, some premium invoices will include a list of endorsement transactions, which may be split over more than one bill if the amount is over a certain threshold. If an invoice was not paid on time previously, or was overpaid on the last bill, there may also be a balance forward.

Understanding Policy Terms

It’s important to note that the policy period and statement date on an insurance invoice may reflect the month prior. For example, a policy billed on November 1^st could reflect the October billing period. Some invoices may include information on what is known as the aggregate, or the entire program the company has purchased (for example, both commercial auto and Workers’ Compensation insurance). Invoices may also include information on deductibles, including any deductible reimbursements.

Checking All Included Documents

The policy summary page will show policy information and effective dates – but some additional details may be found elsewhere within the invoice packet. Be sure to check over the claims detail pages, which will indicate which claims had any change in losses. The loss detail section may also indicate previously billed amounts, exposures, and claimant details.

Providing Payment

Today, many insurance carriers offer several channels for policyholders to review and pay their invoice. This can include emails from their credit representative, by paper mail, and through . Be sure to send the entire packet, including the invoice, to your accounts payable team. If your company has recently conducted an audit, you will receive paperwork outside of the invoice for this activity.

Connecting with Your Agent or Representative

Your insurance agency should also receive a copy of documentation for the insurance plan, including issuance information, program type, and number/type of installment payments. Insurance agents will contact policyholders regularly regarding the terms of renewal and any needed changes to their plan. On 91������ invoices, the Credit Representative’s name and number is listed on the invoice. Please contact your insurance agent or 91������ representative for any questions about your insurance bill.

When following the proper channels, businesses can benefit from the support that comes with coordinating the claims process through an expert. Claims representatives have proven knowledge and experience to settle claims at the lowest possible amount while also providing lifecycle claims handling, offering customized support, and detecting potential fraud. Claims representatives are also able to close the claim as soon as possible, helping with the prevention of high litigation costs.

Claims Costs & Reporting Lag Time

Depending on business size, the cost of a claim can impact a company’s Experience Modification Rate (for Workers’ Compensation) and underwriting discretionary pricing. (EMR), also known as experience modification factors or an experience modifier, are a comparison of a company’s expected Workers’ Compensation claim costs versus the actual claim costs.

To support strong EMR results and reduce overall costs, it is in a company’s best interest to report a claim as soon as it occurs. There are numerous studies confirming that the sooner an insurance carrier can work on claim management, the lower the ultimate payout will be. In fact, according to a research brief on the relationship between accident reporting lag times and claim cost in Workers’ Compensation by the the median cost of claims reported one day after an incident was significantly lower than claims that were reported two weeks after an incident.

Best Practices for Claims Handling

It is crucial to report a claim immediately to your company’s insurance carrier to enable the carrier to assign an expert to handle the claim, create a case number for the incident, and begin to control the cost. If a claim occurs during your policy period, make sure to report the claim as soon as possible directly through the insurance carrier’s website or phone number.

Reporting claims promptly will benefit your company and, ultimately, help keep insurance costs low.

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������������ܰ���’s SureClaims experience leverages cost-saving practices to help protect your bottom line. Minimize total costs through technology, clinical expertise, medical provider collaboration, and negotiation services, including medical bill review, injury fraud prevention, early return-to-work programs, risk mitigation, managed medical costs and our digital first notice of loss portal.

There are no limitations to all that Jessica Soufrine is capable of achieving. She has experienced an impressive rise through leadership during her career, with plentiful opportunities for continued growth.

Jessica has served in leadership roles for several years at 91������, first working her way up from a trainee to a developmental marketing underwriter, and from a senior marketing underwriter to a team manager and an assistant vice president. In 2021, she progressed from her role of regional vice president of the west region to vice president of field marketing and underwriting (FMU). Located out of the Dallas area, Jessica holds responsibility for the national FMU team and its regional leaders, as well as retention, profitability, agency relationships, state expansions, and partnership growth opportunities.

Jessica hails from a small town in North Carolina, where she experienced an initial lack of exposure to the business world. After paving the way as the first in her family to earn a college degree, she entered the insurance industry through a post-college recruiting event. As ������������ܰ���’s first female assistant vice president, regional vice president, and now vice president of field marketing and underwriting, she is proud and honored to lead by example.

Lifting Others Up

Jessica is passionate about talent development. At 91������, Jessica focuses on identifying up-and-coming leaders and engaging and preparing the next group of professionals to help address the talent shortage in the industry. Much of Jessica’s attention is on opportunities for her team: focusing on their talents, challenging them, and identifying where they can be most successful.

Jessica recently reinvigorated an underwriting training program for a new role at 91������: senior associate underwriter. The first class of employees with this title graduated last fall, and a new class will begin at the company later this year. Jessica also supported the addition of an associate underwriter role that enables employees with no prior underwriting experience to make an impact in the industry. She has seen improved representation of women in insurance and helps her female team members position themselves for leadership opportunities, ensuring they have the right tools for their success.

Distinct Contributions

Jessica’s professional experience has provided her with a solid foundation to leverage her technical underwriting expertise and process knowledge to drive forward the underwriting function. Jessica has completed and is involved in many notable initiatives that help underscore the key differentiators of the organization. The most prominent recent contributions in Jessica’s current role:

• Staffing Model: Jessica worked to build a new model for field underwriting that creates career pathing aligned with strengths. It includes the associate underwriter and senior associate underwriter support and training roles (mentioned above), and also offers technical and business development tracks into specialist and manager roles that did not previously exist. This also brings a team approach to underwriting to better allow for execution and consistency.
• Collaboration and Engagement: Shifting into hybrid remote work while retaining ������������ܰ���’s culture and idea sharing is a continual priority for Jessica, together with the company’s leadership teams. “I have and continue to be passionate about bringing our teams and departments together to achieve the best possible outcome for the organization and our agencies,” she said.
• Process Optimization: Jessica’s current initiative is to bring efficiencies to the field through technology and process improvement. Current systems and tools require a significant amount of manual entry and administrative work from the underwriters. “We are looking for ways to alleviate those tasks to allow for more time to be spent on their technical and marketing responsibilities,” Jessica said. “This will include bringing artificial intelligence capabilities into workflows and utilizing newly added associate underwriter and senior associate underwriter resources.” The team is centralizing training and onboarding support to create a more consistent and effective experience for new hires.

Giving Back & Family Focus

Jessica serves on the executive board and is the volunteer chair for the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF). The Southeast Division is based in Dallas and serves communities in Texas and across the Southeast region, with greater outreach through its Georgia and Houston Chapters. The organization’s grant focus areas include disaster preparedness and relief, children at risk, education, and veterans. All of ������������ܰ���’s FMU team members have competed in the IICF Step Up Challenge for the past three years, and volunteers from the Dallas office, together with Jessica, have supported at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery cleanup.

In her personal time, Jessica’s children, 6 and 10, keep her busy running to Boy Scouts, dance, and baseball and soccer fields. Looking forward, Jessica is excited to continue on the path of professional growth, and further strengthen ������������ܰ���’s strategic agency partnerships to accelerate mutual success.

__________________

About Jessica Soufrine

Jessica is the vice president of field marketing & underwriting for 91������. In this position, Jessica serves as a member of the company’s operational leadership team and leads the Field Marketing & Underwriting (FMU) department in driving profitable growth with ������������ܰ���’s Partners For Success® agencies. Prior to her current role, she served as the regional vice president of FMU for the company’s west region and has held many positions during her 15-year tenure and progression with the company. Before joining 91������, Jessica worked for Travelers Insurance as a claims representative. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communication and advertising from Appalachian State University.

One common misstep companies can make during a Workers’ Compensation insurance claim is to cut off communication with the involved parties. Communication is a vital method to keeping down costs related to this aspect of insurance, and injured workers want to be kept in the loop with the process.

Additionally, proactive strategies at your workplace can help reduce the likelihood of Workers’ Compensation claims. Consider these key methods to reduce Workers’ Compensation claims:

• Encourage Employees to Take Breaks: Many issues can lead to an increase in workplace injuries, illnesses or accidents. These aren’t always directly related to hazards on the job, and employers should strive to create an environment that promotes healthy behavior. Encourage employees to take breaks, go for walks or perform a variety of tasks throughout the day.
• Rethink Your Workspace: According to California’s Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation, poorly designed workspaces can be detrimental to a person’s health. Working in the same area for a prolonged period can lead to damage in the hands, arms, neck, back, feet or legs. Measures should be taken to prevent workers from unsafely repeating the same motions throughout the day.
• Reduce Worker Stress: Chronic stress can be caused by work overload or pressure, an accelerated work pace, harassment, and job insecurity, among other factors. This stress can cause health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and emotional distress. Employees who are stressed can make mistakes or ignore safety protocols. This could lead to an increase in serious accidents and, ultimately, more Workers’ Compensation insurance costs.

Businesses should remain proactive when considering ways to reduce Workers’ Compensation claims. Any lapse in these areas could have negative effects throughout the company and to your bottom line.

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For more information on the ins and outs of a Workers’ Compensation claim, click here.