IAIABC Perspectives

NextGen Profiles: Claire Muselman

Perspectives / December 2019

NextGen Profiles: Claire Muselman Director ofWorkers’ Compensation, Continental Western Group, a Berkley Company

Focus is placed on communication, return to work, and psychosocial elements that may not be communicated on the front end of the claims process. We send cards to injured workers’, provide reminders to insureds to ensure ongoing communication continues at the employer level as well, and we changed the mentality of injured workers that they are not alone, we are a teamwith the same goal: to get injured workers’ back to work; back to life. By focusing on people, purpose, and possibility, the WRU has been able to assist injured workers’with an upfront plan to get back to life. We look at ourselves as human connectors, here to make good things happen for people. By increased communication and doing what we say we will do, we are able to form trusting bonds with injured workers and keep lines of communication open with employers to foster a healthy environment in the workers’ compensation space. Not only does this build trust and increase collaboration, it reduces expenses, reduces litigation, and can improve an overall experience with claims, insurance, and with an individual’s employer. Since rolling out theWRU in March of 2018, litigation rates have dropped within the workers’ compensation line at CWG. It will be fun to see where this goes and how it takes off into the industry. It is my goal that theWorkers’ Recovery Unit will spread like wildfire throughout the insurance industry…starting with workers’ compensation and overflowing into personal health. It is my goal that claimmanagers and claim departments will take a look at how we are interacting with humans, empower our adjusting teams to do what is right, and do what is necessary immediately at the onset of a claim to change the way insurance is handled. The advocacy approach works. It needs to be encouraged and will be a game changer for those who chose to follow the vision.

Tell us about the innovation you have brought to your company? Continental Western Group, a Berkley Company, now has the first everWorkers’Recovery Unit. Every company is able to provide the basics: timely reporting of claims, communication among all parties, timely delivery of benefit payments, ongoing communication, and being aware of new developments. What makes the difference with theWorkers’Recovery Unit is how we do it. This teamwas founded with a newmindset change to impact people’s lives each time they pick up the phone. TheWRU focuses on recovery, taking the dreary to positive, and helping people help themselves. It is time to change insurance for people and understand howmuch impact each person has within their own scope of control. It starts with understanding claims handling process through their interactions with their insureds, injured workers, medical providers, as well as state regulators. The compassion for others that she brings to theworkers’ recovery unit every single day is immeasurable. She truly believes we are all bigger than insurance playing into the greatest part of humanity. The human part. She lives and breathes this every single day!” - Shannon Goodnature, Continental Western Group, a Berkeley Company “Claire and her team, havemanaged to impact the entireworkers’ compensation

Humanity in Claims looking to change the industry one insurance professional at a time. Claire has earned her SCLA Gold, as well as other industry designations including an AIC, AIC-M, AIM, AIS, AINS, ACS, CLP. She is the recipient of the 2019 Distinguished SCLA Designee Award, 2019 IAIABC NextGen Award, 2019Young Guns, and is an Honor Roll recipient of the 2019 Comp Laude Award for Thought Leader. She also holds a bachelor’s degree fromUniversity of Iowa, a Master’s of Public Administration and a Specialist’s of Educational Leadership in Business fromDrake University, and is finishing her Doctor of Education focused on Organizational Leadership in Business fromGrand Canyon University. She is also an Adjunct Instructor at Drake University in the College of Business & Public Administration. Claire heads the Iowa Chapter as an Ambassador for the Alliance ofWomen inWorkers’ Compensation, is a member of the International Association of Insurance Professionals, and in her free time, mentors high school students through the National Leadership Academy (NLA) and Elevate & Evolve.

Claire is the Director ofWorkers’ Compensation and founder of the first everWorkers’ Recovery Unit (WRU) with ContinentalWestern Group, a Berkley Company. Claire built TheWorkers’ Recovery Unit by combining a solid technical foundation with her passion for creating a better customer experience and ultimately, making good things happen for people. This innovative approach to claims handling has provided new value to both Continual Western Group and their insureds. Claire now speaks nationally on the topic of

howwe treat people tomake their recoveries smoother, more effective, andmore efficient.

We elevated expectations, empowered adjusters, became aggressively collaborative with all parties involved, focusing on injured workers as people, not claims; family members, not claim numbers.

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