The team at Helmsman Management Services L.L.C., the third-party administrator unit of Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., stepped up when they were needed the most after the storms that hit the Atlantic during the 2017 hurricane season.
But according to Boston-based Helmsman President Dave Dwortz, it was an effort that involved coordinating with their clients.
Many of Helmsman’s clients’ injured workers faced a lack of access to health care, medications, equipment and weekly benefit checks after hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
Helmsman provided logistical support and relief to over 1,500 injured workers, including expediting the electronic funds transfer process so that injured workers would continue receiving benefits, working with their pharmacy benefits manager to lift early refill restrictions and identifying workers with injuries that impaired mobility, necessitated home health care or placed them at increased risk, said Tracy Ryan, Boston-based executive vice president and chief claims officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance.
The Helmsman team were voted 2018 TPA Team of the Year for their efforts.
“We have a very intimate consumer service model where every client relationship has gone a little differently. We co-develop the approach with the client,” Mr. Dwortz said.
“In the cases where we knew we had several hurricanes coming, we worked very closely with our customers. None of the things we did were done in a vacuum or just by the Helmsman team doing all the heavy lifting,” he added
The Helmsman team, in coordination with its clients, prepared by looking at which areas would be hit the hardest by the storms and put together a plan, according to Mr. Dwortz.
The desire to ensure that workers with injuries are taken care of is an organic part of the organization, according to Ms. Ryan.
“Certainly, the storms and catastrophes last year brought to light a lot of the work that our team did during these tragic events, but when we tap them on the shoulder and recognize them, they really didn’t see this work as all that different from their desire to help injured workers every single day,” said Ms. Ryan.
Finalists:
• CorVel Corp.
• Crawford & Co.
• Gallagher Bassett Services Inc.
• Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc.
2018 Business Insurance US Insurance Awards home
Business Insurance recognized achievements by outstanding executives and teams of professionals working in the field of risk management and commercial insurance at its inaugural U.S. Insurance Awards presentation in New York on March 8.