The Human Side of Claims

A little while back, I had a post go viral.

It was about the human side of claims.

The response blew me away.

So many people reached out to me.

Either wanting more information. Or wanting to tell me how much the post resonated with them.

It went like this...

Yesterday, I got the most AMAZING email.

A message from?J. Michael Pritt, a claims professional with whom I'm connected via LinkedIn; I don't know him personally.

He proceeded to tell me a story about the types of claims he handles, mostly high-exposure ones with catastrophic injuries. At the end of 2020, he was handling two claims that were particularly intense from a damages perspective. He candidly shared how he found himself "not being ok."

As he observed, one of the more extraordinary developments in claims over the years is the technology that's now available.

Bodycam footage, traffic cam footage, Ring footage, dashcam footage, witness cell phone footage, Tesla footage, bus camera footage, and on and on!

The technology can make claims investigation much easier.

Because you get to see what happened.

But the blessing is also the curse.

Because you get to SEE what happened.

You get to SEE how a person was injured or died.

You get to HEAR their cries of pain and sorrow.

You get to SEE and HEAR the fear, anxiety, and pain of others.

You get to see every grueling detail.

And, somehow, you have to figure out a way to leave all of what you see "at work."

20 years ago, I handled a fire case, which resulted in the death of several young children.

The pictures of their bodies, well, those images stayed with me.

Crystal clear, as if I had seen those photos only yesterday.

The tech available now just makes THAT ?? much worse.

Once you see those things, it can be hard to unsee them.

To separate yourself from that moment and not think about it happening to your loved ones.

But here's where what he wrote that hit home...

He decided to do something about what he was feeling.

He knew that if he was experiencing it, others were, too.

So, he approached?PURE Insurance, his employer, about offering a course for claims adjusters to help deal with the trauma they experience in their claims handling.

And when he didn't find anything on point, he created one.

He researched and found a similar training course "The Certified Trauma-Informed Lawyer" offered through the National Center for Equity and Agency by Dr. Laura Mcguire.

And he reached out to her.

With her help, over the course of the next 6 months, they developed "The Certified Trauma-Informed Insurance Professional."

This course launched at Pure Insurance and it was so well-received that Pure has now made that training mandatory for their entire claims organization.

There's so much I loved about Michael's DM.

His vulnerability.

His efforts to help others.

Pure Insurance saying "yes" to all of it.

But most of all, them putting a spotlight on something not talked about that much.

The impact of trauma on the claims community.

So I wanted to shine a spotlight on him and Pure Insurance.

For being the change we all want to see.

__________________________________________

That post dropped and within hours, the response was overwhelming.

Both Michael and I were frankly shocked by it.

The outpouring of support was simply amazing.

So, Micheal took it as a sign that he hit a nerve.

A good one!

And now the course is officially available to the entire claims community.

If you want to get more information on it or learn how to bring it to your claims organization, here is the link: https://www.equityandagency.com/insurancecert

Happy Friday!