MADISON, Wis. — CUNA Mutual Group received first place in the 2007 INNovators Award competition, sponsored by Insurance Networking News magazine. The award recognizes innovative insurance carriers, agencies and brokerages whose business technology acumen produces demonstrable, tangible results.
A panel of insurance industry experts, including industry analysts, consultants and members of the INN Board of Advisors, chose the winners from the nominees chosen by INN readers.
"The winners are deemed to have led or contributed to a business application, innovation or project anywhere in the insurance industry supply chain that uses technology to meet business requirements," said Holli Gronset, Insurance Networking News associate publisher. "In that regard, technology solution providers played a key role in helping these companies achieve their goals."
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CUNA Mutual received first place for development and implementation of its Claim Express project. This specialized claims processing solution included end-to-end automated workflow, resulting in a 75% decrease in claims process payment backlogs and an increase in automatic payments by 30%. Partnering with business units, the CUNA Mutual IT team then conducted a closed file audit to determine best practices and incorporated changes to further improve the claims process.
"From an editorial perspective, it's encouraging to see the depth and breadth of dynamic and versatile technology innovations that serve as critical engines moving our industry forward," said Pat Speer, editor-in-chief of Insurance Networking News. "Also encouraging is the level of human involvement in these innovations, which speaks to the dedication, enthusiasm and teamwork necessary for excellence."
Second- and third-place winners were Mutual of Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska, and XL Insurance, New York, respectively.
"Credit unions want access to tremendous expertise and a partner that is looking ahead and building for the future while simultaneously delivering results today. Claims Express is a great example of innovation, driving business value, and business and IT working together to deliver the right product for our customers," said CUNA Mutual Chief Information Officer Tom Gosnell.
In addition to the INN award, CUNA Mutual also received an honorable mention in the 2007 HP Software BTO Awards of Excellence for the Americas region. The awards recognize organizations using HP software to optimize the business outcomes of IT.
CUNA Mutual received the HP award in the Excellence in IT Operations category, which recognizes enterprises that excel in supporting business goals by optimizing the IT infrastructure and the performance and availability of applications in production.
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