The Black Car Fund Replaces Risk and Claims System, Enhances Reporting

The Black Car Fund was started by the Black Car Assistance Corporation in 1999 to provide workers’ compensation for black car and luxury limousine drivers that work in the state of New York. The fund provides full liability coverage under workers’ compensation and currently serves approximately 10,000 drivers throughout New York and New Jersey.

The Black Car Fund is a non-policy based company. To ensure these independent contractors are covered for work-related injuries, the funds are provided through a surcharge added to each customer-paid trip.

Over time, the Fund’s former claims system became increasingly problematic and was deemed unsuitable for how the organization wanted to do business. The system was not compatible with other internal systems and external entities and as a result, it required substantial manual effort and could not provide staff members with the tools needed to do their jobs effectively. Upgrading was not an option because newer versions of the software did not meet the organization’s needs.

“We first came in contact with DXC at a RIMS conference,” said Vincent Bell, IT director, The Black Car Fund. “A member of the DXC team came into the office and provided a demo for our entire staff. We fell in love with the program, and basically the rest is history on how we transitioned and became a DXC client.”

Getting Information Faster, Using it More Effectively

Integration, automation and access to data were key selling points for Bell and The Black Car Fund management. DXC Insurance RISKMASTER^TM integrates to document management systems, MDGuidelines, ISO, OFAC and MMSEA, eliminating separate, time-intensive processes and easing compliance burdens. The system automatically populates fields, provides alerts and offers easy, role-based access to information.

One of the biggest problems with the old system was reporting. Reports were static, and Fund employees faced significant limitations in what they were able to produce on their own. Comprehensive reports required assistance from the software provider at an additional cost.

“With Insurance RISKMASTER and Business Intelligence, we can pull together a report in 5 minutes, which is something that used to take us a week or two to get from our old vendor,” said Bell. “We’ve already created two dashboards to provide our Board with graphs and charts of historical data. We can now give them information about claims we’ve had over time, the amount of claims received in the last month and so on, rather than just reading off random numbers to them. The system offers a better sense of where the organization is today.”

Saving Time and Money with Hosting

Having DXC host the system provided additional benefits. “As an IT person, I have to think about maintenance of the servers and the whole spectrum, so for us to bring Insurance RISKMASTER in-house would have been more costly,” said Bell. “We have a speedy turnaround from the hosting group. Their support has been really helpful throughout our whole conversion.”

The hosting model also enables clients to stay current on software updates. “The tools that are in there are just so much better, and the system is Web-based,” Bell said. “Attaching a document in the old system was very cumbersome or in some cases, not possible. Now, you just click it on a ‘paperclip.’ Our staff has more tools at their fingertips, and they can work from home or a tablet. It’s a much better interface.”

Improving Productivity

From an IT standpoint, Bell said the security features and access controls within Insurance RISKMASTER are very beneficial. For example, the software’s Power Views function helped establish four unique settings for access: claims unit, claims managers, accounting and general support staff.

“Everybody doesn’t need to see all the medical information or the state jurisdictional forms,” said Bell. “We use Power Views to create the views that users need to see. An accounting person wouldn’t see medical history, and support staff doesn’t see the claimant’s Social Security number or address.”

That translates to improved productivity. “Now everybody is streamlined to their function and is able to focus on what they need to do instead of being bombarded with other options and places to explore,” he added.

Another key factor in the success of the program is DXC’s support. “The service and support DXC provides has been excellent,” Bell said. “I’m never waiting and saying, ‘I wonder if they’re going to get back to me.’ When we get a support ticket, it’s addressed within 24 hours, which is great.”