News | August 18, 1998

Crawford-THG Named UK's Loss Adjuster Of The Year

Crawford-THG, Crawford & Company's wholly owned subsidiary for international operations, has been selected Loss Adjuster of the Year in this year's British Insurance Awards, for the work of its HealthCare Management Division.

The awards are sponsored by Timothy Benn Publishing Ltd., a London-based firm that publishes insurance-industry magazines including Post Magazine, Insurance Weekly, Reinsurance and Professional Broking. Crawford-THG's HealthCare Management Division pioneered the proactive approach of returning injured workers to work through case management and rehabilitation. Since being launched three years ago, the division has rapidly become a leading health-related claims service in the UK. The service employs qualified medical and vocational personnel and operates in all situations involving workplace accidents, motor vehicle accidents, long-term disability for sickness and absenteeism management. The division is expanding its services to provide Managed Care in the Critical Illness area and expects to administer Private Medical Insurance Claims soon.

Deborah Edwards, Crawford-THG healthcare director, said the division's objective is to ensure that injured people receive the best and most cost-effective medical treatment and vocational counseling so they can return to pre-injury work or alternative suitable employment as fast as possible.

The division works on behalf of employers, insurance companies, self-insureds and captives on either a case-by-case basis or programmed approaches in association with Crawford-THG's Claims Management and Liability Loss Adjuster divisions. Edwards said the division typically achieves savings equal to 25 percent to 50 percent of the reserve, or projected cost.

The company says the division helps control the cost of claims by both weeding out exaggerated claims and ensuring that genuinely sick and injured workers receive appropriate care. Its work focuses on three phases—medical management, return-to-work assistance and absenteeism control.

Edwards is a registered nurse who transferred to London from a case management position with Crawford in Pensacola, FL, to launch the company's healthcare service in the UK in October 1994.