Health Insurance
SITUATION
In order to be more competitive, a health insurance services company engaged The Highland Group to help it reduce the cost of operations and turnaround time and improve service levels.
DRIVER GOAL
- Reduce the cost of operations by 30% while eliminating work backlogs.
- Reduce the turnaround time of operational activities by 50%.
- Update 90% of database information annually.
RESULT
- Reduced operating costs by 30%.
- Reduced backlogs 80-90%.
- Reduced operational activity turnaround times 50-90%.
- Improved initial data load quality to 98% or above.
Case Study
Reduce Costs & Improve Profitability
Issue
In order to be more competitive, a health insurance services company engaged The Highland Group to help it reduce the cost of operations and turnaround time and improve service levels.
Highland Approach
The Highland Group conducted a Discovery and Design process to identify the key drivers of excess costs and turnaround time. The resulting visual maps delineated waste and redundancies as well as opportunities for streamlined or automated procedures. The team implemented Systems For Managing to support and sustain performance improvements.
Actions Taken
- Designed and implemented workforce management systems, work standards, project management tools and management reporting across all operational departments.
- Conducted employee skill assessments and developed training plans to increase competency levels.
- Streamlined processes to reduce non-value-added activities and eliminate cross-departmental redundancy and confusion.
- Developed and implemented new procedures and electronic mechanisms to increase automation of processing from 5% to over 25%.
- Changed organizational structures to match span-of-control and skill set requirements.
- Implemented floor management tools and supervisory behavioral models to assist in productivity and quality improvements.
- Developed data management procedural and system changes to reduce top data errors and provide more frequent data update capabilities.
- Implemented a project prioritization, rationalization and resource management process for the IT organization.
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