Cloud computing specialist, iSaaS Technology, has launched a new biometric identification iPhone application for medical experts, to help diminish fraudulent activity during the personal injury claims process.
The pioneering Corex application – which can be used on an iPhone, iPod or iPad – records biometric evidence, in the form of a photograph taken by the medical expert when examining the claimant. It then automatically appends the photograph to the medical report, embedded with the date, time and GPS stamps, through cloud synchronisation.
Development of the new application is a major step forward in meeting the challenges set down by the Transport Select Committee’s recommendations for tackling fraud in whiplash and personal injury claims. According to new figures released by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), the thriving whiplash industry is pushing up the cost of the average motor insurance policy by 20%. Capturing and recording an image of the claimant during the medical examination process will have a significant impact on the number of fraudulent and over-exaggerated claims.
iSaaS chief technology officer, Dr. David Pearce, explains: “Until now, doctors have had to accept credit card or photo ID driving licences as proof of identity – which they don’t often have the time or facility to photocopy to keep a permanent record. These currently accepted forms of proof of identity can also be easily manipulated for fraudulent purposes.”
During a six month proof of concept, insurers that received reports incorporating the new biometric identification of claimants attending a medical interview confirmed that they valued them as robust evidence of proof of identity. Insurance expert Martin Ward from Green Circle Consulting commented: “We have questioned whether some claimants are
defrauding the system by sending stand-ins to the medical interview in order to try and make fraudulent or over-exaggerated claims. Now that medical experts can capture photographic evidence of the individual being assessed via the Corex iPhone application, such cases will be exposed and act as a future deterrent to fraudsters”.
Medical experts have equally welcomed the innovation. Dr Fotiadis, a medico-legal expert in London explained: “The new iPhone application takes me five seconds to use for each claimant and gives me a simple and reliable method of establishing the identification of the claimant and recording it in my report. It has already identified a case of incorrect identity.”
Claimant lawyers see this as a positive step in improving the accuracy of medical evidence and welcome the opportunity to cross check the photograph in the medical report with the photo ID they hold on file, supporting SRA compliance and money laundering regulations. Kieran Magee a Partner at Gorman Hamilton Solicitors said: “I am in favour of this application and can see it as a great practical tool to assist us in combating fraud. If the claimant refuses to have their photograph taken by the medical expert, I would have to question why? This would lead us to further scrutinise the case – and could result in us ceasing to act for that particular client. This will protect honest policy holders from the impact of fraudulent claims”.
The new iPhone app is a free accessory to the Corex Report writing Software. Corex, which has been providing reports since 2004, is based on a template which allows the medical expert to express his or her own words at each and every part of the reporting process.
