![\"Risk](\"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/files\/2016\/03\/Sue-Laing.jpg\")
<\/a>The topic of standard trauma definitions is not new. For example, it featured in discussions reported by riskinfo in 2009, including the fact that standard trauma definitions were successfully introduced into the UK market a few years earlier, in order to address consumer calls for greater consistency and clarity at claim time.<\/p>\n
Founder of the risk store, Sue Laing<\/strong>, has spoken with riskinfo about how a standard set of trauma definitions may work, and the consumer benefits that could potentially flow from such a move.<\/p>\n Laing said, “After our risk store adviser forums in 2008 and 2009, we pulled together a forum for the mainstream retail insurers\u2019 senior and executive management to discuss the industry\u2019s issues and challenges \u2013 especially in trauma.”<\/p>\n She noted that MLC’s current Head of Products, Nick Kirwan<\/strong>, who in 2008\/9 was Associate Director of the Association of British Insurers, provided input to the discussion that clarified the outcome of the UK\u2019s drive towards minimum standardised key definitions in trauma products and the standard terminology designed, importantly, to reduce consumer confusion.<\/p>\n She added, “Promise a minimum standard definition and advisers might be a whole lot more engaged without the fear of selling the \u2018wrong\u2019 definition.”<\/p>\n According to Laing, the UK process commenced with the standardising of a few key definitions, which eventually expanded to over 20. Her suggestion for Australian insurers is to consider the possibility of standardising five or six key definitions to start with. She said these would become a base set of definitions that insurers would agree to implement, but which would also allow for the opportunity of enhanced definitions, should the product manufacturers elect to take this option (and thereby retain a potentially competitive advantage).<\/p>\n Laing also suggested that representatives from organisations such as the National Heart Foundation and the Australian Cancer Council be co-opted onto any committee whose role was to determine and agree on the wording of those key definitions.<\/p>\n In calling for the industry to consider the possibility of introducing standard trauma definitions, Laing readily acknowledged that such a move would not necessarily be a \u2018silver bullet\u2019 to solve all claims related issues, but could become an important part of a solution that delivers more consistent outcomes and builds trust in the mind of the consumer\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Recent reporting of claims issues relating to CommInsure and other policy holders has reignited the debate about the merits of standardising trauma definitions across the sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":32743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[4247],"class_list":["post-32700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-products","tag-feature"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32700\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Promise a minimum standard definition and advisers might be a whole lot more engaged…<\/h6>\n