The Connection Magazine The Connection Magazine Spring 2018 | Page 25

BUSINESS APPETITE
Dan Landers
DEVELOPING NICHE
MARKETS AS PART OF
OUR BUSINESS APPETITE
Dan Landers is
Director of Field
Operations for A.I.M.
Mutual, responsible
for underwriting,
marketing, and agency
operations as well as
injury prevention and
wo rksite wellness.
He has more than
twenty-five years
of experience in
workers’ compensation
operations throughout
New England.
BY: DANIEL LANDERS,
DIRECTOR OF FIELD OPERATIONS, A.I.M. MUTUAL
IN WORKERS’ comp, we’re often asked
about our “business appetite.” What
business do we want to write and what
are we especially good at? How does ours
differ from other insurers’? Who should
we partner with and how do we deliver on
expectations?
Our business appetite, in fact, runs a time-
tested gamut. Our insured clients vary by
size, industry, ownership, and organizational
structure and philosophy, to name just a few.
Yet our expertise allows us to go beyond
what’s expected, specializing in some
industries generally considered high-risk.
Take, for instance, healthcare. How did
these types of facilities become such a key
part of our business appetite?
In short, it comes down to talent and
experience.
Distinction In The Marketplace
By definition, business appetite is the
amount and type of risk that an organization
is willing to take in order to meet its strategic
objectives. With nearly three decades of
experience and some remarkable broker
partnerships, we continue to successfully
build a diverse book and expand our territory.
At A.I.M. Mutual, we provide a standard
workers’ compensation policy to our
insured clients, like all carriers do. Workers’
compensation insurance coverage is
mandated and is essentially the same for
every client. From carrier to carrier, there is
virtually no difference.
But that’s where the similarities end. The
big differences come in what surrounds
and supports the coverage in the way of
service, expertise, and commitment. As a
monoline carrier, for instance, we are able
to focus our service efforts exclusively on
workers’ compensation insurance. Since our
staff members are not tasked with handling
multiple lines of insurance, they are truly
workers’ comp specialists. They have to be,
given the wide variety of risks we insure.
What’s more, we are able to specialize in
certain industries to a greater extent, thanks
to the experience level we have in select
disciplines. One of our specialty areas is
healthcare, including both long-term care and
acute care facilities.
Expertise In Healthcare
Why healthcare? This industry, actuarially
speaking, is a very high-hazard business.
Why, then, would a workers’ comp insurance
company want to insure a risk that historically
sees higher rates of workplace injury?
They wouldn’t—unless they had in-house
expertise.
At A.I.M. Mutual, we have invested
heavily in healthcare as a niche market.
Our A.I.M. Mutual Injury Prevention and
Worksite Wellness teams have years of
experience getting to the root cause of
injuries in healthcare. Through thorough
analysis and hands-on experience, they
know how to reduce or eliminate exposure
to the most severe injuries that typically
occur in healthcare facilities. Site visits,
presentations, and analysis are part of their
consulting services, all done in collaboration
with the insurance broker and the insured
client.
In addition, our A.I.M. Works—The
Wellness Advantage program has had an
impact, helping to improve results through
decreased recovery times and quicker
return-to-work rates. Data confirms a
healthier employee is more productive, has
fewer injuries, and recovers more quickly if
injured.
In addition, our claims adjusters and
regional claim specialists are well-versed
in how to handle claims that occur in the
25
healthcare industry. They understand the
best way to mitigate costs with timely,
in-depth claims investigations and won’t
be fooled by false accountings of what
happened leading up to an injury. They
know what healthcare jobs entail and what
injury exposures are prevalent. With their
knowledge base, they earn credibility with
the injured worker and facilitate medical care
management.
Finally, our claim specialists understand
what jobs are available to an injured worker
as a transitional return-to-work. They help
identify meaningful work that needs to get
done, a benefit to both the policyholder and
the recovering employee.
Broker Buy-In
Working with the right insurance broker is
an important part of finding the right insured
client. Not all employers are prepared to
make injury and claim management a part of
their everyday practice.
We look to partner with brokers who
share our expertise and understand the
value of workers’ compensation insurance
management. The commitment of the
policyholder is paramount. In our Policyholder
Spotlight feature (page 26), we see the
success Havenwood Heritage Heights
has had in promoting a safe workplace. A
teamwork approach often yields excellent
results, lowers insurance costs, and most
importantly, helps prevent injuries on the job.
Healthcare is just one example of our
expertise at work in a specialized industry.
To learn about more such industries, visit
our website at the tabs Services/Injury
Prevention/By Industry or contact our
Underwriting staff. Our service capabilities
are always changing and growing as we
meet employer demands in this dynamic
marketplace.