Your average claim takes 45-60 days to settle. It should take 20.

Where Time Gets Lost

Most claims operations track "Days to Close" but don't measure where time actually disappears. Here's the typical timeline breakdown for a standard claim:

• Days 1-3: Initial documents arrive via email, fax, upload portal. Sit in intake queue until assigned. Manual FNOL data entry.
• Days 4-8: Waiting for additional documents from claimants, providers, witnesses. Follow-up calls and emails to request missing information.
• Days 9-15: Document processing backlog. Adjusters manually download, classify, extract data, upload to claim files. Data entry delays.
• Days 16-25: Investigation and assessment. Site visits, expert evaluations, medical reviews. Coordination delays between field adjusters and desk teams.
• Days 26-38: Internal approval workflows. Simple claims requiring supervisor approval sit in queues. Complex claims escalated to multiple levels.
• Days 39-45: Settlement calculation, documentation, payment processing. Manual check generation or ACH setup. Final audit and compliance review.
• Days 46-60: Payment delivery, confirmation, claim closure documentation. Follow-up on uncashed checks or disputed settlements.

Only 30-40% of this time is actual claims work. The rest is waiting, processing, and administrative overhead.

The Business Impact

Long cycle times create compounding problems across the organization:

• Customer dissatisfaction: Industry studies show customer satisfaction drops 15% for every additional week in cycle time. Slow claims processing is the #1 driver of poor NPS scores.
• Capital inefficiency: Claims reserves sit on the books for months. For a carrier with $50M in annual claims, reducing cycle time by 30 days frees up $4M+ in working capital.
• Increased costs: Longer cycles mean more customer service calls, more follow-ups, more escalations. Administrative costs increase 20-30% for claims exceeding target cycle time.
• Competitive disadvantage: Insurtech competitors advertise "claims paid in 3 days." Traditional carriers stuck at 45-60 days lose business to faster alternatives.
• Fraud opportunity: Extended timelines give fraudsters more time to build supporting documentation and narratives. Fast claims processing limits fraud development time.

1. Zero-Touch Document Processing

Documents are processed and attached to claim files within seconds of arrival, eliminating 3-5 day intake delays:

• Email attachments automatically extracted, classified, and filed in claim folders
• Faxed documents captured, OCR'd, and routed to appropriate claims
• Portal uploads instantly processed and attached
• Missing document tracking with automated follow-up requests
• Duplicate detection prevents redundant processing

What used to take 3-5 days for manual processing now happens in under 10 seconds. Claims never wait for documents. See Email-to-Claim Automation for details.

2. Intelligent Auto-Routing

Claims are automatically routed to the right adjuster, specialist, or team based on configurable rules:

• Complexity scoring: AI analyzes claim details to determine complexity level and required expertise
• Workload balancing: Distributes claims evenly across available adjusters based on current caseloads
• Specialty matching: Routes medical claims to medical specialists, property claims to property teams, etc.
• Geographic assignment: Assigns based on adjuster location and territory coverage
• Priority escalation: High-severity claims automatically escalated to senior adjusters

Routing happens instantly at claim creation. No manual assignment queues. No supervisor triage time.

3. Parallel Approval Workflows

Instead of sequential approvals (adjuster → supervisor → manager), Regure enables parallel review and automatic escalation:

• Claims below authority thresholds auto-approved without human review
• Claims requiring approval routed to multiple approvers simultaneously (not sequentially)
• Auto-escalation when approvers don't respond within SLA timeframes
• Pre-validated data and documentation attached to approval requests (no back-and-forth)
• Approval history and audit trail automatically logged

Approval cycle time drops from 5-7 days to 4-8 hours. See Claims Automation Platform for workflow details.

4. Automated Settlement Processing

Once approved, settlement payments are processed automatically:

• Settlement amounts calculated from approved estimates and invoices
• Payment method selection based on payee preferences (ACH, check, card)
• Payment records generated and attached to claim files
• Integration with payment systems (AP systems, payment gateways)
• Payment confirmation tracking and reconciliation
• Automatic claim closure documentation

What used to take 5-7 days for manual payment processing now completes in 1-2 business days.

5. Real-Time Status Tracking

Regure provides complete visibility into where every claim stands in the lifecycle:

• Dashboard showing claims by status: intake, investigation, pending approval, payment processing, closed
• Aging reports highlighting claims exceeding target cycle time
• Bottleneck identification showing where delays are occurring
• Cycle time analytics by claim type, adjuster, office, and line of business
• SLA alerts when claims risk missing target timelines

Operations leaders can identify and address bottlenecks before they impact customer satisfaction.

6. Customer Communication Automation

Customers are kept informed throughout the claims process without manual adjuster involvement:

• Automated acknowledgment when claim is received
• Status update emails when claims move between stages
• Proactive notifications when documents are needed
• Settlement offer communications with accept/decline options
• Payment confirmation messages
• Self-service portal for checking claim status 24/7

Customers don't chase adjusters for updates. They're informed automatically, improving satisfaction while reducing adjuster call volume.