QuestionWhat is the protocol for contacting the responsible party regarding results of estimates and payments? Should the insurance agent volunteer reasons that he/she may be contacting a client when it is not the client that he/she is speaking to?
AnswerEvery company has their own protocol so all I can do is tell you how I handle claims. I'm assuming that you're concerned about a possible privacy violation?
If I'm calling someone regarding a medical claim, HIPAA regulations are very strict regarding privacy so I will not leave any information beyond my name, number and claim number unless it is a voice mail personally identifying the party that I'm leaving the message for.
Sometimes on an auto damage (damage to the car itself) claim, I will leave info as to what I'm calling about as this does not violate any privacy laws. The reason that I do this is many folks think I'm selling insurance. If they know that my call regards a claim, they are much more likely to forward the message.
Though I don't leave more info than that, I don't believe that there are any legal issues on auto damage claims that are covered under HIPAA other than than personally identifying info like SS#'s DOB, etc. It's the medical/injury claims that we have to be very careful about.
I hope this answers your question, but if you need further info, please feel free to ask and I'd also appreciate your feedback.
