Introduction
Global Health Asia Limited (GHAL) is one of the world’s leading insurance brokers advising on global health insurance and medical insurance cover (Rushton & Youde, 2015). It has over 20000 clients including majorly individuals and families. GHAL has expertise in providing advice on choice of overseas comprehensive global health insurance and medical cover. Global Health Asia Limited was formerly Pathfinder Asia Limited is a third party administrator and agent of American Home Assurance Company. Its services include underwriting, policy administration and claims adjudication (AHAC). Its aim in Singapore is to advise clients on the level of cover they require and give free, confidential advice on which medical insurance overseas is best for them.
Job Analysis for a Health Insurance Specialist in the Company
Health insurance specialists have many responsibilities, which involve the use of medical coding procedures to review patient records. They review claims, verify patient eligibility, medical document charges or other payments, as well as make adjustments in case of any. They also verify the codes used to detect if any error occurred and modified where necessary. Besides, they assist patients to get and understand medical benefits (Fordney, 2014). Health insurance specialists should communicate with other medical staff and insurance providers. They have the responsibility to update internal databases for storage of patient data, registration details, and billing information. They also require having experience in the insurance sector and having completed an educational program in health insurance from community colleges, technical schools, universities, or other business colleges.
Specifications for Insurance health specialists should include skills in medical billing. This involves medical billing as a specialty in the areas like claims and payment processing, medical terminology, as well as coding. They should have knowledge on the use of computer packages, internet etiquette, and data entry in access. Additionally, health insurance specialists may need excellent communication skills, ability to multi-task, as well as assign priority levels (O'Meara & Petzall, 2013). Holding a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) certification through the American Academy of Professional Coders is an added advantage to the specialists
Job Analysis for Claims Representative
They should have 3-5 years’ experience in the insurance field. Education qualification should be at least a bachelor’s degree. Their responsibility includes providing prompt, professional service to the insureds and claimants. They investigate, evaluate, negotiate and settle assigned claims (Markham, 1991). They handle assigned volume of claims, responsible to maintain excellent rapport with insurance agency force, insureds, claimants, attorneys, pathology laboratories, and other relevant medical departments
Claims representatives should possess a positive, professional, cooperative and quality conscious service attitude that upholds central core values of good integrity relationships as well as excellence in performance. They should have the ability to handle in-depth investigations and document properly. Evaluate the damages and do negotiations appropriately for fair settlements on property or liability claims (Markham, 1991). The claim representative should have the ability to make accurate and consistent decisions, as well as participate in mediation where they are needed. Furthermore, they should have the ability to work under pressure, deal with interpersonal conflicts, and handle the heavy workload. They should be able to complete required training programs on time. Additionally, they should be able to occasionally inspect claims and travel including storm duty. They should also have strong written and oral communication skills as a requirement (Markham, 1991).
Job Design for the Claims Department
The position of claim medical representative and claim representative are full-time jobs. The jobs involve traveling from one region of Singapore to another. Travelling involves the use of office vehicles, which are insured and have worked tickets signed before leaving. It involves working in close relationships with medical products companies and health institutions both government or private. The job involves six months' probation before confirmation. Additionally, the job requires one month of orientation. After probation, the employees must sign an employment contract standard form (Robinson-Crowley, 1997).
A worker within the department serve 8 hours of work per days and not more than 44 hours a week. This applies to employees covered under the Employment Act (Robinson-Crowley, 1997). In this department, employees are allowed to work 12 hours per days only in circumstances of travelling outside the region. The following public holidays apply; the New Year’s Day, National Day, Christmas Day, Labor Day, Vesak Day, Good Friday, Hari Raya, the Chinese New Year, Puasa, Deepavali, as well as Hari Raya Haji. These positions attract remuneration based on the position and skills required.
The firm remunerates a 13th-month wage as a yearly bonus. This varies among the workers based on the firm’s policies; besides, are tied to worker performance as well as a performance of the firm. Such details or information is outlined within the contract. The benefits package includes vacation, sick leave, holidays, as well as life insurance including four members of the family and one spouse. In a case on any injury or by bad lack an accident occurs, employees in the department are compensated through the life insurance cover as per the company policies (Robinson-Crowley, 1997). The employees are also entitled to 14 days sick leave, and other details are put in the contract (Lussier & Hendon, 2015). An employee is subject to dismissal incase of misconduct without any notice. Misconduct as instituted in the employment contract includes incompetence, fraud, dishonest to the company and claimants, physical violence in office, willfully disobeying lawful orders, use of abusive behavior, as well as bridge of confidentiality either for claimant, insureds or company (Lussier & Hendon, 2015). The use of drugs during office hour or alcohol and negligence are considered misconducts. However, the Act addressing employment protects employees against dismissal (Lussier & Hendon, 2015).
Recruitment Strategies
Ineffective recruitment strategies may have cost implications to the company such as low staff morale, lost opportunities for business, and high staff turnover (Bhattacharyya, 2011). Several steps need to be followed to fill a position of a Health Insurance Specialist. First, the job description should be known then the responsibilities of the person in the position. The skills and education requirements must also be known before determining the suitable recruitment strategy for identifying most suitable candidates. This assists in determining whether the advertisement should be posted on a newspaper, on a website using the internet, or in recruitment schools. Getting different potential employees from different sources is beneficial for the company as it offers the opportunity to look for specifications and skills among persons.
Training of Hiring Managers
It is crucial to train managers, especially in the positions to recruit. Such training improves selection skills and identifies the relevant or suitable candidates for the position. Training may vary from one organization or company to the other. Training is significant because hiring organizations are most at risk in interviews-what could be said by mistake, what could have been thought to have been said or reported to have been said. That is where the loss of control can become dangerous unless the education program is strong.
A Competency-Based Approach
Competency approach focuses on examples of experience. People give examples of where they work, situations they have encountered, how they went about solving them, and the result of their intervention other than people just stating that they have a particular knowledge or skills (Bhattacharyya, 2011). The competence-based approach emphasizes on soft skills and women are particularly known to be good. In competency-based interviews, candidates are asked to give live examples rather than hypothetical ones (Bhattacharyya, 2011). Returners in this approach can have an opportunity to demonstrate transferable skills, especially in those senior roles.
Newspaper and Web-based Advertisements
This is a widely used method of recruitment, which accounts for almost 50 percent of all new hires in Global Health Asia Limited (Lee, Kamradt‐Scott, Yoon, & Xu, 2012). The advert should have an attractive, clear and eye- catching layout. It only has minimum words to inform any potential candidate on what the job requirements are and how to apply for the position. It explains in detail the person required and the length of work experience needed. It includes how the company can be contacted either by phone, email, or drop in application. The advert is put on a local newspaper to attract the most suitable candidates for the position within Global Health Asia Limited.
Global Health Asia Limited uses Websites advertisements for recruitment. This is done in two ways; one is by posting on the company’s website or by use other recruitment websites on the internet. This website has important information for both the employer and the employee. It may require that immediate follow-up to schedule for selection is done instantaneously as the potential candidates can also be applying for jobs elsewhere.
Referrals by Colleagues, Friends, and other Employees
This method is less expensive and suitable when colleagues and friends clearly understand the type of job. This is normally made internal and external in Global Health Asia Limited. Colleagues or friends recommend people who have good potential to suit the position. This method is the fastest and requires the firm to interview almost all the candidates referred. To ensure appropriate candidates are referred, the firm needs to ensure that colleagues, friend, and other employees are aware of the competencies being sought. The strategy is the best in promoting recruitment of female employees recommended to the company.
Selection Strategies
Different persons and company variables affect job performance, for that reason, it can be difficult to predict future job performance in a company. Therefore, selection processes should not be isolated from other human resource management practices (Landy & Conte, 2010). Psychometric testing is a selection process perceived as a way to ensure that justice is practiced to all candidates.
A sophisticated set of selection processes are the most suggested approaches by human resource managers. Selecting employees based on a single source of information to assess for suitability of candidates for a specific job is termed weak (Lee et al., 2012).
Some of the selection approaches that Global Health Asia Limited uses include: unstructured interviews, which are conducted either face-to-face or as a telephone interview; competency based interviews; as well as using assessment centers to conduct psychometric testing and selection. Nevertheless, there are debates on how to enhance the validity and reliability of selection processes in Global Health Asia Limited. The debates are on concerns about how to ensure there is a just and fair selection, one that can address the issues raised concerning procedural justice (fairness in the processes), and distributive justice (fairness in outcomes) (O'Meara & Petzall, 2013).
What is appreciated in Global Health Asia Limited is that individuals can employ different ways to do a job and still get desired outcomes (be effective). Global Health Asia Limited frequently must endeavor to look into the recruitment and selection policies. Ideally, the issue is complex in comparison to a one-size approach. These processes are isolated from other human resource practices within Global Health Asia Limited.
Interviewing is one of the strategies Global Health Asia Limited uses to select the most suitable candidate to fill vacant positions. An approach to include women on the panel is embraced in Global Health Asia Limited. Policies within Global Health Asia Limited require having a senior female interviewer on the panel. Gender balance among interviewers is a strong strategy in selection within Global Health Asia Limited. In some interviews, Global Health Asia Limited starts with behavioral assessment before the technical questions to help in understanding candidates’ competencies. The formation of selection panel within Global Health Asia Limited never allows all male or female panels, or panel of one gender. The interview panels must be of a ‘gender balance’ with a man and woman on each panel (Varma & Budhwar, 2013). Even though it can take long, selection panel of Global Health Asia Limited considers it good to have selected candidates for each position be informed of interview results as soon as results are finalized so that they know they got the job or missed it. In Global Health Asia Limited, if two candidates are similarly skilled technically then soft skills win over.
Conclusion
As a health insurance company Global health Asia Limited company needs to employ successful recruitment and selection strategies to successfully achieve the goal. This can be done by making clear and understandable job descriptions, clear job analysis to allow adequate recruitment of the most qualified candidates with suitable skills for the positions. This can be achieved through training of interviewers using a competency approach and structured interviews. Jobs should be advertised using reliable methods and should consider having a gender-balanced interviewing panel in all interviews. With this approached in place, clients can be assured of getting the best global insurance services in Singapore.
References
Bhattacharyya, D. K. (2011). Performance management systems and strategies. Dehli: Pearson.
Fordney, M. (2014). Insurance Handbook for the Medical Office. London: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Landy, F. J., & Conte, J. M. (2010). Work in the 21st century: An introduction to industrial and organizational psychology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Lee, K., Kamradt‐Scott, A., Yoon, S., & Xu, J. (2012). Asian contributions to three instruments of global health governance. Global Policy, 3(3), 348-361.
Lussier, R. N., & Hendon, J. R. (2015). Human Resource Management: Functions, Applications, and Skill Development. Sage Publications.
Markham, J. J. (1991). Medical aspects of claims. Malvern, PA: Insurance Institute of America.
O'Meara, B., & Petzall, S. B. (2013). The handbook of strategic recruitment and selection: A systems approach.
Robinson-Crowley, C. (1997). Understanding patient financial services. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers.
Rushton, S., & Youde, J. R. (2015). Routledge handbook of global health security. Milton Park, Abingdon: Routledge, Taylor and Francis.
Varma, A., & Budhwar, P. S. (2013). Managing human resources in Asia-Pacific. Hoboken: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.
