NICB Welcomes INTERTEL as Strategic Partner

DES PLAINES, Ill., Sept. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is pleased to announce that INTERTEL, Inc. (www.intertelinc.com), one of the original providers of Medical Canvass Investigations, has joined the organization as a strategic partner.

INTERTEL's Medical Check investigations are designed to canvass medical facilities in a specific geographical area to verify when and where an insurance claimant may have received medical treatment in order to quickly spot potential fraud.

Starting at the claimant's home or work address, INTERTEL's Medical Check canvasses the closest 15 facilities up to a 70-mile radius and gathers detailed information that may indicate the presence of a pre-existing condition including:

• Whether the claimant received treatment prior to the date of loss;
• Whether the claimant previously sought treatment for the same alleged injuries;
• Whether the claimant has a history of injury claims; and,
• Whether the reported injuries occurred outside the course of employment.

"Medical fraud against auto and workers compensation insurers is a major focus of our organization," said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. "Partnering with INTERTEL will provide us with vital data that will help uncover potential fraud against our member companies – fraud that impacts the cost of insurance and healthcare for all Americans."

"We're not surprised that many of the world's largest insurance companies, third-party administrators and self-insured organizations choose INTERTEL as the specialized provider of medical treatment information and believe our members will benefit substantially from this strategic partnership," he added.

Steven D. DeRossett, INTERTEL's vice president of client services, said the benefit of the partnership is mutual.  "We look forward to serving NICB's member companies in the fight against insurance fraud and believe our technology will be second to none in achieving significant results," he said.

Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800-TEL-NICB (800-835-6422), texting keyword "fraud" to TIP411 (847411) or submitting a form on our website. Or, download the NICB Fraud Tips app on your iPhone or Android device.

About the National Insurance Crime Bureau:  Headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through data analytics, investigations, training, legislative advocacy and public awareness. The NICB is supported by more than 1,100 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote $371 billion in insurance premiums in 2013, or more than 78 percent of the nation's property/casualty insurance. That includes more than 93 percent ($168 billion) of the nation's personal auto insurance. To learn more, visit www.nicb.org.

About INTERTEL, Inc.:  Headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., INTERTEL provides professional, cost-effective investigative services to assist in the fight against insurance fraud. With dedicated staff serving insurance companies, self-insured companies and third-party administrators around the world, INTERTEL knows how to look for fraud and how to obtain information on those who perpetrate it. To learn more, visit www.intertelinc.com. 

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SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB)