San Rafael, CA
– June 14, 2005 –American All Risk Insurance Services, Inc. (AARIS), a leading supplier of California workers’ compensation insurance products and services, said today that it is partnering with sharedHR, a fast-growing supplier of online services to HR professionals. The two companies are jointly building a Web-based system to manage the retrieval of employee census data and the distribution of employee notifications required by new workers’ compensation regulations. SharedHR, headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, has provided its easy-to-use human resource management system to AARIS and its affiliate companies since 2001.San Francisco-based AARIS has established a Medical Provider Network (MPN) for tens of thousands of its policyholders as allowed by workers’ compensation reform legislation signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The legislation, SB899, allows for the creation of MPNs so that insurers can direct workers injured on the job to doctors and other medical providers within a pre-defined network, and then monitor the progress of their treatments.
Since SB899 requires insurers to track and ultimately prove employees were notified of their rights under a MPN, AARIS was faced with the monumental task of gathering and managing employee data from thousands of companies throughout California, said Paul Finkle, President and CEO of sharedHR. SharedHR will simplify this process, and make life easier for both employers and insurers, he added.
"We’re delighted to have an opportunity to work with AARIS, one of the big players in the California workers’ compensation market," said Finkle. "With the expansion of our proven and reliable Internet-based technology, AARIS will be able to manage the complexity of the MPN processes, confidently serve the varied needs of its policy holders, and comply with the new regulations."
"We chose sharedHR because we’ve been pleased with the performance and flexibility of their HR management system," said AARIS President, Robert Darby. "SharedHR’s web-based technology will enable us to collect necessary data from our insureds in a variety of manners based on their preferences. Likewise, mandatory employee notifications can be handled several ways according to our client’s wishes," Darby added. "It is important that we can establish such flexible options to our insureds while ensuring our MPN processes will create the cost controls they seek," Darby said.