Business Writing for the Claims Examiner

Saturday, April 26, 2003 | 0

The workers compensation claims examiner is probably the ultimate example of the old school educational emphasis on the three r's: reading, [w]riting and [a]rithmetic. The claims examiner needs be adept at math for performing calculations related to disability and indemnity. Reading all day long is a part of the job, as medical reports, letters, and other documents routinely come across the examiner's desk. And, despite every effort to supply examiners with fill-in-the-blank form letters, thoughtfully constructed, grammatically correct writing is essential for the examiner to convey his or her thoughts. Here are a few tips of business writing for the claims examiner.

When you produce quality writing, there is a sense of pride & accomplishment - communicating your thoughts with a document that's "as good as it gets" is good for your file, good for your company, and good for your career, especially in these times where basic communication and English language skills seem to be a little lacking. Here is an editing checklist that is easy to remember and will help to ensure that your writing is effective, clear and conveys your thoughts accurately.

1. My subject line and/or headlines are informative and spark my reader's interest.

One of the most important features of every business document: headlines and/or topic lines. Business readers have a lot to read every day (as you know!). Decisions have to be made in order to prioritize what is read now, what is read later, and what ends up filed (trashed?) without full review. Write an effective heading or subject line and your piece will be read. Failure to include any heading and you risk your piece getting filed without review.

2. My document includes a key word(s).

Key words demand attention and get your piece read. When you do a search on workcompcentral.com, you enter key words because these are the center of your interest. Likewise in business writing, key words are the center of your reader's interest. Key words don't need to be highlighted in red, like they are when a workcompcentral search is performed, because key words in business writing will naturally jump out at the reader. They work in conjunction with the heading or subject title of your piece to immediately convey the direction of your thoughts, helping the reader to get your point quickly and more accurately even if your piece is just scanned and not thoroughly read.

3. My document tells a story.

The old saying, 'every picture tells a story' really should have been every document tells a story - because if it doesn't then it isn't conveying what you are thinking. Stories have beginnings, middles and endings, and so should your business writing. This is a logical flow for thought conveyance. The nice thing about writing is that you can go back and fix your thoughts - something you cannot do with the spoken word. Take that opportunity to ensure that you are telling your story!

4. My document has a visual impact.

Visual impact is just as important as the actual content of your piece. Readability is what we are talking about. If a piece is difficult to actually read, it won't get read, regardless of the content. On the other hand, something that is easy on the eyes will more likely be read first, even if the content isn't as important as the textually dense piece next to it. Make sure your writing has ample white space, that bulleted or numbered lists are used where appropriate, and that charts & tables are used to help explain your position if necessary. Try to limit sentences to 25 words, and keep your paragraphs short and concise, limited to 7 lines or so.

5. My message is clear, well-organized and properly formatted.

Well, this is just a summary of what we're trying to accomplish with our effective business writing techniques! Your writing needs to convey clear thinking in a logical sequence. Make sure that the message is sequenced to keep the reader interested and moving forward and that the action you want the reader to take is clearly spelled out. Keep the piece interesting by putting your personality behind it. The tone should reflect your personality on paper, and of course ensure that the spelling, punctuation and grammar are correct.

Examiners are professionals, and writing skills should reflect your professional nature. Be impressive on paper, and you'll be persuasive in person.

Author, Cyndi Koppany, is Director of Corporate Training for Cambridge Integrated Services Group, Inc. E-mail her at cyndi_koppany@cisgi.com.