subject: Be Prepared with Case Management Software for Investigations [print this page] Be Prepared with Case Management Software for Investigations
Every organization faces a variety of factors that put their company at risk. Risks may vary between industries, however, one thing remains the same- employers are responsible for protecting their employees and providing them with a safe workplace by mitigating these risks. In some cases, accidents still happen, employees choose not to follow proper procedures and misconduct ensues. In these types of situations, companies will want to ensure they have an effective reporting system in place, as well as proper tools for conducting top notch internalinvestigations.
Our Story
At i-Sight, we understand the different pressures organizations are under to comply with regulations and conduct timely investigations. We developed i-Sight Investigation Software to meet a need we recognized within our own workplaces eleven years ago. Since then, we have continued to enhance our understanding of the issues companies face through speaking with our clients and prospects in order to create a solution that makes their job easier.
Closing the Gap
When an individual or company comes to us requesting more information, or a demonstration of i-Sight,many haveidentified gaps in their current systems, and are looking for a solution that can be built around the processes they already have in place. For example, at Underwriters Laboratories (UL), wanted a system that could handle large volumes of cases,was accessiblefrom any locationdue to traveling investigators and would allow their current investigations team to handle increasing case volumeswithout having to add additional members to the team.
At UL, the ability to build a criminally enforceable case requires detailed tracking of information and coordination with law enforcement agencies. UL originally utilized a simple database; however, the application was not capable of capturing e-mails or attachments and didn'tprovide investigators with a comprehensive "visual" of each case.
According to Judith Lykins, manager, Anti-Counterfeiting Operations at UL:
"Our goal is to keep dangerous products out of the hands of consumers. In order to put together a successful investigation for criminal enforcement, we needed a more effective way to collect, analyze and output our data.
In order to make it easier for members of the Anti-Counterfeiting Operations team to adopt i-Sight, itwas designed to include the same terminology and categories used throughout the process at UL. Now, all members of the Anti-Counterfeiting Operations team have the ability to manage large case loads, while meeting deadlines and submitting consistent reports. i-Sight is a web based system, which makes it easy for traveling investigatorsto work on cases from any location with an Internet connection.
Increasing Enforcement
Organizations can lose thousands, even millions of dollars if investigations are not completed properly. For example, failure to investigate an employee complaint may result in a costly lawsuit, while taking too long to complete an investigation may result in money lost due to ongoing fraudulent actions. In 2003, the State of West Virginia launched a major reform of its workers' compensation system, which was then heavily in debt and losing close to $1 million a day. A key goal of the initiative was to reduce theoccurrenceof fraud and abuse, by stepping up enforcement and by ensuring greater coordination among the state officials who were responsible for overseeing the system.
"'First, we found that the reporting features within i-Sight were excellent,' said Chris Bailes, Director of Operations atthe Office of the Inspector General. 'That is really key, because without good data we can't make good decisions. And second, we appreciated the flexibility that i-Sight gave us. We liked the fact that if we wanted to change our internal procedures six months down the road, i-Sight would allow us to do that.'"
Since implementing i-Sight, the Office of the Inspector General (for the first time ever) has a convenient way of tracking and monitoring court-ordered restitution and repayments.Prior to implementing i-Sight, Bailes statedthey"had over $6 million dollars in restitution and repayment agreements, and a little over 10% of that had been paid. We needed a way to monitor that situation the same way a bank monitors its loan repayments, with automatic alerts when people are missing their payments. i-Sight case management software does that for us,which isa fantastic feature."
