National AutoBody Research (NABR) has announced the coming launch of the Variable Rate System (VRS) Procedures Document Search functionality, an online, searchable library of documents showing non-included procedures and operations paid by insurers.
Integrated into the Variable Rate System (VRS), this new functionality enables shops to collect payment on more of their work by providing actual documents such as insurer estimates, shop estimates, checks and insurer claim numbers that prove that a particular insurer paid a shop somewhere for a certain procedure.
NABR began its research on procedures and payments in April 2015, asking shops which insurers paid them for what procedures.
“In that early research, we observed a glaring imbalance,” said Sam Valenzuela, president of NABR. “Some shops got paid for performing a certain procedure, for example finish, sand and buff, while others did not, even for the same work in the same state and with the same insurer. But that research didn’t go far enough. What shops really needed was documented proof of an insurer paying for that procedure. We decided that NABR could best add value to this issue by leveraging our existing VRS labor rate technology and search engine, and extending that capability for use on procedures-related documents. It makes good sense because labor rates and procedures go hand in hand. Not only do shops need to get paid for the work they do in non-included procedures, but also they need to get paid at the right labor rate. Now, when a shop does the work and can show the insurer their own estimate and claim number for a completed repair where finish, sand and buff got paid to a different shop somewhere else, there’s simply no disputing it. The shop gets paid.”
Added Eric McKenzie, VRS subscriber and director of body shop operations for Park Place dealerships, which includes Park Place Bodywerks in Dallas, Texas, the largest volume collision repair center in the nation. This new document search capability in the Variable Rate System is a significant development for the collision repair industry. It enables shops everywhere to get paid for the work they already do but don’t always collect on. Especially for a high-volume shop like ours, but also for any shop of any size, not getting paid for non-included procedures leaves thousands of dollars on the table. Because many shops perform the work anyway but just absorb the cost, getting paid for those procedures will go straight to the bottom line.”
The new VRS procedures document search functionality will launch by the end of the third quarter this year and will be included at no additional charge for all current VRS subscribers. To learn more about National Autobody Research, visit www.nationalautobodyresearch.com.
