Iress has announced the release of an automatic medical underwriting indicator across its life, critical illness and income protection services on The Exchange. The feature instantly highlights required routine medical checks based on age and cover amount, streamlining application workflows and ensuring clients are placed on risk faster.
Integrated into the quote comparison results screen within The Exchange, the functionality extends beyond a simple Yes/No flag, delivering an immediate breakdown of evidence requirements that eliminates the need for manual risk aggregation.
Iress says the indicator also acts as an 'Underwriting Knowledge Hub', providing advisers with centralised access to relevant provider resources. Direct links to non-medical underwriting limits, underwriting outcome tools, and calculators can all be accessed without leaving the quote screen.
By automating complex limit calculations, centralising resources, and setting accurate expectations upfront, the feature mitigates the risk of unexpected delays, alleviates the administrative burden on advisers, and reduces the time from quote to policy completion.
Jacqueline Durbin, head of product sourcing at Iress, commented: "The new automatic medical underwriting indicator transforms complexity into clarity. We know advisers spend countless hours wrestling with automatic underwriting rules across different products. The indicator eliminates that manual burden by providing an instant, granular breakdown of automatic medical evidence requirements down to the client and the benefit. This isn't just about saving time; it's about empowering advisers to deliver advice with confidence, ensuring absolute transparency for the client - ultimately, getting protection in place faster. This sets a new standard for efficiency and client service in the protection market."
The Exeter’s head of protection distribution, Jamie Page, said: “This is a fantastic step forward in simplifying the protection journey for advisers and clients alike. With the latest Association of Mortgage Intermediaries’ (AMI) viewpoint showing that one in five consumers drop out of the protection journey, enhancements like these play a vital role in reducing friction and improving clarity and certainty at the point of advice. By giving advisers instant access to medical evidence requirements and key underwriting resources, it not only streamlines workflows but helps to present the value protection brings in a seamless way.”
London & Country’s head of protection distribution and provider relationships, Chloe Davis, added: “Understanding when and what medical evidence or checks may be required when recommending a protection policy can be extremely helpful in both setting client expectations and ensuring the application process runs smoothly.”
