Abstract:
A method and system for evaluating insurability of an applicant for insurance from a carrier. A server, receiving and responsive to communications from a client computer, renders a contemporaneous insurability decision. The communications from the client computer include responses to an interactive questionnaire presented via a browser. A database associated with the server stores a comprehensive set of questions for collecting underwriting information and the server executes processing rules to determine which questions to present in the questionnaire. The questionnaire includes base questions and detail questions. The detail questions are each related to at least one of the base questions for collecting further information related to the respective base question. The server renders the insurability decision and exports a summary file to the carrier. The summary file includes the questions and responses thereto as well as the insurability decision.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates generally to insurance underwriting and, particularly, to a computerized system that gathers underwriting information, evaluates risk, and produces a point-of-sale decision on an applicant&#39;s insurability.  
           [0002]    In the U.S., the average life insurance application takes about six weeks from application date to receipt of all delivery requirements. Unfortunately for life insurance companies, each day that the applicant waits for a response from the carrier decreases the likelihood that he or she will accept the policy. The distribution and ongoing servicing of all financial service products is changing radically. This includes life insurance. Prior methods of performing all of the steps necessary to get a life insurance contract between the customer and the insurance carrier are too slow, too expensive, and too limited in choices to the customer. Many new companies and new entrants are converging rapidly to improve dramatically every step that is involved. Therefore, any reduction in application processing time is desirable.  
           [0003]    Presently available underwriting systems attempt to allow life insurance underwriters to define and create their own underwriting rules and decision processes for point-of-sale underwriting. Those skilled in the art are familiar with the use of interactive questionnaires for assessing risk in insurance cases. Typically, automated underwriting systems ask for personal details needed to make underwriting decisions. A risk assessment interview begins with questions designed to prompt the applicant to disclose pertinent conditions. These questions are the same as the questions printed on a traditional insurance application form (e.g., “Have you ever suffered from disorder of the stomach, bowel, or any digestive disorder?”). Depending on the answers to the beginning questions, known automated systems prompt the disclosure of further information about various conditions. Often, each condition disclosed by an applicant will have a set of drill down questions associated with it. The drill down questions are designed to gather further specific details in a controlled form. The applicant&#39;s characteristics and his or her answers to previous questions determine the order in which questions are asked in the assessment. For each applicant, questioning continues until an underwriting decision can be made. Conventional underwriting, including automated underwriting using such an interactive risk assessment questionnaire, yields an underwriting decision (i.e., accept, decline, etc.) for various conditions based on detailed information about each disclosed condition. It is also known to refer complex cases to manual underwriting.  
           [0004]    A well known numerical rating method of underwriting attributed to Arthur Hunter and Oscar Rogers provides a numerical assessment or rating of the insurance risk presented by a particular applicant. The rating method of Hunter and Rogers assigns “credits” (e.g., negative values) to favorable factors and “debits” (e.g., positive values) to unfavorable factors based on the applicant&#39;s answers to an insurance application questionnaire. The amount of the credits and debits vary according to an assessed level of risk associated with the particular factor. The factors considered to be relevant to insurability typically relate to past and current medical conditions, age, height, weight, as well as nonmedical or lay factors. According to this well known rating system, the total rating, after accumulating the applicant&#39;s debits and credits, determines whether or not the insurance provider should accept or deny the applicant and, if accepted, the premium level required. (See The Life Office Management Association, Life Company Operations, pp. 360-61 (1982)). Over the years, the numerical rating method has been refined by numerous underwriters as new information becomes available concerning the various risk factors and to suit the particular needs of the insurance providers.  
           [0005]    Known underwriting systems examine an applicant&#39;s various conditions as independent events and render their underwriting decisions based on a particular condition. Other known underwriting systems make cumulative underwriting decisions based on all conditions.  
           [0006]    DeTore et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,840 (the &#39;840 patent) discloses information processing apparatus and methods for evaluating the insurability of a potentially insurable risk. The &#39;840 patent describes an initial underwriting stage followed by a complex underwriting stage. During initial underwriting, DeTore et al. identify problems in an application database and match each problem to a corresponding impairment in an underwriting knowledge base. In addition, a particular impairment may have a programmed knowledge base or expert module associated with the impairment. DeTore et al. complete the underwriting process by (1) using an expert module, when available, to underwrite the impairment; (2) using a textual description of the underwriting process in the knowledge base to underwrite an impairment for which an expert module does not exist; and (3) allowing the underwriter the option to underwrite an impairment for which neither an expert module nor a textual description of the underwriting process exists. Elements of information relating to a particular risk (such as information taken from an insurance application form) are stored in the first database. DeTore et al. evaluate the stored information and identify additional elements of information (e.g., medical examinations, test reports, financial statements, and public records) needed to assess the risk. These elements of information from the first database are correlated with corresponding elements of information previously stored in the second database.  
           [0007]    In the &#39;840 patent, DeTore et al. assign weights to the elements of information in the first database either by software or by an underwriter or other system user. The weights must be assigned to at least one of the selected elements of information from the first database on the basis of predetermined relationships existing between the elements of information in the first database and corresponding elements of information in the second database. In the initial underwriting stage, software assigns weights on the basis of predetermined relationships stored in the program. DeTore et al. also require monitoring an input device for entry of the assigned weight.  
           [0008]    Presently available expert systems for underwriting, including the systems described above, suffer from an over reliance upon a tree stricture type of analysis, and the lack of a holistic perspective. The tree approach (i.e., if the answer is A, go down this path, or if the answer is B go down this other path) becomes unwieldy as the tiers of branches increase.  
           [0009]    Looking at these systems from an input standpoint, one must either aggravate the person entering the information by asking a multitude of very specific but tedious questions, or else risk the calamity of branching incorrectly at some point and following the wrong path to a meaningless conclusion. The prior art software used for automated underwriting asks too many questions, leading underwriters to complain that it actually takes longer to enter all of the data than it would have taken for an underwriter to manually make the decision.  
           [0010]    The maintenance perspective of existing systems is also problematic. If a rule is changed early in the tree structure, it would likely result in the need for cascading changes throughout the rest of the tree. Even worse, other trees could be using similar questions and, thus, those questions and answers and links would need to be found and updated as well.  
           [0011]    Another shortfall of conventional expert underwriting systems is the clumsy handling of synergies. Consider the process of underwriting a diabetic: If that person also has hypertension, then the debits associated with the combination are going to be higher than the arithmetic sum for diabetes plus hypertension. Conversely, for a skydiver who also explores caves, the arithmetic sum associated with these hazards is likely too high since the applicant cannot normally participate in both activities at one time. Prior art systems require that several questions be asked to correctly handle synergies—sometimes even repeating the same question just because it occurred in more than one tree being traversed.  
           [0012]    In light of the foregoing, a convenient, web-enabled system that allows non-underwriting as well as underwriting professionals to gather underwriting information is desired. Such an improved system should be able to produce a decision at the point of sale on whether the applicant is accepted, denied or referred to a human underwriter. Moreover, such a system that can be customized for each carrier that uses it is needed. The carrier should be able to gather custom detailed information as well as select from default questions or create its own questionnaire. The system should also have the ability to track the questions asked of a particular applicant and the applicant&#39;s answers.  
         SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
         [0013]    The invention meets the above needs and overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by providing improved underwriting with a convenient, web-enabled system. According to one aspect of the invention, a robust and intuitive computerized underwriting system quickly and efficiently handles multiple online insurance applications, including managing input errors by applicants. The present invention is also flexible to permit customization for several different modes of selling and for foreign markets and to permit non-underwriting as well as underwriting professionals to gather information from applicants. Advantageously, such an improved system is able to produce a decision at the point of sale on whether the applicant is accepted, denied or referred to a human underwriter. Within these broad categories, the acceptance may be at one of various premium levels; the decline may be until a certain time period has elapsed (for reconsideration); and the referral to a human underwriter may ask for additional, free-form, information from the applicant, or trigger queries to third party sources for more information. Further aspects of the invention permit fast and easy changes across several client platforms and maintain the privacy of applicant information and the confidentiality of the underwriter&#39;s proprietary set of rules. Moreover, the features of the present invention described herein are less laborious and easier to implement than currently available techniques as well as being economically feasible and commercially practical.  
           [0014]    Briefly described, a computerized method of evaluating insurability of an applicant for insurance from a carrier includes defining processing rules. The processing rules determine which questions in a comprehensive set of application questions are to be presented to the applicant for collecting underwriting information from the applicant and determine an order of presentation of the questions. The processing rules are based on underwriting rules associated with the carrier for rendering a decision on the insurability of the applicant from the underwriting information collected from the applicant. The method also includes presenting an interactive questionnaire via a browser operating on a client computer, receiving responses to the questions, and rendering a contemporaneous decision on the insurability of the applicant based on the questionnaire and the responses thereto from the applicant. In this embodiment, the questionnaire includes one or more base questions and one or more detail questions selected from the comprehensive set of questions according to the processing rules. The detail questions are each related to at least one of the base questions for collecting further information related to the respective base question.  
           [0015]    A computerized system embodying aspects of the invention includes a data communication network and a server, receiving and responsive to communications from a client computer, for rendering a contemporaneous decision on the insurability of an applicant. The server and client computer are both coupled to the data communication network and the communications from the client computer include responses to an interactive questionnaire presented via a browser operating on the client computer. The system also includes a database associated with the server. The database stores a comprehensive set of questions for collecting underwriting information from the applicant. In this embodiment, the questionnaire includes one or more base questions and one or more detail questions selected from the comprehensive set of questions according to processing rules executed by the server. The detail questions are each related to at least one of the base questions for collecting further information related to the respective base question. The server renders the insurability decision on the applicant based on the questionnaire and the responses thereto from the applicant. The system further includes a first interface for exporting a summary file to the carrier. The summary file includes the questions presented in the questionnaire and the responses thereto and includes the insurability decision on the applicant.  
           [0016]    Alternatively, the invention may comprise various other methods and apparatuses.  
           [0017]    Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computerized underwriting system according to one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2 is an exemplary screen shot from an interactive questionnaire for collecting underwriting information.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the system of FIG. 1 as implemented by a markup language application.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the logical architecture of the system of FIGS. 1 and 3.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the physical architecture of the system of FIGS. 1 and 3. 
     
    
       [0023]    Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0024]    Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a computerized underwriting system  100  embodying aspects of the invention. The system  100  is a web-enabled application that allows an insurance provider, or carrier  102 , to gather underwriting information for producing a point-of-sale decision on an applicant&#39;s insurability. Advantageously, the information need not be gathered by a professional underwriter. System  100  integrates a risk assessment questionnaire  104  (see FIG. 3) with underwriting rules  106  (see FIG. 3) to create an interactive questionnaire for assessing risk in insurance cases. The questions are generally of the type printed on a traditional insurance application form (e.g., “Have you been treated for or diagnosed as having respiratory disorder including asthma and emphysema?”). Depending on the answers to the beginning questions, system  100  prompts the applicant to disclose further information about various conditions. Typically, each condition disclosed by the applicant will have a set of drill down or detail questions associated with it. The drill down questions are designed to gather further specific details in a controlled form. System  100  presents questions to the applicant one at a time and the applicant&#39;s answer determines which question will be asked next in the sequence. In one embodiment of the invention, system  100  provides graphical interfaces for presenting questions in the form of two side-by-side frames. One frame contains base questions along with yes/no check boxes and the other frame contains detail questions relating to the condition disclosed by the particular base question.  
         [0025]    The applicant&#39;s characteristics and his or her answers to previous questions determine which questions will be asked later in the assessment. For example, if the applicant discloses a particular condition, several reflexive drill down questions may apply to seek additional information. However, the applicant&#39;s answer to the first drill down question may resolve all of the subsequent questions, allowing them to be skipped. In this manner, system  100  presents the applicant only with questions from a comprehensive set of application questions that are related to the conditions he or she has disclosed. The carrier  102  can select the set of questions  104  for the applicant from default questions in the system or it can request its own set of questions. The depth and breadth of underwriting can be varied according to the sales need or other considerations. For example, a rule set can be as simple as a relatively small number of base questions or have many levels of nesting to provide the level of granularity desired by the underwriter. Moreover, it is contemplated that a detail question could serve as a base question for other detail questions.  
         [0026]    In one embodiment of the present invention, system  100  is customizable for different carriers, jurisdictions, and so forth. For example, system  100  differentiates the small number of base level questions by scenario (a set based primarily upon location) and has multiple scenarios that utilize a single set of rule trees for multiple locations with minimal redundancy of data. In the case of life insurance sales in the United States, differences in the insurance laws from one state to another may lead carrier  102  to use many different applications, each with different language, for a single insurance product. Similarly, the different products offered by carrier  102  will likely have different underwriting rules or different debits applied to various impairments. Conventional rules database systems must maintain several copies of their rules, which increases both storage and maintenance requirements.  
         [0027]    In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, a web server  108  handles the presentation of system  100  and provides an interface to the other layers of the system. The web server  108  executes routines to generate hypertext markup language (HTML) documents for a client browser of an end user  110 . Although not limited to such browsers, two examples of suitable browsers for use in connection with the present invention are those shipped with Microsoft® Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator®. In this instance, the end user  110  is situated at a call center operated by carrier  102  or even in the applicant&#39;s home or office. It is to be understood that system  100  can be implemented either as a stand-alone web site or can co-exist as a frame within the existing web site of carrier  102 .  
         [0028]    Further, an application server  112  executes business logic and data management tasks for system  100 . As will be described below, the application server  112  manages a database  116 , which stores, for example, one or more user specific state files  114  (see FIG. 3) containing information from the insurance application. Although the database  116  is shown separately from application server  112 , it is to be understood that in other embodiments of the invention, database  116  may be contained within server  112 . Database  116  preferably has a built-in audit tracking feature, which allows system  100  to perform historical tracking and to regenerate questions asked an applicant for a past date and time. This can save untold hours of reconstruction necessary with other systems, particularly for large sets of applicants (e.g., a class action lawsuit). In addition, such a feature provides a reporting facility for historical tracking, ad-hoc queries, and other management information. Historical tracking provides the means to view what rules were in place at a given date.  
         [0029]    In operation, system  100  executes a set of processing rules  124  (see FIG. 3) to render a decision based on the information gathered from the applicant through these questions. System  100  automatically decides whether to accept, decline, or postpone coverage, apply premium loadings, or request medical reports. The system  100  refers complex cases for manual underwriting. Following the risk assessment phase, system  100  reports the underwriting decision to the applicant.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 2 is an exemplary screen shot of a base application question presented to the applicant side-by-side with one or more associated detail questions. With respect to browser presentation, system  100  presents a tabbed dialog user interface for navigating user  110 . Once all of the information on a tab is complete, system  100  permits next tab to be viewed. For example, FIG. 2 shows a “Program” tab for displaying information about carrier  102  and a “Plan” tab for gathering premium-related information such as term length and payment. A tab labeled “Personal” contains specific applicant information and an “Applicant Questions” tab is used for presenting the risk analysis questionnaire to the applicant. An “eApplication” tab informs the applicant of the final decision. A “Special Questionnaire” tab, not shown, contains “Refer to Underwriter” questions plus the question\statement that gave rise to the referral action. If a rule results in a “Refer to Underwriter” or if an applicant cannot locate his or her particular impairment in a pull-down list, then system  100  presents a special questionnaire. For example, the applicant is prompted to provide, among other things, the name of the condition, when it was first diagnosed, and a description of the symptoms.  
         [0031]    With respect to “Applicant Questions”, the user interface of system  100  displays questions in, for example, a single page “tree like” approach to allow base level and detail questions to be hierarchically organized. When in a single branch view mode, system  100  hides all base questions from view while detail questions are being answered. This allows the applicant (or user conducting an interview) to focus on the detail questions, minimizing the possibility of the applicant not completing all of the detail questions before returning to the more general base application questions. Users may hide/show detailed questions under a base question by clicking a button to toggle the visible state. In this embodiment, only completed question branches may be hidden. The user interface provides additional buttons to expand and collapse all detail question branches. After each question is answered, the user interface advances focus via auto-scrolling to the next unanswered question of the application, where possible. System  100  also provides the option to automatically re-position the questionnaire so that the next unanswered question is displayed at the top of the screen.  
         [0032]    This tab presents the questions used to determine if the applicant is accepted, denied, or if the decision should be postponed for a period of time or referred to an underwriter for a life insurance policy. This decision is based, of course, upon the applicant&#39;s answers to the base and detail questions. Some questions have associated debits, credits, or immediate denials or postponements associated therewith. System  100  tracks the points for rendering a point of sale determination. Once the applicant has completed the questionnaire, system  100  calculates a debit total and awards a policy if the debit total is within a certain tolerance range. For example, a condition such as diabetes could count as 75 debits as a base rate and adjust upward or downward depending upon treatment or complications. This debit total might increase another 75 debits if the applicant is Insulin dependent, and another 100 debits if onset was diagnosed while a teenager. A slight level of hypertension as a cofactor here could add another 50 debits.  
         [0033]    The system may be configured to always ask a specified set of questions or to stop asking questions as soon as a decision is apparent from the internally running debit count. The former is desirable for carriers who wish to have a record of treating all applicants similarly in the questioning process. The latter approach minimizes the time and expense associated with a call center person asking the questions over a telephone.  
         [0034]    In the present example, the left frame presents a base question such as whether the applicant has a respiratory disorder. If the applicant answers “yes” to the respiratory disorder question, then the right frame presents a follow-up question to identify the particular disorder (e.g., asthma). System  100  takes the approach that a human underwriter or a life insurance agent would (e.g., by asking more directly, “what did you have?”) and then compares the applicant&#39;s answer against a comprehensive list of conditions to narrow in on the best match. Preferably, system  100  executes a routine to assist the applicant by phonetically matching the letters typed into a text box with known words, such as the names of various impairment or medications. Advantageously, the applicant need not know the correct spelling for the word. Moreover, the present invention takes language and dialect variations into account when implementing the phonetic search feature. In particular, system  100  provides a base set of American English consonants and modifies these categorizations for other languages as necessary. The phonetic search feature is preferably in addition to storing common misspellings in a database.  
         [0035]    If the answer to the detailed question leads to another question, such as whether the applicant&#39;s asthma is seasonal, system  100  presents it below the first detailed question. System  100  also indicates when all of the branching questions for the particular base question have been answered and returns the applicant&#39;s attention to the left frame for the next base question. Questioning continues in this manner until an underwriting decision can be made. For example, debits are totaled from all of the answers as well as height, weight, age, and/or coverage data passed from carrier  102 .  
         [0036]    Within the broad categories of decisions, the acceptance may be at one of various premium levels; the denial may be until a certain time period has elapsed (for reconsideration); and the referral to a human underwriter may ask for additional, free-form, information from the applicant, or trigger queries to third party sources for more information.  
         [0037]    As described above, system  100  integrates a risk assessment questionnaire  104  with underwriting rules  106  to create an interactive questionnaire for assessing risk in insurance cases. In operation, system  100  executes the processing rules  124  to render a decision at  126  whether to accept or deny the applicant, postpone the decision, or refer the case to an underwriter based on the information gathered from the applicant through these questions.  
         [0038]    The system  100  also contemplates the use of wrap-up questions to confirm whether additional information needs to be disclosed. The questionnaire administrator has the option on setup to have one wrap-up question for an entire branch, or to have individual wrap-up questions for the ends of multiple branching parts. The wrap-up question loop repeats until the applicant selects an answer that signals there is no further information to disclose. Although there is a distinction in presentation, base questions and detail questions (reflexive, standard, or nonstandard) have the same rule processing. Each type of rule can have engine variables, question variables and wrap-up questions.  
         [0039]    The system  100  uses engine variables is to match-up previously obtained information to base questions to avoid the need for the user  110  to answer the question a second time or to preset values in advance for guiding the question process. Engine variables are parameters determined from personal data information (e.g., date of birth, systolic blood pressure) input by the user  110  directly or passed from an administration system. Engine variables can also be inferred from existing information. As an example, if height and weight are known, then an overweight condition can be determined).  
         [0040]    In one embodiment of the invention, system  100  defines an External Engine Variable (ExtEV) that is passed from carrier  102  and, thus, is considered “external” to system  100 . If a question has an engine variable attached to it and any of the question&#39;s answers match any of the ExtEVs, system  100  displays the question in an unchangeable state. Questions that have been answered by an ExtEV can also be set to be silent. A silent question is one that is not explicitly asked if the answer can be inferred from engine variables. System  100  infers certain conditions, such as obesity, based on engine variables rather directly asking the applicant whether he or she is obese. In silent mode, system  100  stores the answers in the session file  114  but optionally displays the question to the screen (controlled by a system setting) and automatically directs the user  110  to the next question. It may be necessary to select a default answer when using the silent question functionality.  
         [0041]    As an example, when question wording varies by location, the rules administrator sets up a silent question and passes the engine variable of where the applicant resides: “Where do you reside? London; Africa; United States; or #Other.” If the ExtEV does not match any of the question&#39;s answers, a check is made for an Engine Variable Default (EVD) answer, identified in this instance by prefixing the answer text with a “#” symbol. When system  100  selects the EVD as the question&#39;s answer, the question is displayed in an unchangeable state. System  100  uses the “#” prefix to identify an answer as an EVD so it may removes the prefix from the answer text before display. If there is an ExtEV for a question that does not match any of the question&#39;s answers and if there is not an EVD defined for the question, then system  100  displays the question in a normal, changeable state.  
         [0042]    The system  100  further defines an Internal Engine Variable (IntEV). When a question has an engine variable assigned to it but carrier  102  did not provide a matching ExtEV and there is no pre-defined EVD, then system  100  stores the user&#39;s answer as an IntEV. In this embodiment, system  100  uses the IntEV to pre-answer any other questions on the application that have the same engine variable associated therewith. The other questions on the application then behave in the same way as if they had an ExtEV prepopulating their answers, i.e. they become unchangeable. If the original question that created the IntEV is changed, system  100  propagates the change to the other questions that have the same engine variable attached to them.  
         [0043]    Referring again to FIG. 1, system  100  includes a relational database  118  containing all of the underwriting questions, impairments, medications, products, company information, and the like. In general, the database  118  stores the data that is needed to drive the application. One strength of the present invention lies in its ability to have subsets. System  100  permits carrier  102  to have one major set of thousands of rules and answers, yet vary those rules slightly by product, or locale (or language or sales campaign or company) and not have to maintain multiple copies of the larger, base set.  
         [0044]    Although database  116  and database  118  are illustrated separately, it is to be understood that the two can be combined in a single database structure containing not only the application data but also the answers and associated questions for the applicant. Preferably, system  100  employs an input facility, such as one created in the Visual Basic® development system from Microsoft Corporation, to allow database  118  to be easily updated and modified. An Oracle® 8i database available from Oracle Corporation, for example, is suitable for use as database  118 .  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 3 illustrates further aspects of system  100 . In this embodiment, system  100  is implemented by a markup language application. In other words, all of the internal session files (e.g., file  114 ) and even the client rules files are in a markup language such as extensible markup language (XML). This provides ease of implementation and interoperability between other applications. As shown in FIG. 3, system  100  receives initial application information, premium information, and the like from carrier  102  via an XML feed at  128 . System  100  also receives data from a carrier&#39;s (or distributor&#39;s) system to pre-populate (or even skip) the personal data screens prior to the actual underwriting process. In one embodiment, system  100  may be customized for each carrier  102  to permit gathering custom detailed information.  
         [0046]    Preferably, carrier  102  passes one or more question filters to system  100  via the XML feed at  128  to focus the questions on, for example, specific products offered by carrier  102 . By filtering the questions, system  100  selects the proper questions to be displayed during the session. In other words, only the questions that match the passed filters are displayed to the user  110 . When the question filter is not passed, all questions for a set/subset code are displayed. If no filters are passed from carrier  102 , system  100  displays all of the questions regardless of the filter. On the other hand, if carrier  102  passes filters, system  100  checks each question against the filter before displaying it in the application. APPENDIX A sets forth an example of input XML, including question filters.  
         [0047]    The system  100  accepts XML feeds of base information (e.g., name, address, height, etc.) to eliminate the need for re-keying. Likewise, system  100  interfaces with or feeds the administrative system of carrier  102  with an XML summary of all the data collected during the application process and the underwriting decision at  132 . When the application is complete, the decisions that have been set by answering questions and by passing height, weight, age, and/or coverage values are reviewed and a compiled decision is passed back to carrier  102 . The use of XML permits interfacing with system  100  to be accomplished as simply as possible.  
         [0048]    The system  100  preferably uses bulk data import/export facility to massively process many applicants through the system. Taking the XML file  132  created during the applicant process and importing the information into database  116  implements bulk data import. The export facility is achieved by creating an XML file  132  with only the specific applicant information and then sending the XML file  132  to the desired location.  
         [0049]    As will be described in detail below, system  100  determines at  134  which question set should be used for the particular carrier  102  and the carrier&#39;s particular height and weight requirements for validation of the application.  
         [0050]    A state file  114  in the embodiment of FIG. 3 provides a central repository for all information in the application. For example, the state file  114  is an XML representation of any questions answered, including the user&#39;s responses to questions as well as decisions, requirements/actions, debits/credits, passed in information, and information to uniquely identify the user&#39;s session for restarting purposes.  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 3 further illustrates a call center  140 . As described above, system  100  provides a risk assessment interview with a set of questions designed to prompt the applicant to disclose pertinent conditions. The potential applications include call centers such as call center  140 , kiosks, bank representatives, Internet users, worksite marketing representatives, and so forth. In the call center embodiment, one or more users  110  staff the call center  140  for conducting interviews with applicants. The staff of call center  140  ask the series of base and related detail questions as appropriate, and enter the applicant responses. In the alternative, the applicant could work through the questions and answers directly.  
         [0052]    Referring now to FIG. 4, system  100  is a multi-tier system, which takes three primary architecture layers of presentation  142 , business logic  144 , and data source  146  and adds two layers. These additional layers are inserted between the presentation  142  and data source  146  layers to further decouple the business logic  144  from the presentation  142  and data source  146  requirements. The resulting five logical layers are presentation  142 , controller  148 , domain  144 , data mapping  150 , and persistence  146 .  
         [0053]    The presentation  142  layer preferably includes all of the objects required for displaying output and taking input from user  110  for the presentation format chosen. In other words, all presentation specific logic is contained within this layer. For example, presentation  142  consists of JavaServer Pages (JSP) that will be generating the hypertext markup language (HTML) documents for the client browser. In the alternative, this layer is a Visual Basic application, Java Applet, or Java Application using, for example, Abstract Window Toolkit or Swing.  
         [0054]    In FIG. 4, the controller  148  layer is responsible for mediating calls from the presentation  142  layer to the domain  144  (business logic) layer. For example, controller  148  includes the application components (e.g., JavaBeans) used by presentation  142  as the mediator to the other layers of system  100 . Display logic that is independent from the medium is kept here to prevent unnecessary repetitive calls to domain  144  because they are expensive to make. The presentation  142  and controller  148  layers normally reside on the same physical machine embodying a web container.  
         [0055]    The domain  144  layer, i.e., the primary business logic for system  100 , is where the commonly known “middle tier” resides. In one embodiment, an application programming interface, such as Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB), running on a EJB capable application server is responsible for the bulk of the business logic. Both stateful and stateless session EJBs exist on this middle tier depending on their particular usage.  
         [0056]    The data mapping  150  layer of FIG. 4 holds objects for storing and retrieving the data necessary for operation of system  100  (e.g., information necessary to produce the questions, answers, and decisions (rules, answers, conditions, requirements, etc.)). Data mapping  150  also stores user specific state files (e.g., state file  114 ) containing all the information about what the applicant has completed on the application. These objects are preferably implemented by session EJBs, both stateful and stateless, responsible for the management of data. The data mapping  150  layer does not, however, contain the details as to exactly how the data is stored on the particular media being used (XML files, database, etc), the responsibility for which lies in the final layer.  
         [0057]    The fifth and final layer is the persistence  146  layer. Persistence  146 , also referred to as a datastore layer, handles the details of storing and retrieving the data from the particular medium selected (XML files, database, etc.). These objects are implemented in this embodiment as standard Java objects and reside on the same physical tier as the datamapping  150  layer. Depending on the media used, the goal is to allow for these objects to be swapped out as needed.  
         [0058]    Referring now to FIG. 5, the physical architecture of system  100  may have many configurations depending on, for example, the size of the application questionnaire and the number of expected concurrent users  110 . Simple configurations are contemplated as a starting point, with expansion across multiple servers as the loads continue to grow and the need to scale increases. With respect to mapping the logical layers to a physical architecture, the presentation  142  and controller  148  layers preferably reside on the web server  108  and run inside a web container (this could be in a single server or replicated across multiple servers as in a server farm). As described above, the JSPs of presentation  142  generate HTML documents for the client browser of user  110 . Further, the domain  144  and data mapping  150  layers preferably exist as EJBs running inside an EJB container of the application server  112 . These two layers may all run on a single application server or, if scalability becomes an issue, be distributed vertically across multiple servers, replicated horizontally as a server farm or both. The EJB container manages a datastore  116  of, for example, user specific state files (e.g., state file  114 ) containing all the information about what the applicant has completed on the application. FIG. 4 shows how the web container and the EJB container relate in system  100 .  
         [0059]    Referring again to FIG. 1, a sample computerized underwriting session begins when user  110  on the web site of carrier  102  navigates to a point where an underwriting session is desired for further questioning. Carrier  102  collects the data it has and packages it in an XML Request Transaction. Carrier  102  then posts the request to web server  108 . A component tier of the system logic starts the session and tests the Request Transaction for completeness. As described above at  134 , web server  108  tests height/weight/coverage parameters if they are provided and required. If the Request Transaction is within acceptable parameters and complete, the actual questioning session begins.  
         [0060]    The system  100  creates a unique session identifier to specifically identify each application and uses the session ID to create the state file  114  containing, among other things, a list of all questions and related answers. The session ID may be used at a later time to finish an incomplete questionnaire, determine the final decision of a completed questionnaire, or accomplish other questionnaire tasks. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the calling application creates a unique identification for each application. The session ID may be, for example, up to  40  characters in length and contain letters or numbers only (e.g., a globally unique identifier (GUID) created using the Windows® function COCreateGUID). Once the applicant has fully completed all sections of the application, the responses, impairments, debits, requirements associated with the responses, and the rule-based decision are packaged in an XML Response Transaction and sent back to a response handling page at the web site of carrier  102 . Preferably, each question has the ability to hold custom codes in the form of alias tags that can be used by the client to interface with outside components, such as completing print applications or automating the ordering process of paramedical exams.  
         [0061]    On the other hand, if system  100  is configured to decline an applicant based on the height/weight/coverage parameters and the Request Transaction data is not within acceptable ranges, or if the Request Transaction is incomplete, system  100  packages an XML Response Transaction and sends it back to the response handling page at the web site of carrier  102 .  
         [0062]    The export process, described above at  132 , involves taking the XML state file and transforming the XML information to meet client specifications. Once a session is complete, system  100  automatically returns the information to a uniform resource locator (URL) supplied in the input parameters via an HTML form post. In the present embodiment, the URL is absolute and references a specific page residing on the web site of carrier  102 . For example, system  100  sends all questions and responses gathered during the session back to the calling application. System  100  preferably formats the information as a complete XML document and contains it in a hidden form field named, for example, “XMLQuestions.” This XML document, shown at  126  in FIG. 3, has several sections including questions and answers; debits; underwriting decision; height/weight/coverage requirement/action information. Each carrier  102  can export a customized XML document to the client by applying a style sheet to reformat the document. For example, an extensible stylesheet language transform (XSLT) can be used to generate the desired XML format requested by the client. APPENDIX B sets forth an example of exported XML.  
         [0063]    Referring further to validation at  134  (see FIG. 3), system  100  provides validation based on a combination of the applicant&#39;s gender, age, height, and/or weight. For example, if the applicant&#39;s weight for the specific gender, age, and height is outside an acceptable weight range, system  100  performs a combination of adding debits, adding underwriting requirements/actions, rendering an underwriting decision, and/or increasing premiums. System  100  preferably performs the validation before the underwriting process begins.  
         [0064]    Advantageously, system  100  is a stateless web program, which promotes scalability. In other words, system  100  stores the entire session to a special session file  114  (e.g., XML session file unique for that applicant) on the hard drive every mouse click or text entry. Because system  100  does not store session files in a memory associated with server  112 , the server&#39;s memory capacity does not limit the number of applicants that can use the system. This aspect of the invention also permits the applicant to leave the underwriting process (perhaps to check on a medical history item) and return to the same screen later with no loss of information. The most common reason for failure of expert systems is that the rules base is not sufficiently scalable due to memory limitations. Moreover, such prior art systems require the applicant to re-enter information after leaving the system.  
         [0065]    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, system  100  pre-fetches some questions to reduce the number of server calls and to speed up the application data entry time. When loading a question into the application, a check is made to see if all the answers for the question point to the same next question. If so, system  100  pre-fetches that particular rule and makes it available to the user  110 . This feature may be used to permit several unanswered questions to be displayed at the same time so that the user  110  can provide answers to multiple questions without having to submit each one individually.  
         [0066]    The system  100  preferably uses a plurality of modes for rendering declines, or denials, to provide additional customization for carrier  102 . The use of modes allows different behaviors to occur when a decline decision is reached. For example, in a default mode, system  100  continues as normal and answers may be changed in any manner. In one configuration, system  100  stops asking additional detail questions after declining the applicant, although remaining displayed questions must be completed. In this second mode, the user  110  may change answers but it will have no affect on the decline decision. In a third mode, system  100  stops asking additional detail questions after declining the applicant but remaining displayed questions must be completed. Changing answers in the third mode can reverse a decline decision. In a fourth mode, system  100  immediately conveys the decline to the user  110  and exits.  
         [0067]    With respect to searching, many of the textual searches in system  100  are phonetically encoded. This means that the applicant need not provide the exact spelling of any item to search. System  100  searches by how the entered “word” sounds. This is particularly helpful when searching for medicines and treatments/illnesses that have complicated spellings. Advantageously, the present invention takes language and dialect variations into account when implementing the phonetic search feature. In particular, system  100  provides a base set of American English consonants and modifies these categorizations for other languages as necessary. The phonetic search feature is preferably in addition to storing common misspellings in a database.  
         [0068]    Alias searching is also available. When conducting a search, the user  110  obtains results provided with results that have been matched up as being same or like the condition you submitted. This can include variations of the name of a sport or occupation or differences between brand-names of common drugs. Further, the search is context sensitive (e.g., if the applicant is being questioned about participation in hazardous sports, the matches are against sports such as skydiving, auto racing, etc. instead of against surgeries, medicines, or diseases).  
         [0069]    In addition to the hidden field, “XMLQuestions,” system  100  preferably returns two other hidden form fields: “UniqueSessionID” and “DecisionCode.” UniqueSessionID returns the value passed into system  100  at  128 . DecisionCode returns a value up to four characters in length denoting the automated underwriting decision. This value can be one of the following: DCL—Decline; PP*—Postpone, with a number following representing number of months before a person would be allowed to reapply; RUW—Refer to Underwriting for decision; ACC—Accept; None—No decision set, assumed Accept. APPENDIX B further illustrates sample posted form fields.  
         [0070]    Although described in connection with an exemplary computing system environment, the invention is operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. The computing system environment is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Moreover, the computing system environment should not be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated in the exemplary operating environment. Examples of well known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the invention include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.  
         [0071]    The invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include, but are not limited to, routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.  
         [0072]    As described herein, the present invention provides a convenient, web-enabled system that allows non-underwriting as well as underwriting professionals to gather underwriting information is desired. Such an improved system is able to produce a decision at the point of sale on whether the applicant is accepted, denied or referred to a human underwriter using a holistic approach. Moreover, such a system can be customized for each carrier that uses it. The carrier can gather custom detailed information as well as select from default questions or create its own questionnaire. The system also has the ability to track the questions asked of a particular applicant and the applicant&#39;s answers.  
         [0073]    As the number of rules increases, the maintenance burden increases at a much faster rate. The present invention minimizes this task by providing a means to “jump” from one tree to another, or even back again, via questions that accept free-form answers and compare them phonetically (using phonetic rules specific to the language and dialect desired) to lists of known ailments and conditions. Once chosen, these carry forward the questioning process on a more intelligent basis. This provides needed detail without unnecessary tedium to acquire it.  
         [0074]    Moreover, the present invention defines attributes that follow an applicant through the underwriting process and incorporates a mechanism for combining these attributes in a non-linear manner. Thus, an applicant entering, for example, a diabetes tree of questions, but carrying an attribute of hypertension with her, will be treated accordingly, without the need to duplicate questions.  
         [0075]    When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferred embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.  
         [0076]    In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.  
         [0077]    As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.