Chapter 11

In this chapter Ohler discusses the practical applications of the story creation process and how it might be adapted to a number of different class needs and emphases. He advises,

"it's a fancy name for a creative problem-solving process we use frequently for many of life's challenges...This process could be called the "how to do just about anything process""

Jason B. Ohler. Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity (p. 135). Kindle Edition.

I think this is a great way of explaining the concept of media production. While sometimes a bit too thorough for particular problems like baking a cake, segmenting a seemingly complex issue into its components is a great way to illuminate the process and make the problem more approachable. I have created an example with insurance claims using Ohler's method.

The Bodily Injury Insurance Claim

• Phase I: Planning

• obtain training, licenses and access to resources used in claims research 
• set reasonable expectations with the claimant.
• determine extent of injury and expected treatment to properly set monetary reserves for the file.
• obtain initial recorded statements from all parties involved.
• inspect all vehicles to understand severity of impact and potential mechanism for injury
• research claimants for potential issues like fraud indicators or prior claims

• Phase II: Pre-Production

• receive all the information available on the claim
• evaluate all aspects of the claim including claimant profile, duration of treatment, severity of injury, trauma factor, permanency and many others
• calculate medical bill totals from all providers and determine what has been paid and what has not (health insurance, other carrier, out of pocket).
• Evaluate the potential value of the claim (typically a range, ex- 12K-15K)

• Phase III: Production

• negotiate with attorney or claimant directly
• negotiate with doctors and medical providers to reduce their bills
• negotiate with government and financial entities regarding monetary liens/collections
• negotiate with the other carrier to determine liability or other aspects of the claim
• Finally come to an agreement with EVERYONE!!

• Phase IV: Post-Production

•  send out releases to be signed before payment can be made
• receive releases back
• release check to claimant/ medical providers

• Phase V: Performance

• close the claim and hitting the required number of closures for the week
• repeat!