At first glance death audit service providers seem similar, but there are crucial differences that can significantly impact the integrity of your data, the longevity of your plan, and the delivery of life-saving benefits to participants and their families.
Choosing the wrong provider doesn’t just risk inefficiencies—it can directly affect people’s lives.
Why Do Death Audit Services Differ?
Decedent identification has evolved drastically, especially in the past few years. This is due to two primary factors:
- Major changes in how deaths are identified.
- Technological advancements by certain death audit providers.
Challenges in Decedent Identification
Historically the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File (DMF) was considered the gold standard for death matching by accurately identifying 95% of deaths. But since privacy regulations began restricting data access in 2011, the DMF now identifies only about 16% of decedents, and that percentage continues to decline.
To adapt, service providers must now tap into tens of thousands of sources, primarily obituaries, which lack editorial consistency. This makes decedent identification significantly more complex and demanding.
How Death Audit Providers Have (or Haven’t) Adapted
Achieving 95% identification accuracy today requires an entirely different approach. Yet, some providers still rely heavily on the outdated DMF or purchase external data sets. This dependence on third-party data leaves their databases vulnerable and outdated.
Others have developed algorithms to scan obituary websites, but those systems require constant updates. Without active maintenance, their effectiveness quickly diminishes.
The best providers go a step further: they validate their results with internal research teams, eliminating the need for your organization to do any follow-up verification. This ensures that you receive actionable results right away, such as stopping overpayments or contacting beneficiaries without delay.
How Can You Tell the Difference?
It’s not always easy, unless you know what to ask. That’s why we’ve created the guide below to help you evaluate and compare providers. Whether you’re building a Request for Proposal (RFP) or vetting vendors, these questions will help ensure you choose a partner that delivers real, reliable results.
Key questions to ask when looking for a death audit provider.
Below (and find a printable PDF format version here) is a quick guide with the important questions to ask to compare death audit and mortality verification services. This can be helpful in a Request for Information (RFI) process as well! We pre-filled this form with our answers and left space for details of other providers. This guide will help you understand who will provide you with the better outcomes for your organization.
| Focus | Questions to Ask | The Berwyn Group | Other Provider (you fill-in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experience and Support |
|
Berwyn has been solely focused on death audit and locate solutions for over three decades. There are over 2,000 organizations that use CertiDeath® and CertiCensus® solutions with a 98% retention rate. Berwyn has a team of experts who have dedicated their careers to helping organizations keep their population data accurate. Upon request, Berwyn can provide case studies and references. | |
| Data Quality and Sources |
|
Berwyn provides validated results and has achieved 99.9% accuracy. This is done through an internal team of experts. Data is collected daily and comes primarily from the DMF, state records and obituaries. Berwyn’s statistics are proven through a free CertiDeath analysis. | |
| Process and Implementation |
|
It’s easy to get started using CertiDeath – Berwyn sets up new clients quickly. CertiDeath provides on-going weekly reports of decedents identified. CertiDeath® Paragon™ (which provides similar results to CertiDeath) does not require the transfer of sensitive PII to perform a death audit. Files are transferred individually through Berwyn’s secure web portal or automatically through a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). | |
| Technology and Cybersecurity |
|
Berwyn has a defense-in-depth cybersecurity strategy that includes field level encryption with per-customer keys, data is encrypted in transit and during rest, they undergo an annual SOC 2, Type II audit and take several other data security measures. Berwyn has detailed and formal documentation around all data security practices, which are provided upon request. | |
| Implementation and Results |
|
Berwyn has a secure online web portal that clients can access 24/7. Reports are sent weekly (or other cadence preferred by client). Reports provided include details such as date of death, source of death and an obituary link if one is available. All results are already validated Berwyn’s team of experts, which is how 99.9% accuracy is achieved. | |
| Additional Services | What other population data services do you provide? | Berwyn has a suite of products featuring death audit with CertiDeath, locating missing participants with CertiSearch®, finding beneficiaries with BeneSearch® and a complete population management solution with CertiCensus. |
Still have questions?
Berwyn has served the death audit industry for over three decades and keeps pace with recent industry changes. Take the simple first step and reach out to us to learn more about the death audit industry and the solutions we offer.
