What does playing a piano and validating decedents have in common? They both look simple to do from a spectator perspective, but to actually perform well is another story. It takes years of experience and vast knowledge to become accomplished at playing the piano or validating decedents.
The death audit industry has changed considerably in the past few years. The SSA Death Master File used to be the source of truth, but due to legislative changes, now provides only approximately 16% of decedents with the downward trend likely to continue (read more on this here).
Today, instead of a single source of truth to identify decedents, performing mortality verifications requires a lot of effort as obituaries account for around 67% of identified deaths. This requires using thousands of data sources (there is no single source of obituaries), human verification (there’s no common data point to identify an individual within obituaries), and an internal data collection method that has been in play for years (obituaries may be removed from their online source a few months after they are published).
Bad data leads to missed deaths.
When you are managing a population of individuals, it’s nearly impossible to keep all data points accurate – 1 in 8 move each year, people get married, couples get divorced, etc. It is unrealistic to rely on individuals to self-report when they need to update a data point.
Missing or having typos in an individual’s data could lead to a high percentage of missed deaths. We process millions of records and here is what our data shows:
| Data | Missed Deaths |
|---|---|
| Missing Last Name | 100% |
| Missing First Name | 41% |
| Missing SSN | 32% |
| Missing DOB | 29% |
| Typo in Last Name | 18% |
| Typo in First Name | 7% |
| Typo in SSN | 21% |
(read more about how bad data impacts a death audit here.)
No editorial standards lead to missed deaths.
Finding obituary sources is one challenge, but the information contained in the obituary can be a completely different challenge. An obituary may contain the individual’s nickname, not what is on their birth certificate. An obituary may not have a birthdate. An obituary may be published behind a paywall. There are many factors to take into consideration when it comes to relying on obituaries for identifying a decedent as there are no editorial standards.
The mortality verification process can cause missed deaths.
To those not involved in the death audit industry on a consistent basis, it’s easy to get confused. Some providers throw around industry terminology and services can be priced vastly different. However, what matters is if you are getting actionable results – meaning, you get verified data you can use right away.
Here are some key factors to consider in services that help you identify decedents:
- Frequency of the death audit: How often are you provided with death audit results? A one-time run can leave the plan at risk if someone passes within days of pulling the file. Look for a continuous monitoring solution that notifies you within days of a death.
- If the results are validated: Many providers do not validate the deaths – meaning they are providing you matches but no link to the obituary and no proof it is the right person. This approach is time-consuming for you and leads to a significant number of false positives.
- Number of organizations that trust the provider: Just like any industry, death audit service providers come and go. Organizations tend to gravitate towards those within the industry that provide a better experience and results. As new providers enter the market, it’s important to consider their experience, their process, and the number of organizations that trust them with their data.
It’s important to consider your long-term approach when choosing a death audit provider. While some may seem more expensive up-front, they will likely cost you less in the long run by the effort it takes to verify your results, handle false positives, and make unexpected overpayments. Choosing a death audit or mortality verification provider that leverages the latest technology and has a large team of experts to help you validate the results will help protect the longevity of your plan.
CertiDeath is the most trusted death audit solution in the market with over 800 organizations relying on it. Learn more about CertiDeath here.
