The Claim Appeal Professionals

Professionals and Professional Service

For CAFS, the driving force behind our effort is our professionals. Highly educated, degreed professionals are the norm. We believe that CAFS establishes a new standard for quality and capability as a result of the background of our claim analysts.

CAFS only employs individuals of exceptional quality and integrity. Each is diligent, detail-oriented, trustworthy and hardworking. At present, each of our claim analyst professionals holds an advanced degree, many in law. Although they do not practice law for our clients, our employees utilize the strengths of legal analytics and reasoning when reviewing and deciding final claim appeals.

Many of CAFS employees have deep experience in ERISA law and ERISA litigation. This adds immediately to the value delivered to our clients in the review and assessment of ERISA-governed final claim appeals. It also means fairness to all concerned.

Our employees undergo rigorous and continuous training and education in fiduciary law, ERISA claims process, analytics and developments, and continual updates regarding judicial decisions that affect ERISA-governed plans. As a result of this continuous training process, CAFS is able to maintain the highest level of working knowledge and skill to continually provide the highest level of independent fiduciary service for all of the plans for which CAFS handles individual claim appeals.

Each of our clients is assigned a lead professional who will be a main contact person, to handle and manage that client’s final claim appeals. Our clients know who they need to contact to address their plans and any questions that arise.

A Professional Profile

Patricia Fries B.A., J.D., M.B.A. is a Senior Claims Analyst for CAFS. Ms. Fries brings extensive analytical and deep educational and professional background toCAFS. An attorney by training, she has an extensive analytical background spanning more than 20 years. As a former employment and labor law attorney, Ms. Fries is familiar with all types of employee benefit plans and arrangements. After receiving a degree in economics, Ms. Fries obtained advanced joint degrees in law (a J.D.) and a Masters in Business Administration from The University of Michigan Law School and the Ross School of Business at The University of Michigan. She began her career as a consultant for Price Waterhouse and then worked for major law firms in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Cleveland, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she practiced business, employment and labor law. Ms. Fries also brings arbitration experience to CAFS, where she began her work in 2005.

For more information on our professionals and their capabilities, please refer to the Contact page and contact our President & CEO directly.