Final answer:
Insurers in the mid-20th century moved from field adjusting to in-office adjusting to improve efficiency, known as the centralization of claims handling or office-based adjusting, though the specific term asked for is not provided.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the mid-20th century, insurers shifted focus on claims handling from field adjusting to in-office adjusting in an effort to improve efficiency and manage increasing demands. This change in claims handling strategy moved away from individual adjusters visiting clients and working on claims on-site to a more centralized approach, where claims are managed and processed within an office setting. The term for this transition is not provided in the question; it might be referred to as the centralization of claims handling or office-based adjusting, though the question appears to be asking for a specific term that is not specified in the provided context.
Similar shifts in efficiency and handling have occurred in various industries, including healthcare, where there has been a trend towards consolidation, such as the hospital "merger mania," and adoption of methods like telemedicine, to handle increased demand for services.