"All Employers Need to Know and Are UNAFRAID to Ask" Everyone agrees to attain effective cost management in workers' compensation employers need to develop and implement a workers' compensation program, covering EVERY aspect of this very complicated issue. Common sense also tells employers it is not necessary to figure it all out themselves. Rather, astute employers look for plans and programs designed and tested by trustworthy and knowledgeable individuals and tailor a plan fitting their particular industry, workplace environment, and employee culture. Sounds good. Sounds easy! — a little like putting a recipe together? But, as is known, just leave one essential element out of the recipe and the resulting food dish goes south. An effective cost management workers' compensation program needs, at minimum these TWELVE (12) KEYS 1. Management Basics: knowing best practices, involving management at all levels. 2. Knowledge of Adjusters (TPA)* who and what they are and how they function. 3. Management of Injuries: best practices, roles and responsibilities. 4. Employee Communication so they know what policy is, what to do, where to go when injury occurs and after. 5. Procedure for Reporting Injury at the time the injury occurs. 6. Procedure for Post Injury Follow Up: keeping track of the injured worker, healing progress, RTW* status. 7. Medical Care Direction: working with medical providers; looking at injuries from diagnosis to RTW* recommendations; learn medical terms. 8. Return-to-Work Procedure: transitional duty; state and federal leave laws. 9. Indemnity Cost Containment Services such as independent medical evaluations and work hardening. 10. Medical Cost Containment: using nurse case managers; peer and utilization review. 11. Plan to Fight Fraud and Abuse: knowing when to investigate and what type of investigation to use. 12. Training and Building Commitment involving both management and employees. Learn more at: Workers Compensation ToolKit Author: Robert Elliott, J.D.
Our links are now updated. Try them out. Visit Our Websites: ReduceYourWorkersComp and WorkersCompKit Try Our FREE Workers' Comp Best Practices Quick Check
You can still find and use WC Calculator, TD Calculator and WC101 at ReduceYourWorkersComp. Click on the link above. Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel before implementing any cost containment programs. ©2008 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact I[email protected]
