Four Useful Tips Can Go a Long Way in Managing Workers Comp

When you have a high-exposure file that turns out better than you had expected and costs come in way under what you had budgeted for, it is easy to see the cost-savings that are associated with that loss. If you saved $50,000, that’s a nice lump of savings for your balance sheet. 

 

But those little savings you make throughout the course of a year add up as well. It’s difficult to see it in the short-run, or by the month, but looking at it over the course of a year, it can really add up to a nice savings in your budget. We discuss some ways those little savings can add up below. (WCxKit)

 

 

Sometimes the better vendors just cost a bit more than others. This is usually due to the fact that they have better talent working for them, and there are associated costs included with that. However, if these more expensive vendors get your workers back to you ready for work quicker, then you save again on the wage loss issue. This means that these vendors have already paid for themselves if you weigh their costs versus the cost of wage loss for your injured worker.   Talk with your carrier about who the best vendors are in your area for IMEs, surveillance, and nurse case management. Don’t shy away from them just because their costs are a tad higher than their competition. They can save you money in the long run by providing you with excellent service, and by getting those injured workers back to work quicker than their counterparts.

 

 

Lack of proper communication can lead to increased claims expense. If the adjuster doesn’t know that you have light duty work available, they may not be pushing hard enough to get work restrictions for your injured worker. Maybe the adjuster doesn’t know you have a dedicated medical clinic and/or physical therapy facility and failed to direct the injured party to treat at those clinic locations. 

Maybe the injured worker took vacation time or sick pay for their time off of work, and they didn’t tell the adjuster that so they got paid twice-once by your company and once by the Carrier. Although most times the adjuster will catch this, sometimes they do not. This leads to an overpayment that the carrier must try to recoup, and if they fail to do so the cost of that ultimately gets pushed to you in the result of a higher premium due to increased claim costs. Whatever the event may be, you need to be in regular contact with your adjuster.   

Perform claims reviews and ask the adjuster on each claim what their plan is for getting the claim resolved.  The more you discuss the claim, the more ideas you both can come up with, and that may be what is keeping your worker off of work. By working together, you will save costs. Most adjusters would prefer too much communication versus not enough, plus this will keep the adjuster on their toes and they will be keeping a close eye on your claims, preventing one from falling through the cracks which will further waste claims dollars.

 

 

Most Carriers/TPAs have multiple departments that will work with you to reduce your exposure. Loss prevention, ergonomics, dedicated adjusters to your account, medical/nurse resources, medical bill review, etc.   All of these services may be provided free of charge by your Carrier/TPA, and the end result of utilizing these services will be lower claim cost to you. Implementing the action plans that these departments come up with is designed to lower your costs. So talk with your Carrier/TPA and find out what resources they have to help you reduce cost. They will be happy to work with you, and you will be happy since your claims expense will decrease over the course of a year.

 

 

Pharmacy costs are constantly rising. Almost every injured worker comes out of their doctor's appointment with a prescription for some medication in their hand. There are a lot of 3^rd party pharmacy companies out there willing to work with you to reduce these costs if you funnel your injured workers to their pharmacy programs. Find out what kind of pharmacy management program they provide. The best sell their services unbundled.  Look for prospective as well as retrospective elements of the cost control program. This can lead to huge cost savings, even on the minor claims, and will help the most with the more severe claims, since those injuries usually require prescriptions that cost more, and they length of the prescriptions last longer. This is a significant way to reduce your costs, and you will see large savings at the end of the year. (WCxKit)

There are a lot of ways to reduce your costs. Not only in the larger higher exposure claims, but in the small minor claims as well. If you think about it, every little savings you can make can add up to a lot by the end of the fiscal year. Remember there are ways to cut costs on every claim, no matter how insignificant the claim may be at the time. You have to think both ways, in the short term and long term. Whatever it may be, the end result is you saving money, and that is never a bad thing