Workers’ comp has evolved dramatically over the past 20 years—virtual staffing, remote adjusters, digital claims systems, automated reporting, telemedicine. But for all the technological progress, two “old-school” techniques still produce outsized results:

Chair-side visits
and
Vendor Days.

These techniques may look different today than they did in the 1990s, but their purpose hasn’t changed:

Build partnerships—not transactions—with the external systems that support your program.

Because here’s the truth from the transcript:
Employers often blame the adjuster, the doctor, the attorney, the nurse case manager, or the broker. But in reality, every one of those external partners struggles when the employer isn’t engaged.

Chair-side visits and vendor days solve that problem.

Why Both Techniques Still Matter

External systems—adjusters, brokers, medical providers, attorneys—play a massive role in workers’ comp outcomes. But they can only be effective when the employer is involved and connected.

These visits:

• Strengthen relationships

• Provide clarity

• Build shared expectations

• Improve communication

• Reduce friction

• Accelerate claims

In short:
They turn “you vs. them” into “we’re in this together.”

1. Chair-Side Visits: The Most Underused Tool in Workers’ Comp

In the past, chair-side visits meant physically sitting next to the adjuster at their desk—literally in the chair next to theirs—reviewing files, discussing strategy, and strengthening the partnership.

Today, most adjusters work remotely, so the format has changed.
But the purpose remains identical:

Chair-side visits help employers understand:

• What the adjuster sees every day

• Where bottlenecks occur

• What information they need

• How employers can help improve claim flow

• Which employer behaviors cause delays

• Where the adjuster has suggestions you’ve never heard

Adjusters know your problem areas.
They see every claim.
They know the patterns.
They know what fixes would save you money.
But you’ll never hear those insights unless you talk to them.

A chair-side visit—virtual or in person—creates that opportunity.

What a Modern Chair-Side Visit Looks Like

Because adjusters are now remote, a “chair-side visit” might be:

• A scheduled Zoom session

• A structured file review

• A quarterly roundtable meeting

• A claims strategy call with multiple adjusters

• A screenshare session reviewing notes, reserves, and next steps

The key is NOT the format.
The key is the connection.

During a chair-side visit, you should ask:

• What are you seeing in our claims?

• What slows you down most?

• What information do you wish supervisors provided?

• What return-to-work barriers stand out?

• Which medical providers are helpful—or unhelpful?

• What would make my program easier to manage?

Adjusters appreciate this engagement.
It makes their job easier.
It improves claim handling.
And it dramatically improves outcomes.

2. Vendor Days: Rediscovering What Your Carrier or TPA Actually Offers

One of the biggest surprises is how often employers don’t know what services their carrier or TPA actually provides.

Vendor Day solves that.

Historically, vendor days meant walking through a carrier office and meeting vendors at tables—nurse case managers, triage services, surveillance teams, IME providers, transportation vendors, and more.

Today, Vendor Day looks more like:

• A scheduled virtual review

• A capabilities overview

• A services presentation

• A menu of cost-containment tools

• A breakdown of ROI for each available service

Elite employers understand the importance of this.
Most employers don’t.

Why Vendor Days Are a Massive Competitive Advantage

Your TPA or carrier may offer:

• Triage services

• Nurse case management

• Peer review physicians

• IME coordination

• Transportation and translation

• Pharmacy management

• Medical cost containment

• Other specialty vendor partnerships

Many of these services directly address the issues identified in your five critical metrics:

• High lag time

• Poor return-to-work

• Escalating medical costs

• Rising litigation

• High TRIR

• Excessive severity per claim

If you don’t know which tools are available, you can’t leverage them.

Vendor days solve this blind spot.

Using Both Tools Together: Partnership, Not Blame

Employers often blame external partners…
but external partners cannot succeed when employers aren’t engaged.

Chair-side visits and vendor days:

• Eliminate misalignment

• Break down silos

• Improve responsiveness

• Build trust

• Strengthen accountability

• Align everyone to your vision

When you use them intentionally, you no longer experience the “adjuster problem,” the “doctor problem,” or the “broker problem.”

You create a unified support system.

Final Thought

Technology changes.
Claims platforms change.
Medical networks change.

But relationships will always drive results.

Chair-side visits and vendor days may be old-school techniques…
but they remain some of the most effective tools available to employers today.

Use them, and you transform your external systems from reactive vendors into proactive partners.

And when that happens, your entire workers’ comp program changes.

Michael Stack, CEO of Amaxx LLC, is an expert in workers’ compensation cost containment systems and provides education, training, and consulting to help employers reduce their workers’ compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is co-author of the #1 selling comprehensive training guide “Your Ultimate Guide to Mastering Workers’ Comp Costs: Reduce Costs 20% to 50%.” Stack is the creator of Injury Management Results (IMR) software and founder of Amaxx Workers’ Comp Training Center. WC Mastery Training teaching injury management best practices such as return to work, communication, claims best practices, medical management, and working with vendors. IMR software simplifies the implementation of these best practices for employers and ties results to a Critical Metrics Dashboard.

Contact: mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.

Workers’ Comp Roundup Blog: http://blog.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/

Injury Management Results (IMR) Software: https://imrsoftware.com/

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