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Harvey
Taulton, former AASCIF officer, dies  AASCIF
notes with sadness the passing of Harvey Taulton, chief investment officer
of the Arizona State Compensation Fund, on Jan. 10 after a long and courageous
battle with cancer. Harvey was a good friend to many in the AASCIF community
and to AASCIF itself. He served as its secretary-treasurer in 1982-83 and
again in 1992-96.
Alberta The Workers’ Compensation Board saw success
in 2003. Average duration of claims was down from 56 days to 49. This
drop in claim duration is in part a result of more expedited medical referrals
through the Visiting Specialists’ Clinic. Helping to control rising
claims costs by eliminating wait times, the VSC allows claimants to see
specialists sometimes as soon as two days following referral. If required,
surgery can sometimes be arranged within two weeks.
Arizona Teaching job safety is a priority for SCF of Arizona
and the Arizona Chapter of the American Society of Engineers, which teamed
up March 3-4 to co-sponsor “Safety Works 2004.” The safety expo
provided exhibits, two tracks of educational seminars designed for experienced
safety professionals and untrained individuals responsible for their companies’
safety programs.
LouisianaLast spring, LWCC embarked on a brand development initiative. This four-phase
process identifies the optimal brand position for the company by matching
customer expectations with LWCC’s skills and services and then integrating
the “brand experience” throughout our company. LWCC hired branding
consultants Christensen & Associates, of Salt Lake City, Utah. The
first phase began with research consisting of one-on-one and focus group
meetings with employees, agents and policyholders. Out of the research,
we developed an enhanced “brand strategy” for the company. The
next step is implementation of the brand. Employees will spend the next
year in customized training sessions to learn how each of their jobs affects
the customer experience and ultimately the company brand.
Maryland
MinnesotaState Fund Mutual Companies remains No. 1 among large Minnesota insurers
for prompt action on lost-time claims, according to an annual report issued
by the state. SFM’s prompt first action during the past fiscal year
was 92.6 percent. That’s the percentage of reported claims that were
paid or denied within 14 days of date of injury.
MissouriMissouri Employers General Agency, a wholly owned subsidiary of Missouri
Employers Mutual Insurance, is again writing coverage in other states.
MEGA can offer coverage in all non-monopolistic states through a fronting
partnership with A-rated Argonaut Insurance Company. The Argonaut contract
is for a minimum of three years, offering stability in a generally unstable
market. Policies written through MEGA enjoy the same benefits as MEM policies,
including loss prevention services and outstanding customer service. Claims
occurring on the Missouri policy will be handled by MEM’s Claims
Department, while claims occurring in other states will be handled by
Argonaut.
MontanaMontana State Fund has entered into a strategic partnership with Health-e-Web
that allows medical providers to submit their bills electronically. The
advantage of working with HeW is that 80 percent of the medical providers
in the state already use the system to transmit health insurance medical
bills. The only change for providers will be less work, as they no longer
will need to produce and mail paper bills to MSF. MSF staff will be able
to get a better handle on costs and spend more time providing better service
to provider partners by paying them faster.
New BrunswickThe Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission has adopted
its own 5*22 model into the Health and Safety Plan of the organization.
5*22 is the model that guides workplaces in managing and maintaining their
health and safety infrastructure. Since health and safety needs evolve
over time, the 5*22 framework provides workplaces with a standard for
continuous improvement. 5*22 was developed by the WHSCC and is based on
the five fundamentals and 22 topics of health and safety. To date, more
than 50 workplaces in New Brunswick have adopted the 5*22 model, and although
the WHSCC has always adhered to the fundamentals of 5*22, it is now an
official company directive.
New MexicoFor the second year in a row, the Board of Directors for New Mexico Mutual
Group declared a dividend in the amount of $1 million to be divided among
all New Mexico Mutual Casualty Company policyholders. Dividend checks
will be sent directly to the agent for distribution to the policyholder.
New Mexico Mutual Group feels this gives the agent an opportunity to speak
to the insured on a positive note and let them know New Mexico Mutual
Casualty Company is doing its best to reward them for continuing as a
NMMCC policyholder.
New YorkThe New York Claims Association presented NYSIF CEO and AASCIF Vice President
Ken Ross its annual award for high ethical standards and professionalism.
Ross was honored as a “leader and humanitarian,” specifically
on behalf of claimants following 9/11/01.
North DakotaAfter months of work, the long-awaited Optical Character Recognition
program is operating in North Dakota’s Workforce Safety and Insurance’s
medical bill input unit. Each year WSI receives about 180,000 medical
bills. Previously, those bills were inputted by hand. With OCR, the goal
is to drastically reduce the number that are manually entered and instead
have WSI computers electronically read the information into WSI’s
systems. This will create tremendous efficiencies and make better use
of staff. Medical bill input is not the only system that could make use
of OCR. The next candidate is Policyholder Services and some of the payroll
reports now manually inputted. OCR is just one of a number of online services
and other computer programs, such as auto-adjudication of medical-only
claims, that work in the background and have been integrated in WSI’s
operations. In addition, more than one-third of all claim and payroll
reports are now received through the Internet.
Nova ScotiaDavid Stuewe, CEO of the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia
for 11 years, has accepted a secondment to the Faculty of Management’s
Centre for Risk Management at Dalhousie University. In his new role, Stuewe
will work with the Institute of Work and Health in Toronto conducting
research to measure and identify options for enhancing Nova Scotia’s
safety climate. His new responsibility melds nicely with the WCBNS’s
new prevention education mandate. Until a permanent replacement is found,
the CEO position is being filled by internal vice presidents whose terms
run consecutively. Nancy MacCready-Williams was Acting CEO from Stuewe’s
departure in the fall of 2003 to the end of January 2004. Williams is
vice president, Client Services. On Feb. 1, Stuart MacLean began his term
as Acting CEO. Until this term appointment, MacLean was vice president,
Prevention and Assessment Services.
OhioThe Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is changing the way it
does business. It’s moving toward a customer-focused business model
that integrates employer and injury management services and programs.
The New Business Model centers on the creation of customer care teams.
Employer management team members coordinate workplace safety programs,
injury prevention strategies, risk strategies and return-to-work plans.
Responsibilities of injury management teams include claims processing
to move claims efficiently from injury notification to successful claims
resolution. By integrating these services into a customer care team, BWC
will become even more accountable to employers and employees, providing
them with more customized, timely and efficient services. Another benefit
of these teams is they will serve the same employers and their injured
workers. In the past, coordination of services between BWC, employers
and injured workers wasn’t executed as the company felt it should
be. The integrated team approach will streamline communication to BWC’s
customers.
OklahomaCompSource Oklahoma’s Underwriting Division recently went live with
automated work distribution imaging software designed to increase efficiency,
reduce paperwork, and improve productivity and customer service. The program,
Automated Work Distributor, has proved to be a workhorse for the Claims
Division for several years.
Puerto RicoThe State Insurance Fund Corporation announced that during the closing
period for payment of workers’ compensation insurance on Jan. 22,
it collected a total of $69.7 million. This represents an increase of
$44.2 million compared to the same period during 2003. “This increase
of collected premiums is a reflection of the economic recovery experienced
in Puerto Rico as a result of public policy on infrastructure development
and the strong impulse provided by the present government to the construction
sector. Evidently this is closely related to employment creation and economic
development,” stated Nicolás López Peña, administrator
of the corporation. As evidence of this economic recovery, the SIFC informed
that during fiscal 2002-03 the amount collected from eventual policies
showed an increase of $9.5 million in comparison to fiscal 2001-02. “This
activity is an example of an economy that is in marked recovery as a result
of investment strategies focused on the well-being of the people of Puerto
Rico,” the administrator said.
SaskatchewanThe Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board has appointed its first Fair Practices Officer. Murray Knoll, formerly a deputy ombudsman with the province, assumed the position in September. Knoll will receive complaints from employers and injured workers who believe WCB practices have been unfair and direct them to the appropriate authority. If a resolution is not possible, Knoll can investigate and recommend corrective action. Appointing a Fair Practices Officer was endorsed by the 2001 Committee of Review. The committee, representing Saskatchewan employers and workers, is struck every four years by the Minister of Labour to review WCB operations and recommend improvements.
TexasIn December, Texas Mutual Insurance Company expanded its scholarship
assistance program to pay up to $4,500 per semester to injured workers
on lifetime income benefits and to surviving, unmarried spouses or surviving
children of workers who died from compensable injuries.
West VirginiaOne of the first major projects of the new Workers’ Compensation
Commission was marketing E-Comp, an Internet-based service allowing employers
to file First Reports of Injury, quarterly wage reports, make online payments,
review policy documents, and manage other aspects of their workers’
compensation relationship. Employers using E-Comp are projected to submit
nearly 30,000 First Reports of Injury during 2004, saving the commission
an estimated $5 million in processing costs.
WyomingThe Wyoming Workers’ Safety and Compensation Division implemented
an Interactive Voice Response System for injured workers, medical providers
and employers. This application is intended to improve customer service
and give customers the ability to retrieve case and billing information
during business and non-business hours. Injured workers are able to determine
the status of their case, who is assigned to manage it, and disability
and reimbursement payment information. Medical providers are able to determine
medical bill payment information, an injured worker’s case status,
and patient case numbers. Employers are able to determine the status of
the employee’s case and who is assigned to manage it, report workers’
compensation fraud, and obtain general account information.
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IWIF
proudly celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2004. To mark the occasion,
IWIF created a celebratory logo, produced a video that chronicles IWIF
and workers’ compensation insurance in Maryland, planned special
events throughout the year, and partnered with local media to raise awareness
among business owners. 