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Colorado
- Pinnacol Assurance’s “Ease of Doing Business” corporate initiative focuses on targeted areas where we can be more flexible and streamlined to better serve our customers. One area we’ve improved is our phone system. Between February and September 2006, incoming calls were answered 40 percent faster, our call abandon rate decreased more than 50 percent, and overflow calls to customer service decreased more than 60 percent.
- Pinnacol has been recognized nationally by AARP as one of America’s “Best Employers for Workers Over 50” for the second consecutive year. We are one of just 50 companies nationwide – and two in Colorado – to receive the distinction.
- Pinnacol was recently named Colorado’s top financial services company by ColoradoBiz Magazine. We were recognized for our emphasis on customer service and workplace safety, as well as the $112 million in general dividends we’ve returned to policyholders over the past two years. Our community involvement was also noted, including the more than 2,700 hours that Pinnacol employees volunteered in the community during 2005.
- During the third quarter of 2006, Pinnacol created and distributed our first “Pinnacol Foundation Community E-Newsletter” to foster deeper, year-round connections between the Foundation and nearly 100 donors, students and friends. We formed the Pinnacol Foundation in 2000 to enable children whose families have been impacted by a workers’ compensation injury to continue their education.
Maryland
George H. Matthews, IWIF executive vice president, was recently appointed chairman of the Insurance Roundtable of Baltimore. Matthews has been an active member of the Insurance Roundtable since 2000. As chairman for 2006-2007, Matthews will continue to lead the 60-year-old organization in its mission to keep the insurance community abreast of changes in the industry and to provide a format that fosters a monthly exchange of ideas between insurance agents and insurance companies or insurance support organizations.
To raise awareness about the increasing accident rate among non-English speaking Hispanic workers, IWIF created and distributed 2,500 Hispanic worker safety kits to independent insurance agents and Maryland employers in the construction and landscaping industries. Information contained in the kit focuses on making workplace safety a top priority for Maryland business owners and their Hispanic workers. IWIF chose to focus on Hispanic worker safety after seeing a three-year increase in construction-related workplace injuries and lost time claims among this particular group of injured workers.
Montana
Focusing on Return to Work
MSF launched a new Return to Work (RTW) program at the end of October. The campaign was highlighted in ads that appeared in statewide newspapers, as banner ads on newspaper websites and in trade publications. The components of the new campaign include an RTW kit that gives customers step-by-step instructions on setting up a program. Sample letters, forms and posters are included. Our website www.returntoworkmt.com is filled with even more information, downloadable materials and true stories of Montana businesses that have benefited from RTW programs.
“We believe it is our duty to give our customers the tools they need to customize and implement an effective RTW program at their business,” said Laurence Hubbard, President and CEO of Montana State Fund. “RTW is not only about saving policyholders money. It is about people helping people. Bringing valued employees safely back to the workplace facilitates the healing process and shows all employees that management cares.”
Giving Back to Montanans
Nineteen Montana non-profit organizations were awarded ACE (Assisting Charitable Endeavors) grants last year. ACE is MSF’s charitable giving program that supports civic goodwill and enhances the success of selected worthwhile causes in the state. These grants are available to Montana non-profit organizations that contribute to both safety and community well-being throughout the state. Since its inception, ACE has assisted 73 projects totaling $149,682. All ACE grants require a dollar-for-dollar match resulting in $299,364 being raised for these charitable endeavors.
Continuing Education
MSF recently hosted our 6th annual medical education conference. Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Diagnosis, Interventions and Rehabilitation was the topic for the full-day event. Over 120 medical providers, claims’ examiners and others interested in workers’ compensation issues attended.
New York
NYSIF continues to make more online resources and services available to stakeholders. Brokers and authorized representatives now can create online accounts to view relevant policy information pertaining to their respective disability benefits insurance clients. DB representatives can learn about disability benefits insurance and NYSIF DB through a full menu of quick links, gain account access, utilize NYSIF’s premium calculator, obtain a quote for a customer, and print or validate a NYSIF DB certificate of insurance.
NYSIF added more resources to its web site with a new series of Safety Basics for the Healthcare Industry and a new set of safety posters, all available for download. In addition, NYSIF’s guide to accident prevention and workplace safety, Partners In Safety, is now available electronically in PDF format. “NYSIF is pleased to make this comprehensive guide available to anyone on our web site,” CEO David P. Wehner said. “Readers who are new to this publication will find what NYSIF policyholders have known about our safety guide for some time: It stresses – in clear, emphatic and plain language – the keys to a successful workplace safety program.”
NYSIF also revised its Online Services brochure to reflect the new look and improved features of the web site. Like the web site itself, the brochure is stakeholder-based, providing an easy-to-follow guide to information and services offered on NYSIF's site. "The new brochure conveys the ease of moving from information, to online services, to safety resources available on our new web site for all stakeholders and the general public," CEO Wehner said.
NYSIF’s Division of Confidential Investigations had a busy month in the war on fraud with 26 arrests in 30 days during parts of October and November, including three sweeps in different regions of the state. Cases totaled more than $2 million in actual fraud and estimated future savings. The arrests included a New York State corrections officer who filed a claim for a job-related injury, but allegedly began work as a contractor on a home improvement project the next day.
CEO David Wehner said NYSIF’s role in the fight against fraud is critically important: “NYSIF has a mandate and, as a competitive workers’ compensation carrier, we have a responsibility to keep the cost of workers’ compensation insurance as low as possible. As the leading workers’ compensation carrier in the state, NYSIF has an obligation to honest policyholders who choose us for coverage, and to legitimate claimants who depend on us for benefits, to set the standard in fighting workers’ compensation fraud.”
Oklahoma
UPDATE ON PBM SAVINGS
CompSource’s recent joint effort with HealtheSystems, a pharmacy benefits management (PBM) company, has produced a 50 percent reduction in paper billing and an average savings of 4.8 percent below fee schedule. This translates to nearly $135,000 in savings with 61 percent network penetration since the program rolled out in late May 2006. CompSource's commitment to contain prescription medication costs and provide savings on workers’ compensation claims continues to reap rewards for policyholders.
COMPSOURCE SHOWS COMMUNITY SPIRIT
CompSource Oklahoma employees have shown their community spirit by raising nearly $55,000 for the 2006 Oklahoma State Charitable Campaign. The campaign is organized through the United Way and benefits people in need in communities across the state. CompSource Oklahoma has always been a forerunner in the annual statewide campaign, and this year exceeded its goal by nearly $3,000. The campaign ran from the middle of September through the end of October.
CompSource’s latest community efforts come from our underwriting department. The first initiative is to provide winter clothing to people in need through a local “Warmth 4 Winter” program. Additionally, the “Operation Elf” program is underway. This program provides new toys for children admitted to OU Children’s Hospital throughout the year. The program also uses the toys to stock their playrooms and clinics, as well as birthday and Christmas gifts. It is anticipated that CompSource employees will come through with lots of toys and warm winter apparel to make these worthwhile projects a great success.
In response to the community projects undertaken at CompSource, President/CEO Terry McCullar commented that CompSource employees’ giving “is a reflection of their caring attitudes. I firmly believe we have the greatest employees assembled in Oklahoma.”
COMPSOURCE LEADS HOMEBUILDER SAFETY COURSE
Through a cooperative effort with CompSource Oklahoma and Francis Tuttle Technology Center, members of the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association (OSHBA) had a unique opportunity to learn about common safety risks within their industry, as well as major risk areas that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration addresses in the residential construction industry. The three-hour workshop partially fulfilled the continuing education requirements OSHBA members must complete as participants of the Professional Builder Certification Program.
According to Steve Compton, director of risk/loss prevention for CompSource Oklahoma, the cooperative effort was unique. “This was the first of many new working relationships with other entities that can provide additional resources to our policyholders beyond our current capabilities. Through these relationships we anticipate our policyholder services to continue to improve and expand,” Compton said.
Oregon
New logo adopted
SAIF Corporation adopted a new logo that was publicly unveiled in December. The new logo includes three visual elements that represent SAIF’s commitment to the people, businesses, and state of Oregon.
Many SAIF publications, including the web site at saif.com, have been or are being redesigned to reflect the new brand and deliver a more personal experience for customers and business partners.
To learn more about the new brand identity and to see the logo, visit saif.com.
Pure premium rates decline
Oregon’s pure premium rates will decline by 2.1 percent in 2007, marking the 17th consecutive year of stable or declining rates. Related assessments for administration and the Workers' Benefit Fund also will decline.
Declining rates have not occurred at the expense of injured workers. Since the major overhaul of Oregon’s workers' compensation system in 1990, benefits have continued to go up while injuries have gone down. Here are some statistics:
- Between the late 1980s and 2005, accident and injury rates in Oregon workplaces went down by 50% - at a time when employment nearly doubled.
- Accidents and injuries have also become less severe, so that the rate of disabling claims - those keeping workers off the job - has gone down 66%, even faster than the injury rate. In other words, injuries are now less likely to result in the worker being disabled.
- When workers do have disabling injuries, they get back to work faster - an average of 64 days off the job in 2005, compared to 92 days in 1990. Workers and employers agree that the faster an injured worker can get back to work, the better for his or her long-term recovery. Oregon's return-to-work programs are a national model.
- And benefits have gone up. Benefits for permanent partial disability have increased between 347 and 407 percent since the late 1980s, depending on type of injury, and they now go up automatically as statewide wages increase. Oregon's benefits for time loss are now among the highest nationally.
- Workers who are permanently and totally disabled no longer lose their benefits even if they become able to work a few hours a week.
- For the past thirteen years there has been almost no change in the rate at which workers' claims are denied.
Oregon rates 10th lowest in US
Oregon employers pay, on average, the 42nd highest workers' compensation rates in the country. In other words, only nine states have lower average workers' compensation insurance rates (the count includes the District of Columbia). Oregon’s premium rate index is $1.97 per $100 of payroll, or 79 percent of the national median. National premium rate indices range from $1.10 in North Dakota to a high of $5.00 in Alaska.
This ranking is according to the 2006 Oregon Workers' Compensation Premium Rate Summary published by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services.
Pennsylvania
In its first full year of operation, SWIF’s new Customer Service Unit is set to handle its 100,000th customer phone call. This unit was created to improve overall customer service, phone response time and increase production within SWIF.
The unit serves policyholders, brokers, agents, service providers, claimants, and other callers to SWIF by taking the initial phone calls for Underwriting, Claims, Auditing, and any other miscellaneous issues within the fund. Customer Service answers the basic questions for customers and has achieved an average of 85% of completed calls within the unit. When more complex issues or situations arise, Customer Service will then forward the call to the correct area to address the caller’s needs.
This new unit has alleviated a large volume of calls from production areas within SWIF, including Underwriting, Auditing, and Claims divisions as previously mentioned. With fewer interruptions, these departments have more time to process work related to the respective area, thus aiding in increased overall production.
Customer Service is also cross trained to monitor SWIF’s first report of injury, 800 number calls, thus processing all first reports of injury for the fund. The unit has compiled over 20,000 reports year to date. The reception area that greets all walk-in visitors to SWIF’s Home Office has also been integrated within the Customer Service Department’s responsibility.
Texas
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