Author: admin

Best Practices for claims departments to maximize the effectiveness of an audit  With commentary and insight from Rick Sabetta and Barry Bloom As a Claims Supervisor I reacted very poorly to my first workers compensation claims audit.   I went through the familiar stages that one does when first audited:  Anger (at how anyone could question my decisions or results)   Denial (that someone in my claims unit had made mistakes)  Negotiations (over…

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by Bill Zachry, SCIF Board Member and Barry Bloom, Managing Partner, The bdb Group  “As the claims manager goes, so goes the office.”  The most important job in a workers’ compensation claim office is the claims manager.    Most companies strive for consistency and accuracy with regard to benefit provision.  They work hard to achieve these results while trying to maintain a low cost of claims administration.  To accomplish these results, they establish policies…

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Management Engagement:  The approach and attitude that senior management takes regarding injury prevention, safety, employee welfare, interaction with injured workers, and treatment of claims partners are primary determinants of successfully managing the workers' compensation program.  Hiring the Right Employee:  Hiring qualified and engaged employees is essential for reducing the risk of workplace injuries and subsequent workers' compensation claims. In today’s employment market this can be a particular challenge.  Safety and…

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The actor Leslie Howard, who played Ashley Wilks in the Gone with the Wind movie, was killed during World War II when the airplane on which he was a passenger was shot down.  After the war it was discovered that the English had broken the Enigma code and they knew that his plane was going to be targeted by the Luftwaffe.  The British Military did not warn the plane or…

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I would like to thank all of you who have diligently read our “Simple Ideas” papers during the past year. I admit that a few of the papers we sent out were actually not “simple”. These papers are either focused on improving outcomes for the injured workers while reducing costs for the employers, or are designed to help bring you up to speed on the latest technology which will impact…

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