Virtual Event

AASCIF Connection Series: Touch-Less Claims: The Future of Technology and Automation in Workers' Compensation

… to continue to make major improvements to the workers’ compensation industry in terms of efficiency, consistency and more. While technological advancements can provide a plethora of benefits, there is still a need for balance between automation and human intervention in … In this session, Mitchell Senior Vice President Shahin Hatamian will discuss the future of technology in the industry and the possibility for touchless claims processing. …
News Release

Press Release - Kura MD Enters Network Agreement with Coventry to be a Provider of Telemedicine Services for Workers' Compensation
News Release

Press Release - Kura MD Enters Network Agreement with Coventry to be a Provider of Telemedicine Services for Workers' Compensation
News Release

Mitchell’s Q1 Industry Trends Report Examines the Ongoing Effects of COVID-19 and Implications for Property & Casualty Claims and Collision Repair

… SAN DIEGO, CA—Mitchell, a leading provider of technology, connectivity and information solutions to the Property & Casualty (P&C) claims and … are anxiously awaiting a return to “normal.” However, industry experts note the importance of understanding that our future “normal” may be very different, as changes in commuting, investments in virtual medical care, and the emergence of a hybrid workforce begin to take shape. Throughout this quarter's report, Mitchell experts …
News Release

Risk & Insurance: Why Employers Looking to Effectively Implement Telemedicine into Their Workers' Comp Program Could Take a Page Out of Starbucks' Book
News Release

Oklahoma House Committee Advances Workers' Compensation Reform Legislation

… By Brian Allen, VP of Government Affairs … Committee amended HB3277 with a 173-page substitute bill detailing a comprehensive set of reforms for their workers' compensation system. The bill, sponsored by Assistant Majority Floor Leader, Chris Kannady, encompasses a wide range of proposed changes affecting administrative procedures, benefits reform, medical care and cost … changes to the vocational rehabilitation section of the Act Adds a provision allowing an administrative law judge to require an employer to provide detoxification treatment for …
Article

IME: A Tool for Effective Claim Management

… In workers’ compensation, all claims are not created equal. Each claim has a distinct set of circumstances that at times can make it difficult to determine the course of action and bring the claim to resolution. Independent Medical Examinations (IME) can play a … Determining the Best Treatment Plan with an IME … as sporadic or excessive treatment and question whether this treatment is in the best interest of the injured person. Examples include: Lack of medical documentation to support diagnosis or …
News Release

Hawaii Legislature Sends Opioid Limits Bill to Governor

… his signature on May 3, 2018. The measure is designed to combat the overprescribing and abuse of opioid medications in Hawaii's workers' compensation system. The legislature is an important step forward, but hopefully not an end point of Hawaii's effort to combat opioids in the Aloha State. The following is a summary of the …
News Release

West Virginia Governor Signs Opioid Reduction Act

… and the legislature took notice and action. The result is the passage and subsequent signing of SB273. This legislation includes the newly enacted “Opioid Reduction Act” and amends the sections dealing with the licensing of chronic pain clinics and the licensing of medication-assisted treatment programs. The bill … compensation. Highlights of the Act include: A non-opioid directive form that can be signed by an individual and contains an advanced directive to a health practitioner that the individual …
Article

Utilizing Nurse Case Managers for Workers Compensation Claims

… One of the biggest challenges that the workers’ compensation industry faces today is the continuous … avert delays in a timely return to work. By focusing on the injured worker and the improvement of their health and wellness, employers can shift their focus back to their most important goal: making people healthy again. Behind every claim is an injured worker seeking to get better. If a nurse case manager is engaged in a workers’ …
News Release

New Presumption Laws Signed: California and New Jersey

… rebuttable presumption for “essential employees” who contract the coronavirus during the time an executive order declaring a public health emergency, and any subsequent extension by the Governor, remains in effect. The definition of an essential employee includes employees in the public or private sector working in public … bill creates a “disputable” presumption that may be challenged by other evidence. Section 2 of the bill applies to all employees and defines an injury from COVID-19 that arises when an …
Article

How Employers and Insurers Can Create The Most Effective Return to Work Programs

… It's important to understand the main goal of any return-to-work program: getting the injured worker back to their pre-injury condition in a safe and timely manner. Typically, these programs are comprised of all of the accommodations and resources that are needed to facilitate the processes that make … work arrangements that accommodate any restrictions or limitations that may interfere with an injured worker’s return to work. In pursuit of building out an effective return-to-work …
News Release

Missouri, Washington and West Virginia Adopt Emergency Changes

… Washington and West Virginia recently announced changes that could impact the provision of pharmacy care to injured workers. Things are changing rapidly across the country and we invite … Pursuant to the Governor's Executive Order declaring an emergency, the Missouri Board of Pharmacy has issued an order allowing for the emergency … Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission has adopted an emergency rule regarding emergency fills of expired prescriptions. The rule “allows a pharmacist, among other things, to grant an …
Article

Specialty Solutions Spotlight: When to Use Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCE) in Workers’ Compensation Claims

… What is an FCE and why does it matter in workers’ compensation? Complex claims often come with … or without clear direction, it can stall progress or increase costs. Understanding the Role of an FCE An FCE is a standardized, objective evaluation of an injured employee’s physical capabilities in relation to specific job demands. It’s … —Lack of specialty experience or standardized reporting Without proper coordination, adjusters risk …
Blog

Expertise and a Strong Specialty Network are Critical in Helping Injured Workers Recover from Opioid Use Disorder

… What’s become clear from years of combating opioid use disorders is that, for most patients, recovery is difficult and often … regimen or rely solely on diligent medical management. Instead, the various players orbiting an injured worker in treatment must act in concert to establish the most solid foothold that … this work falls to experienced case managers, who often have good working relationships with top providers in a given network. That strength in the clinical realm can be matched with …
Podcast

A Closer Look at California MPNs

… The California MPN is a certified program that’s approved by the California Division of Workers’ Compensation, and this program enables an employer to channel care to physicians and facilities with expertise in treating work‑related injuries. This medical provider network allows for channeling for the life of a claim. And without an MPN or another certified type of network, you can only channel care …
Podcast

Sizing Up the Physical Demand Analysis

… Basically, a physical demand analysis is a document that outlines the essential functions of a job. It then breaks down the essential functions into job tasks, and then it measures what is physically required to perform those job tasks. Therefore, giving the end user an ADA-compliant document that can be utilized in many instances within an organization, during a pre‑hire all the way through an accommodation type of a situation. …
Blog

Sizing Up the Physical Demand Analysis

… Basically, a physical demand analysis is a document that outlines the essential functions of a job. It then breaks down the essential functions into job tasks, and then it measures what is physically required to perform those job tasks. Therefore, giving the end user an ADA-compliant document that can be utilized in many instances within an organization, during a pre‑hire all the way through an accommodation type of a situation. …
Article

Look for a Broken Spirit, Not Just a Broken Bone

… someone gets hurt on the job, the workers’ compensation system is often adept at zeroing in on an injury and delivering timely care. But that well-intentioned focus on a patient’s physical … ones, which might be harder to spot. Today, a comprehensive approach that identifies and meets an injured employee ’s needs is more important than ever because the coronavirus pand em ic is blanketing everyday life with added stresses that threaten to imperil an employee' s recovery. …
Article

10 Tips Every Estimator Should Be Following

… Today more than ever, the importance of creating an outstanding blueprint for automotive repair is an integral part of Proper and Safe repairs. Creating a roadmap of how the vehicle is going to be repaired … Here Is A List of What We Recommend As The 10 Keys to Complete Estimating: … 1. Have an SOP For the Estimating Process: … is tasked with writing a damage appraisal. If an estimator is not armed with the knowledge of how systems function or which parts are HSS or UHSS and what estimators are allowed or not …
Article

When, Why, and How to Use Nurse Review on Third Party Medical Claims

… treating a claimant, the claimant has pre-existing conditions or the claim has been open for an extended period of time, insurance carriers benefit by bringing in medical professionals to perform claim reviews. An organization of trained nurses can be an invaluable tool in a third party adjusters’ toolbox. Not only can a … and often yields stronger recommendations. It’s important that adjusters can make this type of good judgment in triaging claims to nurses, since the true value of nurse review is when …
Article

Ask The Pharmacist: Fixed-Dose Combination Drugs in Workers’ Comp

… Beyond convenience, are there advantages in the use of fixed-dose combination drug products? Fixed-dose combination drug products (FDCDPs) are made up of two different drug ingredients in a single formulation, containing a fixed amount of each. … the contribution of each ingredient to the claimed therapeutic effect. FDCDPs are often an opportunity for manufacturers to extend the market exclusivity of an OTC brand or a …
Article

Therapeutic Alternatives—A Closer Look

… alternative medicine. Rather, therapeutic alternatives, or therapeutic equivalents , are made of different chemicals than the brand name drug, but “can be expected to have [nearly] the same … under the conditions specified in the labeling.” This drug update will cover the basics of therapeutic alternatives and provide some examples relevant to the workers’ compensation and … to be the same as an existing approved brand-name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, and performance characteristics.” The FDA emphasizes that generic …
News Release

Mitchell’s Virtual Claims Workflow for the Connected Consumer

… Today's connected consumers tend to have a higher expectation of self-service options. In fact, sixty-seven percent of customers would rather use self-service options instead of speaking with a company representative. [1] From retailers to insurance carriers, an end-to-end self-service experience is not an option; it's becoming a necessity to stay engaged … to take immediately following an incident. That's why Mitchell developed Mobile First Notice of Loss , a self-service solution designed to help consumers start their auto claims process in …
Article

Behind a Reliable IME: The Critical Need for Quality Assurance

… In the realm of workers’ compensation and claims processing, the independent medical exam (IME) holds immense … value. These exams play a pivotal role in moving claims forward. However, the significance of a meticulous review process cannot be overstated. In this article, we will explore the … only builds trust with clients but also assures them of adherence to regulatory requirements. An integral part of this approach involves creating a client-specific protocol. This is achieved …
Article

From FNOL to Settlement: Improving Third Party Claims with Data Driven Decisions

… Effectively adjudicating third party auto casualty claims can be a complex web of analysis and decision-making that challenges even the most experienced adjusters. Each of the many decisions made during the lifecycle of a third party claim can potentially affect the … of the way to improve outcomes for the insurer and the claimant. The ideal arrangement is for an adjuster to work out of an expert workspace that complements the claims management system by …
Article

Ask The Pharmacist: Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Opioid Use

… Why would someone be prescribed an opioid to treat opioid addiction? Medication-assisted treatment  (MAT) is a safe and … This method is typically applied along with counseling and other support and involves the use of  methadone  or buprenorphine and sometimes naltrexone. Addiction can be thought of as a chronic disease, and the use of methadone or buprenorphine has been likened to the use of …
Blog

Look for a Broken Spirit, Not Just a Broken Bone

… Her expertise includes medical case management, disability management, and the integration of health, disability, and workers' compensation, as well as being a contributing author to … someone gets hurt on the job, the workers’ compensation system is often adept at zeroing in on an injury and delivering timely care. But that well-intentioned focus on a patient’s physical … ones, which might be harder to spot. Today, a comprehensive approach that identifies and meets an injured worker’s needs is more important than ever because the coronavirus pandemic is …