Top 6 Reasons for Timely Workers Comp Claim Reporting

To help drive positive outcomes for both employers and employees after an on-the-job accident or injury, reporting a claim immediately to the Workers’ Compensation insurance company is a critical best practice. Prescient National recommends employers report work-related claims within 24 hours of the incident.

Reasons for Timely Workers Comp Claim Reporting

Following are six top reasons why early claims reporting helps create a transparent and efficient process.

1. Provides the injured employee with immediate attention and appropriate medical treatment. An employee’s injuries will be properly assessed and addressed – whether it’s getting the employee to the right physician, sending him or her to urgent care or the ER, or simply providing first-aid treatment, depending on the extent of the injury. This helps prevent injuries from becoming worse and medical costs from increasing.
2. Enables the insurance carrier to investigate the circumstances and details of the accident while the facts are still vivid in the mind of the injured employee and any witnesses to the accident. Early reporting helps eliminate confusion over what may have occurred as well as reduces the potential for details to be forgotten or stories to change, which frequently happens as more time elapses. Getting immediate statements from the injured worker and witnesses helps the claims process to move along.
3. Identifies potential hazards as soon as possible. When an injury occurs, an accident investigation could help determine the root cause of the injury. Identifying the source of the problem or potential hazard reduces the likelihood of a similar claim occurring in the future.
4. Accelerates benefits to the injured employee. The sooner the insurer knows about the claim, the sooner the investigation takes place to determine the appropriate compensability to ensure benefits go out on a timely basis to the injured employee.
5. Reduces legal risk. If an injury claim is not reported in a timely manner, the employee can feel neglected or become disgruntled, speak to others, and contact an attorney. Reporting a claim early, showing compassion to the employee, and keeping lines of communication open will reduce the likelihood of a litigated claim significantly.
6. Avoids penalties and fines for late claims reporting. Several states impose fines on employers who delay reporting workplace injuries beyond a certain period.

How Prescient National Helps the Claims-Reporting Process

Prescient National is committed to streamlining the entire claims-reporting process in order to help get employees well and back on the job while also reducing the costs that come with workplace injuries and illnesses. We are in the process of rolling out IntelliFROI, an iPhone/Android app that works seamlessly with a cloud-based web application, available to our insureds. IntelliFROI provides employers with the ability to report claims easily through its photo, audio, and video upload capability. Statements from the injured worker and any witnesses can be taken and submitted via the app. The early incident report and all documentation are then delivered to us in minutes. This helps speed up the claim compensability decision and the benefit payment process.

Employers interested in implementing IntelliFROI should contact their Risk Manager.

Our telemedicine program through Concentra enables instant assessment of certain workplace injuries, allowing for immediate triage and personalized treatment. This helps to get the injured worker the appropriate treatment he or she needs along with the necessary follow up.