BWC News

National Study Gives Ohio MCO Program High Marks

The Ohio workers’ compensation system has made “tremendous improvement” in recent years, thanks to the efforts of employers, employers, managed care organizations and state administrators, according to a study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).

“Following several years of legislative and administrative changes, system improvements have occurred as claims for injured workers are paid more promptly and disputes are resolved quickly in a resolution system that may offer some lessons for other states,” said Richard A. Victor, executive director of WCRI, a national research organization based in Cambridge, Mass. “This improvement is due primarily to faster processing of claims by the BWC (the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation), coupled with faster reporting of claims. Ohio should also be commended for its successful use of innovative managed care programs emphasizing return to work.”

WCRI said the state’s Health Partnership Program, under which managed care organizations (MCOs) such as University Hospitals CompCare operate, appears to have played a “central role” in faster filing and payment of claims as well as faster return to work.

The study found that Ohio’s dispute resolution system is “accessible and swift.” In 1998, almost all disputes were resolved within 52 days at each of the first two levels of the dispute resolution process and in an average of 72 days at the administrative appellate level. According to the research, employer and employee groups generally praise the speed of the process, its informality and the reasonable costs, and say that hearing officers tend to be knowledgeable and fair.

Overall, however, WCRI said the Ohio program has significantly enhanced its performance in recent years, particularly in speeding the payment of benefits to injured workers.