BWC News

MCOs Help BWC 'Make Quality Care a Priority'

Workers' compensation managed care organizations (MCOs) have helped the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) "make quality care a priority," according to a new 10-year report from BWC.

In 1997, BWC created its Health Partnership Program (HPP), which created the MCO program to help increase the quality and efficiency of care for injured workers while lowering workers' compensation costs for employers. According to BWC, MCOs continue to serve as an "essential communication link" among BWC, medical providers, employers and injured workers.

HPP's success can be quantified by measuring key benchmarks established by BWC. For instance, by employers and MCOs working together to file claims quicker, injured workers are receiving proper medical intervention sooner. Since HPP was created in 1997, the lag time, defined as the time it takes for a workplace injury to be reported to BWC, has fallen approximately 50 percent, from 38.8 days in 1997 to 19.3 days in 2003. In addition, 81 percent of all claims are filed within 14 days of the injury.

Falling lag times also lead to lower costs. The cost of claims filed within seven days has decreased by nearly 75 percent while expenses for claims filed after a week are down nearly 50 percent.

The average time it takes to return an injured worker to work has been reduced 48 percent since 1995. Through early supportive intervention by employers and their MCOs, nearly 87 percent of workers miss fewer than seven days of work due to a workplace injury, according to the BWC report.