| About Early Claim Solutions Project |  | |
About
The Early Claim Solutions is a new L&I initiative designed to speed up claim reporting and decision-making and to provide necessary services to workers and employers quickly. The goals of the initiative include helping injured workers recover and return to their jobs more quickly, reducing costs for employers and the workers' compensation system, and improving customer satisfaction.
Why is L&I initiating Early Claim Solutions?
Industry research shows that when reporting and adjudication happen quickly, costs come down, worker outcomes improve, and customer satisfaction increases.
L&I data shows that delays in reporting a claim impact overall claim costs:
- Injuries that take two weeks to report are 18 percent more expensive than injuries reported in one week.
- Injuries reported between the fourth and fifth weeks are 45 percent more expensive.
How is L&I changing internal processes?
Cross-functional L&I teams will be designing and testing new processes for:
- Expediting claim intake.
- Gathering more complete information early in the process.
- Screening incoming claims and employer information to identify those likely to benefit from specialized services.
- Working more closely with employers and workers to offer services more promptly, including early return-to-work, risk management, or safety consultations.
How is the Early Claim Solutions project structured?
A new staff team has been created to review claims and employer account information. The team will include two Claim Managers, two Account Managers, two Office Assistants, and a supervisor.
L&I will launch the project with medical providers in February 2009 in Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island, and San Juan counties in Northwestern Washington (L&I’s Region 1). Depending on funding and lessons learned, the project may eventually be extended to the rest of the state.
How will the project change the way we work with our partners?
- Reaching out to high-volume health-care clinics in the project area to ask that reports of accident (ROA) be faxed to L&I within 48 hours of treating an injured or ill worker.
- Educating clinic staff about how early reporting improves outcomes for workers and providers.
- Rewarding providers who file the ROA within two business days.
We will also be educating employers about L&I services that can help them manage their claims and maintain low workers' compensation premiums.
Are there plans for new technology?
Included in the Governor’s proposed budget to the Legislature is funding for the 2009–11 biennium to implement the next phase of Early Claim Solutions, which includes progressing to Web and telephone reporting of claims. We'll know about this funding when the Legislature completes the budget in May.
Need more information?
Please contact the Early Claim Solutions team:
- E-mail: EarlyClaims@Lni.wa.gov
- Phone: 360-902-4909
- Mail:
Early Claim Solutions
Department of Labor & Industries
PO Box 44156
Olympia WA 98504-4156
