When investigating workers compensation plans to use for your business there are several regulatory bodies that analyze the data to make improvements and recommendations. Workers compensation is a necessary plan to have in any business. When deciding on which plan to use, do your due diligence in the selection process. Reading reviews, looking up their history, and comparing one plan to the next will help you in making this decision.
Step 1
Find out about the physicians within the network that may be used. Are they reliable themselves and do they have a good history of fair and successful treatment. The last thing you want is a doctor that cannot get your employees back in the game and healthy again. Some Doctors will treat the problem but not fix the overall situation. This type of practice will allow them to prescribe drugs for pain, but not actually effectively treat the overall problem and find a solution.
You want your employees to receive ongoing treatment that will allow them to work, not require them to see a doctor once a week for the next year. Find a medical practice that produces results and identify workers compensation plans that include these practices in their coverage.
Step 2
Check with the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB), they will have useful information on the rates they offer, their standard of practice, and any employers complaints about the service they offer. This information is key to selecting the right compensation care for your company. Investigate their history through bureaus of this nature to find the raw data on the service they are providing.
Step 3
Check further into other governing bodies such as the Department of Industrial Relations. They will have information about employers, groups, audits, labor laws, and all things pertinent to workers compensation laws. The Department of Labor also will have useful information about Workers Compensation plans. They will be able to discuss employee rights and benefits and the legal claims involved in the case of an injury.
Step 4
Understand the benefits offered and how they compare to other companies. This can cover choosing doctors, medical and disability benefits to your injured workers, and claim justification. You want your personnel to receive the best treatment possible. If you are required to have this service make sure it is one that will give your people the benefits they deserve.
This will allow for them to heal quickly and return to work in a timely fashion. In order for them to return to work they will need a 75WCA-1 form from their doctor stating whether they are able to return.
Step 5
If you need to really scrutinize the information in making this decision, request for legal help. Hire an attorney to look into your state laws to help you determine the best way to go about selecting a carrier. They will be able to dig up more information than you ever could, and may be able to assist you in filtering out companies that will not provide the benefits that you require.
All employees are entitled to workers compensation. This includes part time, temporary, and immigrant workers as well. They will be able to receive compensation for medical bills no matter who was at fault.
In addition to medical bill compenstation, workers are also entitled to compensation for lost wages. This means that you as an employer should want their speedy recovery and return to work. The more investigating you do on the front end will pay dividends in the long run. Especially for those job types that have high risk of injury.
Nick Quinlan has decades of experience in human resources and now writes to others in the field: sharing his own challenges. For quality workers compensation care in his hometown of Orlando he highly recommends finding an insurer that includes Workflow Employer Services. You can find out more about Nick including other examples of his work on Google+.