Workers’ Compensation And Northwood

Technological advances are but one of many changes observed within the workers’ compensation industry. With the increased use of modern technology in workers’ compensation comes increased benefits to insurance companies and their claimants along with additional costs. Insurance companies administering workers’ compensation claims will realize significant cost savings and increased claimant satisfaction by choosing to partner with Northwood as their third-party administrator (TPA) of claims.

One avenue of workers’ compensation that is undergoing a bit of a revolution pertains to wearable technology that has the capability to monitor claimant improvements after an injury is sustained within the workplace. For example, an Insurance Journal article from February 22, 2017, highlighted the viewpoints of Tom Ryan from Marsh’s Workers Compensation Center of Excellence. Ryan touched on the benefits that can be realized once wearable technology is embraced in the workplace.

Technological devices that are easily wearable can potentially impact the workers’ compensation industry in multiple ways. Alerts would be received instantaneously by home health care workers when significant or alarming changes in the vital signs of workers’ compensation claimants occur. A wearable watch is an example of a device that could also function as a tracking piece to ensure the home health care worker is safe and attending to the correct claimants at the appropriate times. This small change would result in more efficient and effective service for claimants, which in turn would increase an insurance company’s overall claimant satisfaction rate.

Additionally, wearable technology can be adopted directly into a typically hazardous work environment to prevent injuries from ever occurring in the first place. Not only would this reduce the incidence and cost of workers’ compensation claims for an insurance company but it would also result in a general increase in workplace wellness.

While the implementation of new and emerging technology will provide myriad benefits to insurance companies in the workers’ compensation industry, there are additional things companies can do to more efficiently and effectively administer claims. One such way to reduce expenses and increase claimant satisfaction is to partner with an experienced TPA for all workers’ compensation claims.

Northwood is a seasoned organization that prioritizes the use of innovative systems and procedures to increase claimant satisfaction and reduce claims costs for the insurance companies it partners with. In addition, Northwood’s years of experience have culminated in a thoroughly credentialed network of medical providers that offer discounted rates to Northwood’s clients. Insurance companies utilizing Northwood as their TPA benefit from these discounted rates on durable medical equipment (DME) and are able to pass these savings on to their claimants.

Furthermore, claimants will not pay out of pocket for any injury related DME expense thanks to Northwood’s innovative pre-authorization process. Claimants will appreciate the extensive network of providers while an insurance company’s estimators will appreciate the reduced administrative burdens. Once Northwood becomes an insurance company’s chosen TPA for workers’ compensation claims, estimators can rely on Northwood for answers to some of the most common claimant questions and situations. Estimators will spend less time on the administrative portion of these claims because Northwood acts as a valuable resource and will be able to focus on more efficiently and effectively serving their claimants and administering additional claims.

Northwood is a highly trusted and experienced TPA of workers’ compensation claims and partners with insurance companies to reduce costs, increase claimant satisfaction and reduce administrative burdens on estimators. If you would like more detailed information on how Northwood can help you with your workers’ compensation claims, please contact Rosanne Brugnoni at 586-755-3830 ext. 3771 at your convenience.  

Check here for more information:https://www.northwoodinc.com/workers-compensation-northwood/

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. According to breastcancer.org, 1 out of every 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer over their lifetime. 1 in 8. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is 1 in 1,000. The first recorded case of breast cancer was found in 1600 BC in ancient Egypt (www.maurerfoundation.org). With the advances in medicine and detection, cancers of the breast have the capacity to be found earlier, and there are more options for treatment. Here are some ways that you can keep an eye on your health. 

Family History 

Understand your family’s medical history. Is there a history of breast cancer, or any other cancer, within your family? If someone in your family had cancer, there is a greater chance that you could develop the disease. It is important to not only understand your family’s cancer background, but you must also know what stage they were in and what treatment was sought.  Ask your family if they know anyone in their lineage that had cancer, and ask if anyone had cancer more than once or in two different areas of the body.  

Self Exam 

There are people who will tell you that you need to examine your breasts once a month, and there are others who say this method is ineffectual. The important thing here is that sometimes your significant other can feel a change in your tissue before you do. This can pertain to men or women. If a change is felt, it is important to see your doctor to discuss the change that was found. There is no harm in examining your breasts once per month if you feel better doing this. There are shower cards that can be picked up to show you the proper technique.  

Mammogram 

If there is a history of breast cancer in your family or a strong cancer background, you will most likely need to start having regular mammograms at an earlier age than is recommended. You also might need to have a mammogram more than once per year. If you’ve had an abnormal mammogram, you might need to have them more often as well so that the doctor can keep an eye on the area of concern. 

Lifestyle 

Making sure you maintain the proper weight, remaining active and eating healthy are steps that you can take to reduce your cancer risk. You can help your family on the road to fitness by setting a good example. It is important to keep an eye on your family to notice changes and to check yourself regularly as well.  

Avoiding Prescription Errors Within No-Fault Claims

Automobile no-fault claims that pass across an adjuster’s desk contain a myriad of injuries and a wide variety of treatment options and recommendations. Not uncommon among many no-fault claims is the use of prescription drugs to treat injured claimants. The involvement of prescriptions necessitates that adjusters must work with not only the injured claimants but that they also work with pharmacy services providers in order to properly indemnify the claimants.  

An additional challenge with these types of claims is the fact that as many as 50 million of the four billion prescriptions filled each year in the United States may be inaccurate, according to NBC New York’s investigative study. While this number is staggering, it is more or less an educated estimate. Currently, there are no laws in place that require errors on prescription drugs to be disclosed. Together with the challenge of assuring auto-relatedness of prescriptions, these errors are a major concern for insurance carriers facing steadily rising costs of auto no-fault claims.  

Many insurance companies typically have some type of system in place that allows for a review of prescribed medicines for their no-fault claimants. However, there are oftentimes flaws or missing checks and balances within those systems that inadvertently lead to non-injury-related claimant prescriptions being approved and paid for by the insurance company. One common situation that occurs involves a claimant with a pre-existing condition or illness that requires them to use prescription drugs for treatment. Claimants are typically unfamiliar with the intricacies of claims processes and may unknowingly submit their auto-related prescription together with the non-auto-related prescription to the insurance company for payment. One important step that must be taken by the insurance company to avoid this type of situation involves the implementation of a proactive versus reactive approach.  

Northwood has proven that a proactive approach to assuring injury relatedness of prescriptions saves both time and money for the insurance companies it partners with. As a third-party administrator (TPA) of auto no-fault claims, Northwood acts as a Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) for insurance companies to implement a pre-authorization system for all prescriptions. This approach ensures that each prescription submitted for payment within a no-fault claim is injury related which eliminates unnecessary costs for the insurance company. Northwood is an experienced PBM and partners with numerous insurance companies in Michigan to implement these proven procedures within their no-fault claims administration. 

Furthermore, when claimants choose a pharmacy services provider within Northwood’s expansive network there is no out-of-pocket cost to claimants for their filled prescriptions. Additionally, each provider participates in a rigorous credentialing process to ensure the highest level of quality is offered to each claimant and to provide the lowest cost to both claimants and insurance companies. This extensive network and the elimination of cost to claimants combine to provide savings along with significantly increased claimant satisfaction levels. 

For more information about avoiding prescription errors commonly associated with automobile no-fault claims please contact Rosanne Brugnoni at 586-755-3830 ext. 3771 at your convenience.   

For more information https://www.northwoodinc.com/avoiding-prescription-errors-within-no-fault-claims/

Who Really ‘Benefits’ From Benefits Management

Many benefits managers exist within the realm of the insurance industry. With the multitude of benefits management options available to an insurance company, the question of who really benefits from this relationship arises. In the case of insurance companies administering claims involving claimant use of durable medical equipment (DME), a durable medical equipment benefits manager (DBM) has the ability to bring several positive changes to the insurance company and its claimants. 

A DBM works with an insurance company to administer claims that include the use of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and medical supplies (DMEPOS). The most common concerns for insurance companies with these types of claims include overall claims cost, claimant satisfaction levels and the quality of claimant care. Northwood is a highly trusted and experienced DBM that addresses these common concerns and offers additional advantages to the insurance companies it partners with.  

The ever-increasing cost of DMEPOS claims can be mitigated through a variety of proven tactics implemented by Northwood. One such cost-saving measure centers around the provider network curated by Northwood over its more than two decades of experience as a benefits manager. More than 5,800 provider locations exist within this network that encompasses all of the United States in addition to Puerto Rico. Providers undergo a rigorous credentialing process in order to be accepted into the network and must participate in a re-credentialing process each year.    

Insurance companies working with Northwood as their DBM will enjoy negotiated fee schedules that help reduce their claims costs. Claimants have access to the entire network as well and because of Northwood’s pre-authorization process on all DMEPOS claims do not need to pay out of pocket for medical services. This pre-authorization review allows Northwood to assure that all prescribed DMEPOS services are directly related to the claim and therefore necessary expenses to the insurance company.  

Since Northwood reviews each provider request for injury relatedness and also ensures only the highest quality providers are accepted into its network, the level of accuracy within DMEPOS claims increases as well. Fewer errors and the elimination of non-injury related treatments and expenses also translates into an increase in the quality of care that claimants receive. These benefits therefore naturally raise the level of claimant satisfaction with DMEPOS claims.  

After examining the top concerns of insurance companies administering DMEPOS claims, it is clear who actually benefits from benefits management. First and foremost, claimants realize significant improvements such as better quality of care because of a partnership with a DBM. Insurance companies also experience significant improvements due to the reduction of claims costs and the significant increase in claimant satisfaction levels.  

For more information on partnering with Northwood as a benefits manager, please contact Rosanne Brugnoni at 586-755-3830 ext. 3771.