This article was reprinted from:

PMA Insurance Group
April 2006 Directions
PDF versions of Directions at:
http://www.pmagroup.com/directions.htm
 

Maximizing PMA Services:
A Powerful Tool in Controlling Your Cost of Risk

PMA is dedicated to delivering outstanding service. Quality service impacts results and that can make all the difference in your bottom line and managing your total cost of risk. PMA has all the processes and initiatives already in place to ensure you're able to achieve maximum cost savings.

Our services include a proactive risk prevention strategy that can help lower your claims frequency and severity. Our claims management team is comprised of seasoned pros who are intimately familiar with local and state regulations and perform thorough claims investigations. PMA invests in programs to manage medical costs, provide access to quality health care to injured workers and produce satisfaction among injured employees. We understand the link between escalating medical costs, higher insurance rates and overall business costs.
Regardless of your level of risk assumption, maximizing your utilization of PMA's services can help contain your loss costs. The following are key steps to execute:

• Create a safe culture where accidents and prolonged worker absences aren't viewed as normal business expenses. This is the kind of environment that attracts the best workers, the ones who increase productivity and profits. PMA's Risk Control Business Solutions Approach is designed to guide your cultural change and promote a continuous improvement process.

• Report claims in a timely manner. The impact of reporting time on claims cost is significant. In a study of PMA workers' compensation claims, the average total claim cost was $7,494 for those reported within 0 to 3 days versus $22,009 for those reported in greater than 20 days.

• Choose physicians within PMA's Preferred Provider Network. Because network providers understand workers' compensation and have a return-to-work focus, they can significantly impact your bottom line. Increase your company's network penetration by...

  • communicating your workers' compensation policy to employees
  • ensuring employees are aware of provider facilities
  • using resources such as your local PMA representative and website (go to www.pmagroup.com and under "Quick Links" access "First Health Network") to locate a network provider

  • nominating new providers.

• Promote Return-to-Work Programs. Your total cost of risk quickly rises when your employees are absent from the workplace. Participating in a meaningful return-to-work program can speed the recovery process and boost an employee's morale. Productivity increases and the costs associated with an extended employee absence decline.

• Use PMA's Pharmacy Benefits Management Program. In workers' compensation, prescription drugs are now a large dollar expenditure. PMA's Pharmacy Benefits Program provides easy access to over 50,000 pharmacies nationwide. Injured workers can access an array of pharmacies and incur no out-of-pocket costs.

Please contact your PMA representative for more details on any of these programs.