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Greater loss control, a coordinated claims approach and online access to
critical claims data help Goodwill Industries focus on its business -
goodwill.
Goodwill Industries is a consortium of
independent Goodwill locations and one of the world's largest non-profit
providers of education, training and career services for the destitute
and physically, mentally and emotionally disabled. Together, the group
serves nearly three-quarters of a million people every year.
With a mission grounded in starting careers
and getting people back to work, it only makes sense for Goodwill
Industries to have a service-oriented carrier for its workers'
compensation coverage. In 1995, Goodwill Industries started a workers'
compensation rent-a-captive program that gave its members the benefits
of workers' compensation coverage with more stable annual premiums. A
few years into the program, however, Goodwill Industries began looking
for a carrier with stronger services to help its members gain greater
control of their losses and ready access to their critical claims data.
When they presented these goals to HRH Company, the program's
administrator, HRH had a particular carrier in mind - PMA.
"PMA offered a very competitive program that
allowed the Goodwill members to have more control over their workers'
compensation costs," says Troy Young, HRH Account Executive. Moreover,
PMA offered a tremendous service proposition that was exactly what
Goodwill Industries was looking for. In 1998, the consortium selected
PMA as its rent-a-captive carrier and PMA has carried it ever since.
Since that time, PMA has helped Goodwill
Industries not only to establish greater control over its workers'
compensation costs, but also to make the most of that burgeoning control
in powerful, lasting ways.
Coordinated Approach to Claims Management
Because even the best risk control programs
can't prevent all accidents or injuries, Goodwill Industries wanted some
assurance that all key parties would be on the same page when claims did
occur. As such, representatives from PMA, Goodwill Industries and HRH
work together on each claim to ensure it gets the appropriate attention.
"We have a claims adjuster dedicated to
Goodwill with a back-up in place so PMA is always accessible," says Barb
Lehrer, PMA Claims Service Manager. "They can also call me anytime to
discuss a claim's status and what our next steps in the process might
be."
Open communication among all parties is at the core of Goodwill's
coordinated approach to claims management. "We make regular visits to
the stores and Goodwill's Human Resources team is very active in the
claims process," continues Lehrer. "We hold claims reviews twice a year
with HRH and go through all the reporting and how much Goodwill saved
through our Preferred Provider Network."
Fast, Easy Access to Claims Online
Goodwill Industries wanted a direct route to
their critical claims data that put everything at their fingertips - and
PMA had the answer. PMA CINCHr, an online risk management information
system, gives captive members online access to critical claims data that
has made it easier for them to track losses and pinpoint trouble spots.
"It's fantastic," says Alexis Howard, Human Resources Manager for
Goodwill of Greater Washington. "I not only use PMA CINCHr to check log
notes and run reports, but also to keep my employees informed. If
someone calls with a question about a claim, I can quickly log in, look
it up and give them the latest status."
Self-Assessed Risk Control
PMA provided risk control service to
Goodwill Industries members from 1998 to 2004. By 2005, armed with six
years of guidance from PMA and HRH, captive members felt comfortable
launching their own in-house self-assessment risk control program.
Inaugurated in the 2005 renewal year, the
in-house program involves each member receiving a risk control visit
from two other members within the captive. "It's a unique and very
thorough approach to risk control," says Lehrer. "It works well because
Goodwill has developed an intense commitment to identifying and managing
risk at all levels over the years." During each visit, the assessors
investigate the facility and make recommendations for safety
improvements. Additionally, members meet for quarterly Loss Control &
Safety Committee meetings. The meetings, led by HRH, focus on a topic
that is troublesome from a safety or loss standpoint and the members
actively discuss it, analyze it and share ideas to come up with
solutions.
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