Workers’ Compensation Benchmarking Study Launches 2016 Claims Operational Survey

POLLING CLAIMS LEADERS TO DELIVER COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE, Practical Research

June 7, 2016 — Chicago, IL — The Workers’ Compensation Benchmarking Study’s 2016 claims leader survey is now underway, advancing its collaborative investigation of issues most impacting claims organizations today.

Building on its research with over 700 claims leaders and a 70-question survey from prior years, the annual study has launched a new condensed survey that will probe deeper into select operational challenges/strategies. This will provide greater insights into a sharp set of issues, allowing Rising Medical Solutions’ 2016 study to more fully engage in progressive problem solving in the following areas:

  • Prioritizing Core Competencies
  • Claims Outcomes Management
  • Measuring Best Practices
  • Incentivizing Operational Excellence
  • Training & Retaining Staff
  • Impact of Technology & Data
  • Medical Performance Management
  • Impact of Regulatory Compliance & Healthcare Policy

“The study’s direction continues to be guided by our expert Advisory Council and is driven by research for, and with, claims leaders so it stays grounded in functional application,” says Rachel Fikes, VP and Study Program Director at Rising Medical Solutions. The study’s principal researcher, Denise Algire, adds “Our new, compact survey facilitates a deeper exploration of areas that claims leaders tell us will be most useful in the coming years, and allows us to provide practical steps to address some of the industry’s biggest operational obstacles and opportunities.”

The confidential survey will continue throughout June, and is open to management and executive-level leaders who oversee workers’ compensation claims operations for organizations such as insurance carriers, employers, third party administrators, government entities, and risk pools. Claims leaders who take the survey will receive a copy of the 2016 Study Report.

Claims leaders who want to participate in the Workers’ Compensation Benchmarking Study can take the survey by clicking here. The Study Report will be published in the Fall 2016. 

About the Workers’ Compensation Benchmarking Study The Workers’ Compensation Benchmarking Study is a national research program examining the complex forces that impact claims management in workers’ compensation today. The study’s mission is to advance claims management in the industry by providing both quantitative and qualitative research. Through surveys and interviews with claims leaders nationwide, the program generates actionable data for claims organizations to evaluate priorities, challenges, and strategies amongst their peers. Conceived and directed by Rising Medical Solutions, the ongoing program is a collaboration of industry executives representing diverse organizational perspectives, including the Study’s Principal Researcher and Advisory Council:

  • Gale Vogler | Director, Managed Care | Acuity Insurance
  • Denise Algire | Director Managed Care & Disability | Albertsons Companies
  • Raymond Jacobsen | Senior Managing Director | AON Benfield
  • Rich Cangiolosi | Vice President, Western Region| CCMSI
  • Pamela Highsmith-Johnson, RN, BSN, CCM | Director, Case Management | CNA
  • Cathy Vines | Director, Healthcare Cost Containment Strategy | CopperPoint Mutual Insurance
  • Daniel T. Holden | Manager, Corporate Risk & Insurance | Daimler Trucks North America LLC
  • Kelly Kuri | Claims Manager| Frank Winston Crum Insurance
  • Marcos Iglesias MD | Vice President, Medical Director | The Hartford
  • Tom Stark | Technical Director, Workers’ Compensation | Nationwide Insurance
  • Trecia Sigle | Associate Vice President, Workers’ Compensation Claims  | Nationwide Insurance
  • Tom McCauley | Owner & Consultant | Networks by Design
  • David Price | President | POMCO Risk Management
  • Laura Crowe | Risk Management Director | Presbyterian Healthcare Services
  • Mark Walls | Vice President of Communications & Strategic Analysis | Safety National
  • Darrell Brown | Chief Claims Officer | Sedgwick
  • John Smolk | Principal Manager, Workers’ Compensation | Southern California Edison
  • Joe McLaughlin | Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing | TRISTAR Insurance Group
  • Linda Butler | Manager, Workers’ Compensation | Walt Disney World Resort
  • Kyle Cato | Workers’ Compensation & Safety Manager | Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
  • Tim Mondon | Senior Vice President, Bill Review | Zenith Insurance

About Rising Medical Solutions Rising Medical Solutions is a national medical-financial solutions firm that provides medical cost containment and medical care management services to the workers’ compensation, auto, liability, and group health markets.