<p>StarCare: Workers’ Compensation Best Practices Seven proactive steps to minimize your workers’ comp costs</p><p>An introduction to: • Employee hiring practices • Setting up a medical provider network • Prompt reporting • Modified duty StarCare – Workers’ Compensation Best Practices Harleysville Insurance, all rights reserved Workers’ Compensation Best Practices: Proactive steps to minimize your costs</p><p>Next to health insurance, your workers’ compensation coverage may well be one of the most expensive insurance policies that you’re required to buy. The good news is that unlike your health insurance, there are some specific steps you can take to minimize your workers’ compensation bill.</p><p>Below are what we believe are some of the most proactive steps you can take to keep your comp costs down:</p><p>1. It all starts with hiring the best employees you can find. 2. Regularly inspect your workplace/job sites and take steps to correct any safety hazards you or your employees identify. 3. Train your supervisors and employees what to do when an accident occurs. 4. With the help of your insurance agent and our Web site, set up a medical provider network. 5. Report all losses to Harleysville as quickly as possible (within 24-hrs). Use our 1-800 number to report your work-related injuries. Just call 800-892-9977. 6. Use modified duty and keep in regular contact with your injured worker to speed recovery. 7. Lastly, work with your Harleysville Insurance claims specialist and they will keep you in the information loop.</p><p>Now, let’s look at each of these a bit closer...</p><p>1. It all starts with hiring.</p><p>Perhaps your business started with just yourself. Then based on the quality of your work or service, it was time to hire your first employee. First employees tend to be either relatives, friends or people we know fairly well. We tend to know their work habits, skills and even their medical history in many cases. But as your business grows hiring good employees becomes more complicated. After about your fourth or fifth employee you’re now in the position of hiring strangers.</p><p>Hiring an employee can be one of the most dangerous challenges faced by an employer. A bad hire can result in bodily injury or property damage to you, a customer, a fellow employee or the worker themselves. These can result in a property, general liability, auto or workers’ compensation claim. A frequency of claims will ultimately lead to higher insurance costs or even the complete unavailability of insurance at any price.</p><p>So use care when hiring. Here are just a few tips to help you in the hiring process:</p><p> Consult with a qualified attorney or human resource (HR) specialist to ensure that you’re complying with all EEOC requirements that may apply to you & your business (requirements vary by size of employer).  Develop a list of standard interview questions to be asked of all applicants.  Make sure that your hiring criterion does not place a limitation on applicants because they are members of a protected class.  Give training and guidelines to all managers and supervisors involved in the hiring process.  Have an up-to-date and detailed job description that includes specific job requirements, essential and nonessential functions, and qualifications based upon business necessity and working conditions (again, an attorney or HR specialist can assist in this area).  Create a driving policy for all positions that require employees to use their own or your vehicles. Get permission, in writing, from employees to check their MVRs on a regular basis.</p><p>StarCare – Workers’ Compensation Best Practices Harleysville Insurance, all rights reserved 2. Regularly inspect your workplace/job sites and take steps to correct any safety hazards you or your employees identify.</p><p>The best ways to keep your workers’ comp costs down is to keep a safe workplace. Make it a habit to regularly walk around your premises or job site and look for unsafe conditions. Replace ladders, electrical cords and other equipment when worn or as needed. Make safety a priority for your supervisors and employees as well.</p><p>3. Train your supervisors and employees what to do when an accident occurs.</p><p>If there’s an emergency, call an ambulance. For all non-emergency accidents escort the injured employee to your preferred provider. You should know that workers’ compensation is a form of “no-fault” insurance coverage. This coverage will protect you by paying the benefits prescribed by State law regardless of whether the accident was your employee’s fault or yours. </p><p>In general, you have the right to speak with your employee without the fear of being sued. The more you keep in touch with your injured worker, the less likely they will be to seek out the services of an attorney.</p><p>4. With the help of your insurance agent, set up a medical provider network. </p><p>Harleysville has partnered with the CorVel Corporation. CorVel Corporation, a national Managed Care Organization, has been approved to provide managed care services for our workers’ compensation clients. Managed care provides an important tool for controlling medical and indemnity costs. The program has been tested nationwide and has proven its success by significantly reducing expenditures while maintaining a high employee satisfaction rating.</p><p>The managed care system is comprised of a managed care network of primary care physicians and medical service providers such as surgical specialists, hospitals, and other medical facilities. These physicians and facilities are selected for the network by experience, reputation, and a willingness to follow a disability management protocol provided by CorVel Corporation. This means that injured employees will receive care from professionals in the occupational injury specialties, not general practitioners. We believe that getting injured workers to occupational specialists will lead to faster diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately to quicker healing for the employee and lower overall costs for the insured. </p><p>The physicians, nurses, medical coordinators, and Harleysville claim representatives will work closely with you to ensure that time away from work due to injury is kept to a minimum. </p><p>As the implementation of the managed care network is critical to the success of the StarCare Program, your agent can help you understand the implementation process:</p><p> Your agent will receive notification when we mail an installation packages to you.  A panel can be created by going to the CorVel Web site (www.corvel.com) and hitting the “Create a Panel” button.  The site will ask for an “Account Login.” Type in the password, “Harleysville.” Then enter your zip code and a panel will be created. Note: Due to laws in New York, New York insureds can use the “Find Providers Near You” function, but can not create panels. If a doctor that you like isn’t in our network, you can nominate them and CorVel can contact the doctor. If qualified, he/she can be added to the CorVel network.  You should post the panel and each injured employee can refer to it when choosing a treating physician. This panel is supported by CorVel’s network of primary care physicians, specialists and facilities. </p><p>You and your agent can search for and review doctors and facilities in the network at the Harleysville Web site, www.harleysvillegroup.com (click on “Products,” then “Worker’s Comp.” There’s a Link to the CorVel Web site with a “Search feature” or go directly to www.corvel.com. </p><p>StarCare – Workers’ Compensation Best Practices Harleysville Insurance, all rights reserved 5. Report all losses to Harleysville as quickly as possible and use our 1-800 number to report your work-related injuries. Just call 800-892-9977.</p><p>After an injury as occurred, the first priority is to get your employee medical attention. After that, it’s imperative that you contact us as quickly as possible (preferably within 24-hours of the injury). The quicker we hear from you the quicker our claims specialist can get into action. Your claims specialist will touch base with you and bring you up to speed on any questions or concerns you have regarding the claims process. It’s helpful if you have your policy number, but it’s not necessary. If there’s any information that we need that you don’t have available at the time of the call don’t worry. Just call us and we’ll work with you.</p><p>6. Use modified duty and keep in regular contact with your injured worker to speed recovery.</p><p>What is modified duty?</p><p> Modified duty returns an injured employee to work prior to 100% recovery.  It allows the employee to perform useful functions at the work site.  It requires that employee to follow the doctor’s specific restrictions (at work and at home).  It lifts restrictions as the employee recovers.  It is recommended that individuals received regular pay while on modified duty.</p><p>Why is it so important?</p><p> Modified duty is a key tool to controlling workers’ compensation losses.  It maintains injured workers as productive members of the team during the healing process.  Recovery takes place faster and the risk of prolonged disability is significantly lessened.  An out of work employee contributes nothing to the work team and recovers more slowly, with increased risk of prolonged disability.  Most workers’ comp policies are experienced rated. The higher your losses, the more your long term comp costs will be. Any losses paid will impact your policy for a three year period.</p><p>How does it work?</p><p> There are “light duty” tasks that can be performed by individuals who are recovering from work-related injuries.  These tasks are normally spread out among a variety of people.  After a workplace injury, the manager assembles the less strenuous tasks into a single, temporary position to be performed by the injured worker during recovery.  As the individual recovers under the supervision of a doctor, the job demands are increased to the point where the individual can perform his/her original job.  IMPORTANT: It is not necessary that the injured worker be brought back to full time work. Beneficial results can still occur if the worker comes back for even only a few hours a day!</p><p>7. Lastly, work with your Harleysville Insurance claims specialist and they will keep you in the information loop.</p><p>Remember, we’re on your team and want to work with you. Make sure you write down your claim specialist’s name, phone number, extension & email address. Effective communication is the best way to ensure the smoothest possible delivery of service to you and your injured worker. </p><p>StarCare – Workers’ Compensation Best Practices Harleysville Insurance, all rights reserved</p>