Read the report card
Before you sift through one piece of informational literature or talk with one MCO representative, take a couple of minutes and read the report card.
The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation publishes a relatively simple report card on its Web site at least once every two years, and it always publishes one just prior to the open enrollment period. The report card doesn’t have any A’s, B’s or F’s, just statistical information about each of the MCOs in the state. There are the number of their employees and the number of recent claims they handled, of course. There are their First Report of Injury (FROI) timing and FROI turnaround figures, both measures to reflect their efficiency during the last decade or so. And there is a measurement of their optimal return to work performance, which is important because it tells employers how quickly an MCO is able to get an injured worker back to the office.
"I would start as soon as that report card is out on the BWC Web page," Conger says. "The report card, although it is in some ways vague, has good measurements. And that’s where it starts, because that’s where the BWC has ranked the MCOs. Then ask specific questions. Let’s say, for example, you look at the report card and one of your employers sees that another MCO has scored higher in a particular measurement. You would call your MCO and ask, ‘Why is this ranking like this? What is it that they do that you don’t?’ Ask questions, ask any questions, and see what they say."
And though almost all Ohio MCOs publish and provide reams of information in order to assist you during your process, the BWC report card is the only truly objective information available. There is no fluff, only hard numbers that are as accurate and as uniform as possible.
"Not all MCOs offer the same reports, the same services, the same medical discounts," Poach says. "So it’s important if an employer’s not happy that they talk to other employers or they do their homework in looking at the BWC report card and previous BWC report cards to get a feel for overall MCO performance."
Want to read the BWC report card right now? Just log on to www.ohiobwc.com, then click on BWC Library, BWC publication, Ohio employer publications and MCO Report Card. In four easy clicks, much of the information that you need can be in your hands.
