A Better Reality for Injured Workers

When is the last time you haggled with your doctor over pricing? It’s certainly not a negotiation most Americans are prepared for or even one they know how to approach. However, when it comes to workers' compensation settlements, the system anticipates that, after settlement, injured workers can persuade their doctors to bill them fairly, according to the state’s fee schedule. In reality, the system is naïve, and injured workers are instead being unfairly stripped of their settlement funds because they are routinely overpaying for treatment. Injured workers deserve better, and engaging a professional administration service like CareGuard provides them just that. CareGuard offers injured workers a sophisticated advocate and group-buying power to make sure they can navigate the healthcare system and get the lifetime of treatment they were promised in their settlement, with money to spare. Each year, tens of thousands of injured workers decide to settle their cases. The vast majority (more than 95%) of these workers have no help when it comes to properly spending their funds on healthcare. After settlement, most injured workers pay out-of-pocket for treatments related to their injury, relying on their often limited knowledge of healthcare to figure out what treatments they should pay for with their funds. When they do decide to use their funds to pay, they must navigate a complex maze of fee schedule guidelines that have been provided by the state to find the correct prices. In reality, it’s nearly impossible to comply with the guidelines without a computer application deciphering the numerous pages of schedules, CPT codes, rates, modifiers and rules. The result is that, in most instances, when injured workers are left on their own after settlement, they fail to manage their care appropriately. They overpay for treatments and drugs, depleting their funds more rapidly than expected. They lose track of bills and fail to comply with regulations, putting their Medicare and other benefits at risk. And even when they are aware they can negotiate, injured workers are left to haggle out pricing on their own, pitted against a complex and apathetic medical system. Keep in mind that most of these individuals have far more healthcare needs than the average person. Professional administration services provide access to discounted drug, provider and medical equipment pricing, as well as access to technology that provides a hassle-free experience with medical care. Those services also provide support from a dedicated team of representatives and advocates to answer questions and help the injured worker navigate their medical care. With professional administration, there is no utilization review or any requirement to use a medical provider network (MPN). Instead, injured workers can see any provider they would like, giving them the freedom to get the care they need with the added support to help minimize administrative red tape. The culmination of all these benefits is that professional administration helps alleviate injured workers' concerns about settling their cases. It is a tool that can help everyone at the settlement table prepare the claimant for post-settlement success and minimize any backlash or misunderstandings after settlement. Professional administration is often overlooked because of a common misconception that it is very expensive, costing tens of thousands of dollars. At CareGuard, our pricing is typically below $5,000, and it can be even less for smaller cases. As a result of the low pricing and high discounts we offer our members, we also find that, on average, we save the injured worker over five times the cost of our services each year. The workers’ compensation system was built to protect injured workers. Significant work and resources are dedicated to ensuring the system runs well. However, the system was poorly designed to care for injured workers who have settled their case and have exited the system. Professional administrators pick up where the system left off and ensure the injured worker has a smooth transition to life post-settlement.