While medical cost-control is an increasingly important component of a proactive workers' comp strategy, companies must continue to keep a sharp eye on indemnity costs. That means helping employees return to work as soon as possible. "In many cases, return-to-work programs are managed from afar, either by a vendor or by the human resources department," observes Stephen Bennett, global practice leader, workforce strategies, with Marsh Inc.'s risk consulting practice in Chicago. "But companies are better off with local ownership of those programs."
For companies that succeed in aligning managers' efforts with a well-designed workers' comp policy, the results can be significant. "In many companies, a 10 to 20 percent improvement is not unrealistic," says Bennett. And if a particular division or facility has extremely high workers' comp costs, the savings can be in the 60 to 75 percent range. "
-- Stephen Bennett
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