Claims News Service, Feb.8, 10:37 a.m. EST -- Crawford &Company has designed new way of handling workers' compensationclaims, called Crawford Integrated Services. The new modeladdresses workers' compensation challenges such as deliveryconsistency, the establishment of reserves with documentedrationale, and most importantly, a plan of action to bring theclaim to closure.

According to the company, their service-delivery modelstandardizes the workers' compensation claims-reporting process anddelivers comprehensive, consistent, and goal-orientedreturn-to-work plans. This process reduces overall loss coststhrough the combination of an advanced IT infrastructure,evidence-based criteria, and the expertise of claims and medicalprofessionals. Key features of the new process are earlyintervention, supportable recommendations, and quickdecision-making.

Upon first notice of a claim, trained personnel begin processingthe claim by asking a series of standardized questions designed toassess the severity of the injury. A supervisor then reviews thefile and assigns it to a medical-only or lost-time adjuster. Once aclaim professional has interviewed the employee and obtained allrelevant information, Crawford Claims Advantage identifiespotential issues and immediately recommends proactive measuresusing evidence-based research.