BWC Customers Can Surf with the Dolphin

Workers' Comp Goes Online with E-Business Strategy

The First Wave - October 2000

Electronic-business is the latest strategy for the Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) to serve its customers as it catches the digital wave into the 21st century.

BWC customers can now file a claim online, file a first report of injury, change personal information, and much more on the interactive Dolphin Project at www.ohiobwc.com.

"With e-business, BWC is taking a leap forward. When completed, we will be the leader in workers' compensation in the U.S. bar none," says Administrator/CEO James Conrad.

Adds Chuck Quinlan, BWC's chief information officer, "We have 24-hour account access to basic information and our customers will have the ability to interact with us electronically. After the October 2000 rollout, we will refine existing services and add functionality every 60 days."

The bureau has worked on implementing its e-business strategy for nearly a year. Implementation of the first phase of e-business will be followed by December 2000, February 2001 and April 2001 rollouts.

"Just continuing to do what we' re doing will not keep BWC the national leader it is today," says Administrator/ CEO James Conrad. "This innovative project reflects a continuing commitment to anticipate what is coming and respond by taking full advantage of the next wave -- not ocean waves, but waves of technological innovation."

This new wave of technology makes BWC as easy to communicate with as your next-door neighbor, which has not always been the case.

Once a bogged down bureaucratic system, BWC now is recognized and respected as a leader in workers' compensation. Officials from throughout the country and around the world have visited BWC to learn the best way to provide workers' compensation insurance.

E-business benefits for injured workers

In the first wave, October 2000, injured workers can expect to:

• File a claim -- Injured workers will have the ability to receive initial treatment and then file their claim immediately online;
• Understand claims process -- Injured workers can surf through a step-by-step guide of the claims life cycle, link to other service offerings and get answers to frequently asked questions;
• View individual claims information -- Injured workers will be able to see basic information about their own claim(s).

E-business also will allow injured workers to review current and future payments, view payment history and access individual claim information, such as claim status and location; allowed conditions; and exam information.

When updating personal claim information online, injured workers will receive immediate confirmation of changes. And e-business also will allow injured workers to request rehabilitation services.

E-business will permit BWC to provide customers with consistent, streamlined and tailored customer service and allow our customers to take control of their policy or claims experience.

E-business benefits for employers

With e-business, employers can obtain coverage electronically 24 hours a day, seven days a week in addition to changing company information, selecting a managed care organization (MCO), and paying premiums and reporting payroll.

"E-business will allow employers to save time and money through the use of powerful new tools that will assist them in better managing their business," adds Sandy Blunt, BWC's chief of employer operations.

For example, what would the Drug-Free Workplace Program do for a company's bottom line? Find out online.

If it looks good, the employer can begin the application process immediately. While the employer's at it, he or she also can apply for a grant to get the program off the ground, or the employer can schedule an appointment with his or her local employer services specialist to go over the program's benefits.

It also allows a new employer to apply for workers' compensation coverage, pay the security deposit by credit card and receive a Certificate of Coverage electronically. Also, policyholders can calculate and pay their premiums electronically. Compared to the current paper-driven manual process that can take a month to complete, the new e-business model will take only minutes.

In addition, the system will allow customers to file claims online and track the claim's progress electronically. Employers and injured workers can find out the status of a claim. And it will allow BWC employees, the managed care organization (MCO), a third-party administrator or an employer to see the same information about a claim.

E-business will allow employers to:

• Obtain coverage;
• Select an MCO;
• Change demographics;
• Pay premiums and report payroll;
• Simulate cost-reduction scenarios;
• Manage claims;
• Access information and services.

It 's a new way to do business

The implementation of the new e-business system will revolutionize BWC operations; however, e-business will not replace people with technology.

Customers who want individual assistance or prefer dealing with a person will always have that option. And since the system will free BWC employees from many time consuming tasks, it allows even better customer service.

Download the Dolphin Project how-to-guide