CWCI Member Exclusive: Updated Claims Monitoring and Regional Scorecard Interactive Tools and Instructional Webinar

This month CWCI updated the data in our Claims Monitoring and Regional Scorecard interactive data applications, derived from our IRIS database.  These applications provide our members with online access to data that can be used to examine and compare industrywide data on key metrics.

The Claims Monitoring Application: This tool allows users to examine industrywide trends in average medical payments, average paid indemnity, and combined medical and indemnity payments for accident year 2006-2017 claims at development periods from 3 months to 72 months post injury for all claims or for indemnity claims alone.  The application also allows users to drill down to obtain data by region and industry, and to display results on heat maps that highlight regional differences.  In addition, the medical payment data can be broken out to show the average amounts paid for Medical Treatment, DME/Pharmacy, Medical Cost Containment and Medical-Legal expenses.  This iteration of the application contains data valued through December 2017 (IRIS 19B).  Among major trends shown by the updated data:

• Since AY 2013, average paid medical losses beyond 9 months post injury have been relatively stable for all claims and for indemnity claims alone.

• Average paid indemnity on lost-time claims has increased nearly every year since 2006; the exception being AY 2011 when the average declined across all 9 development periods – most likely driven by the recession.

• Since AY 2013, average total paid loss trends (medical + indemnity) for indemnity claims have varied by development period, with increases of 3.5 percent and 3.0 percent at 12 and 24 months, but only a 0.3 percent increase at 36 months.

The Regional Scorecard Application: This tool, an extension of the CWCI Regional Scorecard series produced two years ago, has also been updated to include AY 2006-2017 claims data (IRIS 19B).  The application allows users to view regional and statewide data on 19 key metrics, compare results from 8 different regions, and identify regional and statewide trends that have developed.  It offers data on average medical, indemnity and other payments (including breakdowns showing the average paid for TD, PD, and allocated loss adjustment expense), as well as on data on demographics, claim status, and claim volume.  Users may also drill down to view results by injury year and industry.  Examples of the findings derived from Regional Scorecard application data:  

• Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire/Orange County lead the rest of the state in average medical and indemnity payments, attorney involvement rates, and percentage of claims with PD.

• Average TD days for temporary disability claims are highest in the more rural areas of the North Counties, the Sierras, and the Central Coast.

• San Diego has the highest percentage of claims by women, but the average amount paid on those claims is the lowest in the state. On the flip side, the Central Valley has the highest percentage of claims by men, and the average amount paid on those claims is the second lowest in the state.

• Over the past 5 years, allocated loss expense payments for all claims (med-only and indemnity) statewide have averaged $1,189, but there has been significant regional variation, with average expenses per claim ranging from a low of $581 in the Sierras to $1,978 in Los Angeles County.   

How to Access the Applications

To access the updated Claims Monitoring and the Regional Scorecard interactive data applications, log on to our website (www.cwci.org) with your user name and password.  (If you haven’t set up a member account, select “Your Account” at the top of the home page, click “Add me as a Member User” from the pull-down menu, complete the form, then use the information to log in).  Once you are logged on, use the drop down menu under the Research tab at the top of the home page and click Interactive Research Tools, then scroll down to either the “CWCI Claims Monitoring Interactive Tool- 10/15/2018” or the “IRIS Regional Scorecard Interactive Tool – 10/15/2018 and click the title of the application you want to open.

The applications contain dashboards with the various exhibits that will change as you select different filters so that you can build customized views. In addition, each application contains a data and methods section, which can be accessed from a tab at the top of the screen. As new IRIS data becomes available, the Institute will automatically update the applications to provide you with the most current data available.  The next updates will include data through June 2018 (IRIS 20A).

Instructional Webinar for CWCI Members

On Tuesday, October 30 at 10 a.m. Pacific, CWCI Senior Vice President of Research and Operations Rena David will conduct a free 45-minute webinar to help guide Institute members on how to use the Interactive Research applications and to show the types of data that are available.  If you or your staff would like to register for the webinar, click here. In the meantime, if you have questions or would like assistance in accessing or using our interactive tools, please call the Institute at 510-251-9470.

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