• Home
    • Workers Comp Audit Stress Reducer – Use It For Your Next Premium Audit
  • About Us
    • Cutting Workers Comp Costs – About Our Company
    • President – Expert James J Moore AIC MBA ChFC ARM
    • OSHA Risk Manager – Glen DuLac – Added To Fulfill Customer Service
  • Work Comp Consultants
  • Free Info
    • Definitions
    • Free Speech
  • Testimonials
  • FAQ
  • Free Manuals
  • Six Secrets
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

J&L Risk Management Consultants

Work Comp expert witness reserve reviews premium audits for employers

icons
Call us today! 1-800-813-1386
WORKERS' COMPENSATION PREMIUM REFUNDS POSSIBLE.
Home » First Report of injury » FROI

First Reports Of Injury – File Them Online Now Or Pay 400% Later

October 31, 2012 By JL Risk Management Consultants

First Reports Of Injury Should Be Filed ASAP – No Excuses

Workers Compensation First Reports of Injury (FROI) are an employer’s first step in Loss Control.  Loss Control is not the same as Loss Prevention.  Loss Control to me is defined as the prevention of future losses AFTER an occurrence of a claim.

Picture of First Reports Work Injury

(c) 123rf.com

In fact, immediate filing of the first report of injury is one of my Five Keys To Cutting Workers Comp Costs.  In  a study of two different large collections of claims, I found that not filing a FROI quickly will increase claim costs by 400% on the average.  *** Thanks to Frank Pennachio of The WorkComp Advisory Group for pointing out the mistake I made on the original post of this article.   

Involving your claims adjuster very early in the process will always cut workers comp costs.  In fact, the adjuster can rarely proceed without the filing of the FROI.  One can look at the FROI as giving the adjuster permission to proceed on the claim.

One of the most important aspects of  an employer that files FROI’s quickly is the impression that the employer is on top of their claims.  Remember that this is the same person that will be setting reserves on this file and on files in the future.  The FROI is the first impression that the adjuster has on the claim for your company.

Picture of First Reports Work Injury Claim Form Bandage and pen on top

123RF

Laggard companies (insurance company lingo) will always have higher reserves on their files, plain and simple.  If your company does not care enough to file an injury report timely, it is seen as a negative connotation on the file.

Electronic/online FROI filing has been around for quite some time.  This is an example of an insurance carrier’s online filing page.   In fact, some companies charge extra to input a claim off paper.  Filing a paper FROI when online filing is available is seen by the clams staff as a negative connotation similar to late reporting of injuries.

Your company is almost guaranteed higher reserves than normal when the first time your claims staff or adjuster hears about the claim from a medical provider.  What can the Workers Comp claims staff do when the medical provider is the first one to report the claim?   They are going to refer them back to the employer as the FROI has not been filed.

Picture Xraymachine First Reports Injury

Wikipedia – Thomas Bjørkan

Once again, this is the same person that will be setting the reserves on the file that figure directly and are the most important variables in your E-Mod (X-Mod) or Loss Development Factor if you are self-insured.   First impressions do count.

Insurance companies and TPA’s all keep very close track of the time it takes to file the FROI.  The term is called “lag time.”  It is measured from the time the claim occurs until an employer files the claim.  If you mail it in, the days it takes for the FROI to be processed by the employer, mailing time, and for the carrier to process the mail all are figured into your lag time.

The easiest way to avoid all this is to file your claims online.  If for some reason, your carrier or TPA does not have an online claim filing system, you should fax them.  If a carrier or TPA does not allow for online claims filing, their claims processes should be viewed  as antiquated at best.

Companies often contact us concerning their high E-Mods and ask us to help reduce them quickly. This is one of the areas we examine upfront in our E-Mod reduction programs.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: claims adjuster, First Report of injury, FROI, Lag Time, Six Keys Tagged With: antiquated, connotation, loss prevention, track

Email Subscription

Search this website:

Work Comp Premium Audit Work Comp Mod Expert work comp expert witnessWork Comp Expert ReservesWork Comp Claim File Audit ExpertWork Comp Expert Witness

About Me

My Photo

James J Moore
Raleigh, NC, United States

James founded a Workers’ Compensation consulting firm, J&L Risk Mgmt Consultants, Inc. in 1996. J&L’s mission is to reduce our clients’ Workers Compensation premiums by using time-tested techniques. J&L’s claims, premium, reserve and Experience Mod reviews have saved employers over $9.8 million in earned premiums over the last three years. J&L has saved numerous companies from bankruptcy proceedings as a result of insurance overpayments.

James has over 27 years of experience in insurance claims, audit, and underwriting, specializing in Workers’ Compensation. He has supervised, and managed the administration of Workers’ Compensation claims, and underwriting in over 45 states. His professional experience includes being the Director of Risk Management for the North Carolina School Boards Association. He created a very successful Workers’ Compensation Injury Rehabilitation Unit for school personnel.

James’s educational background, which centered on computer technology, culminated in earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA); an Associate in Claims designation (AIC); and an Associate in Risk Management designation (ARM). He is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and a licensed financial advisor. The NC Department of Insurance has certified him as an insurance instructor. He also possesses a Bachelors’ Degree in Actuarial Science.

LexisNexis has twice recognized his blog as one of the Top 25 Blogs on Workers’ Compensation. J&L has been listed in AM Best’s Preferred Providers Directory for Insurance Experts – Workers Compensation for over eight years. He recently won the prestigious Baucom Shine Lifetime Achievement Award for his volunteer contributions to the area of risk management and safety. James was recently named as an instructor for the prestigious Insurance Academy.

James is on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the North Carolina Mid-State Safety Council. He has published two manuals on Workers’ Compensation and three different claims processing manuals. He has also written and has been quoted in numerous articles on reducing Workers’ Compensation costs for public and private employers. James publishes a weekly newsletter with 7,000 readers.

He currently possess press credentials and am invited to various national Workers Compensation conferences as a reporter.

James’s articles or interviews on Workers’ Compensation have appeared in the following publications or websites:
• Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
• Entrepreneur Magazine
• Bloomberg Business News
• WorkCompCentral.com
• Claims Magazine
• Risk & Insurance Magazine
• Insurance Journal
• Workers Compensation.com
• LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites
• Various trade publications

 

Archives

  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007

Recent Posts

  • AIC Designation Changes – One Major Modification To Study Guides
  • My Three Favorite Articles That Hooked My Attention – Must Read
  • Coronavirus Vaccine Journey – Second Act – Over in 30 Minutes
  • How Workers Comp Weekly Rate Is Calculated – Temporary Total Disability
  • How Microcaptive 831(b) Arrangements Were Disrupted This Month
  • My COVID-19 Vaccination – Among The Everyday Heroes
  • WCRI 2021 State of the States Presentation – The Past Rules
  • Back To Work During A Pandemic For The Employee – Another Look
  • WCRI COVID-19 Impact and Effect on Claims and Medical Treatment
  • WCRI Session That I Attended – Shocking Topicals Numbers
J&L Risk Management Consultants Inc
14460 Falls of Neuse Road,
Suite 149305
Raleigh, NC 27614
(800) 813-1386
▲Return to top of page
Copyright © 2021 J&L Risk Management Consultants, Inc.

Website Design by Redwood [ Design - Print - Web ]