|
|
ICMS TAKES IT UP A NOTCH
Author: | Tuesday November 11, 2008
ICMS allows instant filing.
System Takes it Up a Notch
ICMS Allows Instant Filing
Of Approval of Agreements;
Faster Resolving of Claims
By Jan Dillard, Ph.D., ICMS Project Manager
On October 20, 2008, the State Board of Workers’ Compensation announced a time saving innovation that allows agreements to be filed and approved by the Board within minutes of an agreement being reached at a Board sponsored mediation. The announcement was made to the registered attorney users of the Board’s new paperless filing and document system
Judge Carolyn Hall, Chairman of the State Board of Workers’ Compensation, said, “I am excited that the benefits of our paperless system and our employees’ “can do” attitude are again combining to make our system faster, friendlier and easier, and a leader in our industry across the country.”
Under the leadership of Judge Janice Askin, Director of the Board’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Division and Craig Henderson, Director of the Settlement Division, the State Board of Workers’ Compensation offers to its customers the opportunity to immediately resolve a workers’ compensation claim that might otherwise take several days to conclude.
This specialized service consists of a dedicated computer terminal made available to attorneys who mediate cases in the Board’s Atlanta office. The attorneys will be able to upload their settlement agreements from that terminal and have them reviewed immediately by the Settlement Division.
To take advantage of this self-service feature, attorneys must bring their settlement documents as well as a flash/jump drive to the mediation. Required supporting documentation should be saved as well on the flash/jump drive to be uploaded as a Stip Supplemental document.
EDI Testing Continues
Implementation of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) claims submissions continues at the State Board. EDI allows insurers and self-insurers to submit large volumes of data electronically into ICMS as an alternative to sending paper forms.
EDI submissions are for new workers’ compensation claims only. Electronic filing, whether via online web-filing or EDI, will become mandatory for all insurers and self-insurers by 2nd quarter 2009.
Implementation Group 2 organizations are currently testing. These are organizations that are not using third-party software vendors. The Board expects completion of this test group by November 25th, 2008. The final group, Group 3, is expected to begin testing in January 2009. If you are unable to meet the test requirements, you must file a Request Form for EDI Test Extension which can be found on the SBWC web site www.sbwc.georgia.gov.
We are working with several software vendors who will support data transmission for individual organizations. The testing revealed problems with our application and has required us to request a change to the application.
The testing with these third-party software vendors has been delayed. If you are using a third-party software vendor, we must have a copy of your agreement with the software vendor or a formal Letter of Intent to use such a vendor. Only these organizations will be permitted to delay their implementation. We hope to resume testing with software vendors by November 2008.
Updates on our Web Site
The Georgia EDI Implementation Tables have been updated and are available from the SBWC website www.sbwc.georgia.gov under “EDI Updates”. These tables identify the Georgia implementation of the IAIABC Release 3 Data Elements for claims and are useful for designing a response to the transmission requirements.
Also available on the web site are updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), Request Forms for EDI Test Extensions as well as EDI Exemption Forms.
Challenges with ICMS
You may have recently discovered that your claims are not in the electronic system or that you have had a paper form returned from the Board. Administrative Rule 61 mandates that all documents filed with the State Board of Workers’ Compensation are to be complete and legible. The Board finds the following errors most commonly lead to returned forms or the inability to process the claim in ICMS.
Include all Information
Be sure to complete all information requested on a form. Particularly important is the SBWC ID number. This is the unique number assigned to Insurers and Self Insurers. If you do not know an organization’s SBWC ID number, go to the Board’s web site listed in this article.
Remember sections B,C, or D for a WC-1
Board Rule 61 requires that section “B”, “C”, or “D” must be properly completed when submitting Form WC-1 (Employer’s First Report of Injury or Occupational Disease).
Make all documents legible
Bad copies are difficult to scan. Be sure ALL information is legible. Information must be typed or printed in black ink.
Use current Board forms
Be sure to use the most current Board forms. If you are not sure, visit the Board’s website at HYPERLINK "http://www.sbwc.georgia.gov" www.sbwc.georgia.gov.
Do not alter Board forms
Include only the information requested on the form and put it in the space provided. Do not create additional space, do not change the names of text fields, do not extend parts of the front page to another page, do not extend the information to the back of the form and do not send the instruction side as a separate page.
File only one form for each date of injury
A separate form must be filed for each date-of-injury. Multiple dates-of-injury are not accepted on one form.
Important Claims Office data
Remember that ICMS establishes a link between the insurer/self-insurer/group self-insurer and their designated claims offices. The SBWC ID number assists, and in most cases, ensures the correct relationship between insurance entity and claims office. Please use this SBWC ID number. Refer to the list of SBWC numbers on our web page.
It is the responsibility of the Insurer to notify the Board of all claims offices handling their claims. The insurer must file a Form WC-121 for each claims office. If you suspect that ICMS does not have your current claims offices identified, please file a WC-121 to add, delete or replace a claims office.
The Board encourages the responsible claims office to create a single electronic mail box to receive all automated email notifications.
Online Filing
We now have over 650 registered users of ICMS! If you are a registered ICMS user, you may now file your forms over the Internet. Filing forms over the Internet for existing claims is straightforward, secure and simple. Filings are made from within the individual claim files.
ICMS already “knows” the parties to the claim and the date of accident for each claim file. ICMS automatically captures submitter information from your login and the filing date. Check-boxes indicate the purpose of a particular filing.
To become a registered user, you must first attend a training session. Check the Board’s website for upcoming training sessions.
We are excited about our progress. We know that you will find these new functions to be helpful and easy to use.
Ed. Note: This is another in a series of articles on the progress of the ICMS by Jan Dillard. To see past articles visit www.georgia1st.com. For information related to this column visit www.sbwc.georgia.gov.
|
|
