By Suzanne Brown, Public Information Officer
In March we joined our managed care organization (MCO) partners in celebrating the Health Partnership Program (HPP) that was created 25 years ago within Ohio’s workers’ compensation system. The late Ohio Governor George Voinovich signed Amended Substitute House Bill 107 to establish the HPP in July 1993.
The new public-private program initiated two main principles that BWC would now:
- Contract with medical management specialists (MCOs).
- Partner with MCOs to apply best-in-class private sector concepts to BWC operations, such as injury reporting, medical management, and return-to-work services.
Collaborative partnership
Through a collaborative partnership with Ohio’s stakeholders, BWC’s managed-care program became a reality for Ohio’s State Fund employers and their employees on March 1, 1997. Our stakeholders included:
- Injured workers, union representatives and counsel.
- Employers, employer representatives including associations.
- Provider associations.
- State representatives.
In the beginning, State Fund employers could select from one of 57 MCOs statewide to medically manage their injured workers’ comp claims. Through mergers and consolidations, today 10 MCOs continue offering the highest level of medical management for Ohio’s injured workers and employers.
Customer satisfaction
We publish our MCO Report Card annually that shares and compares data from employers about how our MCOs are medically managing their workers’ compensation claims. Over the past five years, our MCOs achieved a customer satisfaction score of 4 out of 5. In 2022, employers rated their satisfaction with MCOs at 4.36.
“Working together with our MCOs, I am proud HPP reflects a landmark, successful public-private collaboration that consistently meets and exceeds the needs of Ohio’s injured workers and employers,” said BWC Administrator/CEO Stephanie McCloud.
Thank you, MCO partners!
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