3. Analytics, technological advancements dominate comp evolution

Likened to the models used by hurricane prediction experts on where a storm is going to hit, the workers compensation industry spent 2018 praising the practice of culling mounds of claims data to help understand where claims might go sour, and what works and doesn’t work for certain injuries.

Dubbed “predictive modeling,” the practice is gaining traction as technology clears the way.

Chicago-based Rising Medical Solutions, which provides medical cost containment and medical care management services to the workers comp industry, surveyed 1,700 claims professionals and narrowed down best practices among what it referred to as top-tier claims organizations.

The survey put predictive modeling at the top of the list, which researchers described as warehousing data on injured workers, using outcomes-based data to improve treatment, and measuring success.

Wearable technology also turned heads at conference exhibition spaces and more, with promises that such devices have the ability to improve worker movements and thus reduce injuries.

Data management was another topic of the year, with experts saying blockchain technology has a secured future in workers compensation transactions with its potential to improve communication and efficiency industrywide, giving stakeholders opportunities for sharing personal and medical information, and providing a secure place to store and access data.