Networks are part of new legislation aimed at curbing escalating Workers' Comp costs and prolonged disability durations PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 23, 2006 /PRNewswire/ -- Intracorp today announced that the Texas Department of Insurance has certified it as a Workers' Compensation Health Care Network (WCHCN) on August 21. Intracorp is among the first service providers to be certified under Texas House Bill 7, which recently enacted sweeping workers' compensation reforms, including the creation of WCHCNs, to control escalating workers' compensation costs and improve mediocre return-to-work results. "We are very pleased to have received our certification and to begin offering Texas employers, TPAs and carriers an additional resource for managing their workers' compensation costs and for returning employees to productive work," says Archie Anderson, President, Intracorp Disability Management. "However, customers should recognize that contracted network providers alone won't solve the problem of skyrocketing costs and prolonged durations," says Anderson. "For that to happen, employers need a comprehensive disability management solution that includes aggressive case management, network-defined utilization review, treatment and return-to-work guidelines, a strong return-to-work focus and fee management, services that Intracorp has proudly offered as an industry leader for more than 35 years." Texas WCHCNs are similar to workers' compensation certified managed care organizations (MCO), which have been created in a number of states. In Texas and other MCO states, there are additional requirements, such as mandatory medical management and adherence to treatment and duration guidelines, that would not be required under a typical preferred provider agreement. Certified self insured employers and carriers are not required by law to participate in a WCHCN, but if they do, any employee who is injured on the job and lives within the service area must choose a treating doctor who is in the WCHCN. Exceptions to this rule include emergency care and/or when the employee designates that an HMO primary care provider be his or her treating doctor for a workers' compensation injury. Designated HMO primary care providers who treat an injured worker must adhere to the WCHCN's case management process and utilization guidelines. "As we've seen throughout the country, there can be a meaningful improvement in overall costs and return-to-work outcomes in states that have implemented managed care networks," says Anderson. "We are pleased to be at the forefront of this major change in Texas and to being in a position to offer employers a meaningful and complete disability management solution." Philadelphia-based Intracorp, a subsidiary of CIGNA Corporation, helps employers maximize their workers' compensation and disability benefits programs to enhance the well-being and productivity of their workforce. Intracorp, which was ranked the leading case management provider in 2006 by Business Insurance magazine, also offers utilization management, return-to- work programs, ergonomic consulting, provider bill review, provider network access, and information management services. For more information, visit the Web site at: http://www.intracorp.com/. Intracorp's Workers' Compensation Health Care Network (WCHCN) solution is a best practice managed care program designed to address Texas specific risks. The program is delivered by qualified, credentialed, experienced, and independent medical management providers and includes a comprehensive PPO portfolio that enables customers to define the provider network solution that best meets their needs in Texas. DATASOURCE: Intracorp CONTACT: Ruth Stoolman, Director of Public Relations, Intracorp Public Relations, +1-215-761-7152, Web site: http://www.intracorp.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/165050.html

Copyright