Immediate feedback is critical. A TPA with access to industry-wide data is also critical. To this end, a current challenge facing all participants in the benefits arena is the ability to obtain systems that can talk to one another. As a result, interconnectivity is fast becoming a new buzz term as we move into the 21st century. TPAs are also being given a capabilities boost with technology for litigation cost containment.
Capitated rates are the way to go, and software technology helps make it happen.
Claims, generally speaking, only get more expensive the longer they stay open. It is also said that litigated workers' compensation claims never seem to close. Even after the main issues are resolved, disputed liens can be litigated well into the next decade. Part of the problem is that a legal adviser is being paid time and expenses. The longer the case stays open, the more compensation he or she receives.