At Your Service
Complete California Claim Solution
We have developed what we feel are the optimum philosophies, procedures, and workflows to support your claims and save you money.
We’re With You Every Step of The Way
We’ve been servicing California claims for two decades, and no end in sight.
Claims Administration
We combine quality claims management with value-oriented medical management to reduce overall costs.
Managed Care
ICS will partner with one of many managed care full service medical cost containment organizations specializing in workers’ compensation.
Litigation Management
For those occasions where litigation is unavoidable, we have developed extensive procedures for litigation management.
Disability Management
ICS is a huge proponent of early return to work, modified duty and early intervention disability management programs.
Employee Advocacy
Our unique ‘Employee Advocacy’ philosophy recognizes your injured workers are our customers, and we care for them accordingly.
Proactive Claim Services
We utilize our vast experience and knowledge of workers’ compensation to focus and execute our primary responsibility, which is managing our client’s program and providing service to their employees, while assembling the ‘best in class’ team of medical management partners.
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Innovative Claim Solutions’ mission is to reduce our client’s overall cost of workers’ compensation liability by providing quality claims management integrated with value-oriented medical management programs. Our goal is to integrate excellent customer service that takes care of legitimately injured workers while involving the employer in the process throughout the life of the claim. We utilize our vast experience and knowledge of workers’ compensation to focus and execute our primary responsibility, which is managing our client’s program and providing service to their employees while assembling the ‘best in class’ team of medical management partners.
During the past twenty years, ICS has demonstrated its ability to provide a superior claim product as well as solve client workers’ compensation problems through the development of unique and creative customized programs targeted specifically to public entities. We strive to provide our clients with an integrated claims management program that keeps pace with the increasingly complex nature of California worker’s compensation claims administration.
Disability Management
ICS is a huge proponent of early return to work, modified duty and early intervention disability management programs. We will work with the Client to customize our approach to any programs they already have in place, or we will work with the Client to create a program that is specific to their needs. ICS has worked with many different client programs and designated consultants.
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We also suggest creating a customized Medical Referral Form designed to optimize results and communication with treating physicians. The goal of such a form would be to force the treating physician to outline detailed work restrictions on every patient at every visit or explicitly explain why that is not feasible. We find this to be a valuable tool in supporting return to work programs.
Once specific work restrictions have been outlined, or confirmation obtained that the employee has been removed from work, we work to ensure those details have been shared with the designated person for each client immediately so that accommodations can be evaluated at the earliest possible time. We focus on what we call the ‘window of opportunity’, which is the first 72 hours following an injury. Suppose we can return employees to work, even in a modified duty capacity, within this window. In that case, we can help our clients avoid the high costs of temporary disability associated with indemnity claims.
Managed Care Services
ICS will partner with one of many managed care full service medical cost containment organizations specializing in workers’ compensation. Services include managed care, medical, hospital, pharmacy PPO access, bill review and software leasing programs.
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All programs are offered as unbundled services:
- Medical Bill Review
- Utilization Review Management
- Medical Case Management
The managed care companies that partner with the Client and ICS will be uniquely qualified to provide the best medical managed care programs that promote quality medical care with the greatest cost savings, early return to work, and/or a permanent and stationary status of the injured worker.
The managed care companies that ICS and the Client select will have a proven track record that illustrates the ability to generate significant savings for the client, while always promoting the highest attainable level of physical and psycho/social wellness of each and every injured worker served.
- Early intervention, coordinating services and education of the injured claimant;
- Ongoing monitoring of treatment which helps to correct or prevent medical complication or secondary injury;
- Savings of claims dollars through continued monitoring and selective placement of claimants at the appropriate level of care;
- Reduction of relapses, needless hospital stays, and unnecessary emergency visits to the hospital;
- Ongoing communication and team management which help to generate movement from one level of care to the next with as little confusion and disruption as possible for the claimant;
- Generation of database for claims analysis;
- Providing accountability for and tracking of medical services required.
Litigation Management
The above-described philosophy is also the first step towards litigation management, by avoiding litigation to start with. ICS’s claim litigation rate is 8%, compared to a state average of 14%. We strive to keep litigation at a minimum. For those occasions where litigation is unavoidable, we have developed extensive procedures for litigation management. The purpose of the ICS litigation management program is to reduce the client’s overall cost of risk, taking into consideration both loss and cost factors in litigated claims.
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ICS accomplishes this by taking a proactive approach to litigation. We encourage and foster early resolution. We closely monitor the activities of defense counsel and hearing representatives to assure early disposition. It is contrary to ICS’ operating procedures for the examiner to relegate claims handling tasks to a defense attorney or hearing representative. Rather, the claims examiner will continue to actively manage all such litigated claims.
When a defense attorney is optioned, ICS holds defense counsel to strict standards of reporting frequency, report content, cost containment, billing protocol and overall handling. Attorneys will not be authorized to perform or be reimbursed for tasks that are the responsibility of ICS.
Employee Advocacy
We feel we have a unique approach to interaction with injured workers at ICS. We refer to it as our ‘Employee Advocacy’ philosophy. As part of this philosophy, we recognize that your injured employees are our customers, and we interact with them accordingly. We hope to have an opportunity to explain this approach in more detail. The bottom line is we want your employees to view our examiners as part of the solution, not part of a problem.
Your Total Claims Solution
We focus on the one thing we do best – managing our clients’ claims.
Superior Audit Results
Reducing Open Inventory
Reducing Closing New Claims
Reduction in Average Number of Disability Days
Reduction in Defense Attorney Costs
Reduced Litigation Rate
Our Mission
Reduce our client’s overall cost of workers’ compensation liability by providing quality claims management integrated with value-oriented medical management programs.
We utilize our vast experience and knowledge of workers’ compensation to focus and execute our primary responsibility, which is managing our client’s program and providing service to their employees, while assembling the ‘best in class’ team of medical management partners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Basic Info
When was ICS formed?
ICS was formed in 2000, by Cheryl Westeren and Gary Archibald, who combined, have over 60 years of claims administration experience.
How many employees does ICS have?
ICS has 40 employees. We are small to medium sized business operating in California.
How many offices does ICS have?
• ICS has 3 office locations
o San Ramon, CA
o Gold River, CA
o La Mirada, CA
Service Info
How much experience does ICS have with public entities?
We have over twenty years of public entity claims administration experience. ICS was founded on public entity administration and has built its foundation on managing claims and providing excellent customer service to those departments. We know the challenges and nuances of navigating claims with public entities, and we appreciate the loyalty and ongoing relationships that we have with our public entity customers.
Does ICS provide any special reporting for its clients?
o We have a dedicated support staff that focuses on custom reporting because we understand how important receiving quality information is to our clients. ICS will provide each client with a customized set of claim reports based on client needs. These reports can be created daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or whenever the client requests. The reports can be downloaded to Word, Excel, Adobe, or other formats and e-mailed, or we can print and mail them to the client. Reports will be delivered to the client within 5 working days of the end of each month.
Can ICS customize our workers’ compensation claims program to fit our needs?
Yes, ICS can customize any claims administration program to suit the needs of our clients. Workers’ compensation claims administration is not a one-size-fits-all industry. We understand the needs of each client are different. Therefore we offer customized solutions to make it efficient and easy to work with us.
What Our Customers are Saying
“Our City has had ICS as our claims administrator for over 10 years. They have provided consistent, excellent claims administration and helped us with many of our own internal procedures and policies. They are the best.”
“Three years ago we selected ICS as our claims administrator through a RFP process. We couldn’t be happier with the transition and claims handling since we made our decision. ICS is upfront with their administration and there are no hidden costs and overcharging that we saw with our last administrator. I can highly recommend ICS to any public agency. “
Our Office Locations
Proudly serving the greater bay area for two decades.
Gold River Office
PO Box 2070
Rancho Cordova, CA 95741-2070
916-852-8588
916-852-0642 Fax
800-427-5511
garchibald@ics-claims.com
San Ramon Office
PO Box 5128
San Ramon, CA 94583-5138
925-327-8050
925-327-8078 Fax
888-427-2424
cwesteren@ics-claims.com
