Utah Government Trust outlines “corridor of care” to speed workers’ compensation recoveries

Jeff Rowley, claims manager for the Utah Government Trust, told Trust members that early reporting, designated medical providers, return-to-work programs and regular contact with injured workers together form a “corridor of care” that improves recovery and lowers costs for employers.

Rowley, who said he has worked in public-entity claims for 32 years and has been the Trust’s claims manager for four years, told attendees that Utah’s workers’ compensation system gets employees into initial care quickly compared with many states and that the state’s insurance premiums are among the lowest in the nation. “From day one, Utah is very good at that,” he said of early access to diagnostics and therapy. “We have a corridor of care that facilitates an employee getting the care they need as soon as possible.”

Rowley framed the topic as a partnership between the Trust and its members and said four measurable practices — early claim reporting, directed medical care, return to work and staying connected with injured employees — are the Trust’s recommended KPIs for better medical outcomes and lower claim costs.

Rowley advised employers to require employees to report any workplace injury immediately and for managers to forward reports to the Trust within one to three days. He said the Trust’s five-year average reporting lag is 9.9 days and argued that delay can worsen outcomes, increase the chance an employee seeks outside care or an attorney, and raise costs. “Our KPI is reported ideally within 1 to 3 days of it happening,” Rowley said.

On directed care, Rowley recommended that employers designate an occupational-medicine clinic (or urgent care when appropriate) as the first point of treatment for non‑life‑threatening injuries. He said the Trust’s contracted clinics handled about 93% of medical dollars over the last five years and that the remaining 7% went to noncontracted clinics, costing nearly $1.3 million. “Designating a clinic helps your employee get better and helps to lower your cost,” he said.

Rowley noted differences in where medical dollars go in Utah versus other states and pointed to higher hospital inpatient costs in Utah. Using 2023 dollars, he said a Utah hospital inpatient day cost about $5,900 versus about $3,100 in other states; he also cited a 2022 figure that the average lost‑time (indemnity) claim in Utah cost about $28,000 statewide while the Trust’s average for its members was $23,351.

On return to work, Rowley emphasized that a physician-cleared return to light duty can speed recovery and reduce costs. He cited studies that returning an employee to light duty can cut overall recovery time by roughly 30% and reduce medical costs by about 7%. He described how an employer’s experience modification factor (eMod) — a multiplier that raises or lowers premium based on recent loss history — can materially change premium bills and provided example scenarios showing how an eMod of 0.7 versus 1.25 alters premiums for identical payrolls.

Rowley urged Trust members to create clear policies, prepare job descriptions for physical roles, identify alternative or light-duty tasks and foster communication between supervisors, adjusters and treating providers. He recommended using the Trust’s online reporting (UtahTrust.gov/claims) or telephone reporting and noted the Trust assigns an adjuster within one business day and provides claim materials to injured workers, including an employee guide and the Labor Commission’s “Injured Workers’ Rights and Responsibilities.”

He also discussed legal exceptions to the normal commute exclusion, saying employees who are “on call” and responding to a call-out or who are driving an employer vehicle may be covered because they are considered on the clock or the vehicle creates a nexus to the employer. “If they’re driving your vehicle, there is a supreme court case that said there’s enough benefit to the employer,” he said, describing those as exceptions to the typical commute rule.

Rowley concluded by mentioning a new Trust “integrity promise” program intended to build long‑term risk-management standards; two key elements for the program are a contracted medical network and a return-to-work program. He invited members to contact him for help building injury packets, locating contracted clinics through the Trust’s myworkcompinfo website and developing return-to-work policies.

The presentation included brief Q&A with Trust staff members identified in the meeting as Mike and Jason; Rowley answered questions on printing claim cards and on commute exceptions for on-call employees.