Over the last decade, medical costs have escalated and the workers' compensation environment has changed dramatically. In response, US&C has continued to be on the leading edge of the industry by creating various business units specifically designed to address the employer's and insurer's unique needs that have resulted from these changes. Today, US&C can provide a variety of services, on a bundled or unbundled basis. These include:

• Complete Claims Administration - This includes managed care, loss control services, case management, claim payment, and electronic data interchange services bundled as one coordinated service.
• Managed Care - Provided through our subsidiary, Bluegrass Health Network (BHN), US&C can offer employers an entity for the direction of medical services including a PPO, utilization review, case management and medical consultants.
• Loss Control Services - This service assists employers in identifying and eliminating injuries before they happen. The least expensive claim is the one that never occurs.
• Case Management - Often called "vocational rehabilitation", case management is performed by a registered nurse or rehabilitation counselor. The case manager acts as a coordinator and facilitator of medical services for the injured employee.
• Claim Administration - This is the heart of any workers' compensation system, involving the payment of all related expenses. But simply paying those expenses is not enough. With US&C, this service also includes: (1) Checking expenses against state fee schedules and/or PPO discounts, (2) Analysis to guard against duplicate or fraudulent payments, (3) Maintaining a good relationship with other vendors, and (4) Formatting and maintaining comprehensive data on all payments and reserves so data can be manipulated and exported efficiently, and so trend and cost analysis can be conducted.
• Electronic Data Interchange - EDI is the ability to send claim and reserve information to various regulatory bodies, excess carriers and other necessary parties within a required timeline and in appropriate formats. As regulators continue to increase requirements, this becomes a more daunting and complex task.

In addition to these services, US&C is active in monitoring and reviewing the many legislative changes that are continually brought forth concerning workers' compensation. We are key participants on the Board of the Kentucky Workers' Compensation Research Institute - a body which focuses on the business community's efforts to maintain control of workers' compensation laws and regulations, and protecting the interest of our clients.