Pub. 2 2020 Issue 4

and the billing information should be NHADA-WCT information versus their health insurance. • This must be trash since I was hurt at work: A common misconception when an injured worker receives a medical bill at home for treatment of their work-related injury is that the bill has been submitted to us or will be submitted to us. If a bill is received at an employee’s home, that is an instant RED FLAG, as it means the provider does not know about us or where to send the bill. Bills received at one’s home should be forwarded to us ASAP and the injured worker should make a call to the provider to tell them about us. Ignoring these bills and sending them straight to the circular file once, twice or more, will lead to that bill going to collections. When a claim is received, we reach out to providers where the injured worker may have treated and let them know about us; but in some circumstances, we don’t know where they went, or there may have been confusion about where they were treated. Taking a moment to speak with your injured worker prior to them leaving for medical treatment will benefit everyone involved in several other areas besides billing. Taking this time will allow you to remind the employee of some other key parts of the treatment process: • Remind your employee that after the appointment, they should return to work to review how it went and share the NH Workers Compensation Medi- cal Form. Even if, for some reason, the employee has been taken out of work, they should still be encouraged to swing by work to share the informa- tion. Often an employee will be released to TAD — temporary alternative duty, and they make the assumption the employer cannot accommodate this, so they head home. Reviewing the WC form together allows the employer and employee to come up with a plan together, and everyone will have the same information. • If your employee will be missing time from work, let them know to stay in touch; have a designated per- son at the employer, whether Human Resources or a supervisor, check in with them after each doctor’s appointment. Obtain the latest WC form and talk with the employee about their status, progress, and return to work. Communication is key to successfully managing a work- er’s compensation claim, and the NHADA-WCT Team is here to assist you and the injured employee through the worker’s comp process. Many folks from our team will be in contact with the employer and the employee throughout the process. At times this contact may seem redundant, but we all have a role in this. While the goal of this article is about how to make sure a bill goes to the right place, it is also a great opportunity to remind you of the WCT team members and how we can assist you with it. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all still available to assist you with the process. • Pete Sheffer, claims manager (psheffer@nhada.com) — Pete is here for you for all aspects of the worker’s comp process, including legal questions, drug screening questions, filing of claims, managing existing claims. He oversees the WCT team, and more. Start with Pete, if you don’t know who to direct your questions to, and he will get you to the correct staff member. • Marta Silakka, nurse case manager (msilakka@nhada.com) — Marta handles the med- ical part of the claims. She can assist you with any medical questions related to the claim and assist with referrals in the managed care network. • Deb Handrahan, member services coordinator (dhandrahan@nhada.com) — Deb is currently answering the telephone calls directed to claims. She will answer any questions you may have during the pandemic and will direct your call to the appro- priate person if she cannot answer your question. Deb can also assist you with all your training needs regarding the worker’s comp process. She also is crucial in assisting with the Second Injury Fund. • Justin Dowdy, road adjuster ( jdowdy@nhada.com ) — Justin does all the initial interviews and recorded statements with injured employees. He will meet with witnesses and employers to investigate the injury that took place. He is also an adjuster and manages claims. During the pandemic, Justin is doing a lot over the telephone rather than in per- son. Please be sure to take the time to speak with him to speed the investigation process. While most of the staff are working from home these days, we pride ourselves on being here for our members. Please do not hesitate to call or e-mail us with questions. Santander Bank’s Dealer Commercial Services Simple, Personal, Fair Santander Bank’s Dealer Commercial Services is committed to provid- ing financing and banking solutions to the automobile industry. For more information, please contact: Richard Anderson at (508) 944-3890 or randerso@santander.us or Christopher Peck at (508) 314-1283 or christopher.peck@santander.us. Bronze Partner TR2 Corp / LSI Industries Exterior and interior automotive lighting representative Manufacture and sales of exterior and interior lighting for the automotive market. Contact Wendell Brown at 802-463-1948 or via email at Wendell@tr2corp.com for more information. Bronze Partner Wendell Brown N E W H A M P S H I R E 15