Open Enrollment for MCO selection lasts through Friday, May 23. It is an opportunity for Ohio employers that have state-funded workers’ compensation coverage to select an important resource to organize and resolve workplace injuries. Sedgwick Managed Care Ohio is a key partner for our workers’ compensation program and happens to be Ohio’s largest MCO – by far – in both claims managed and employers served.1

Recordkeeping and documentation

One of the roles of an MCO is to collect the essential data elements of a workplace injury to initiate a workers’ compensation claim. Depending on the approach to collecting and arranging this information, the MCO can be an excellent warehousing partner for injury-related data.

Sedgwick MCO provides clients a series of value-added reports designed to facilitate record keeping obligations of OSHA and PERRP. Many report options include an ongoing tally of lost workdays associated with each claim, as well as the number of modified duty workdays. Access to this information on a monthly, quarterly and especially an annual basis (early January) can help employers complete their OSHA 300 and PERRP posting that is due each February.

MCOs should also be able to account for additional datapoints to help determine whether a workers’ compensation claim is OSHA-recordable. For example, if medications are prescribed in the treatment of a workplace injury, it may be OSHA recordable despite having incurred no lost or modified workdays. Similarly, if treatment for an injury includes services that exceed what is considered first-aid in nature, the injury may also be recordable despite involving no lost time. An example of this would be a laceration that involves stitches, but the employee returns to work immediately. Referencing medical billing codes to identify specific covered treatments can be a simple way to gather information that simplifies the OSHA and PERRP reporting process.

Injury reporting

The claim filing process depends on information from multiple parties, including the injured employee and the treating physician. But Sedgwick MCO encourages employers to take action as quickly as possible after a workplace incident to control this vital early stage of the process. Establishing post-injury protocols that include thorough documentation of the incident, as well as compiling information required by BWC, can accelerate a sound claim allowance decision. Early clarity on the nature of incident and injury can help frame the scope of the claim and define the medical conditions that are included for treatment.

The First Report of Injury (FROI) is the standard BWC form that accommodates the required information and typically initiates a new claim. Many employers keep the FROI on-hand to serve as an incident report. Sedgwick Managed Care Ohio will provide clients with an Injury Reporting Packet, which can include the FROI and other forms and information to help guide both the employer and the injured employee through the claim process.

Many employers have developed an incident report that collects much of the information required for the workers’ compensation claim. Consider modifications to your incident report that may facilitate a more efficient claim filing process. One of the best steps an employer can take to promote speed and accuracy in claim filing is to have an incident report completed quickly and sent directly to the managed care organization.

Contact Sedgwick Managed Care Ohio

We encourage you to review objective data on the MCO Report Card to evaluate MCO performance metrics. You will find that Sedgwick excels in areas that make a difference for Ohio employers, and brings a great deal of value, simplicity, and efficiency to the claim process. If you feel there is room for improvement with your organization’s injury management program, or if you can use assistance organizing data for OSHA recording, Sedgwick MCO can help. Every work environment is different, and Sedgwick can talk through your circumstances to build a process that works for you and your employees. Visit Sedgwick MCO online to explore performance metrics and service features, or reach out directly at ClientServices@Sedgwickmco.com.

Roma P. Amin, MD, is a family medicine physician at OhioHealth.

What inspired you to pursue a career in medicine?

When I was younger, I wanted to be a physician because I loved science and helping people. I try my best to be the person who I wrote about in my personal statement. I still love medicine and find joy in making it more accessible to my patients in a non-judgmental way. And, maybe now, I see that people don't necessarily need to be helped, but rather, they need a partner with whom to navigate the healthcare system and sit with them as they ride the waves of life.

What are your areas of clinical/professional interest?

I'm passionate about health equity, especially for patients and communities that are not centered in our current healthcare systems, reproductive justice, graduate medical education, full-spectrum family medicine, and community-based care.

What's one thing you'd like your colleagues to know about you or your work? 

I often get the sense when I'm with my physician colleagues that we are struggling with loneliness, especially since COVID. It has taken me a long time to build a genuine community in Columbus, and even that isn't perfect some days! If any of that resonates with anyone reading this, feel free to reach out to me at roma.p.amin@gmail.com. I'm always down to grab a coffee or a meal.

When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your free time?

I enjoy reading, spending time with friends/family, and seeing live music.

You provided a story about your experience with a patient during COVID that was included in the “Heroes Behind the Mask” book. Why did you think it was important to share this experience?

The patient whose story I shared was really special to me. She had been with me since the beginning of my intern year. I hoped that by sharing her story, I could honor her life and all that she taught me.

The Columbus Medical Association presents the following Board of Directors slate for membership approval.

2025/2026 Officers:

• Kanny Grewal, MD – President
• Lamont Clay, MD – President-Elect
• Christopher Brown, MD – Secretary-Treasurer

2025/2026 Board Members

• Nita Bhatt, MD
• Tracy Cook, MD
• Joshua da Silva, DO
• Andrew Detty, MD
• Chelsea Mooreland, MD
• Pina Patel, MD
• Bonnie Pugh, MD
• Deepak Sudheendra, MD

Please send your vote of “yes” for approval of the entire slate, or “no” for objection to the entire slate, to the CMA email address: CMA@ColumbusMedicalAssociation.org.