Solutions, Property & Casualty, Workers’ Compensation

Over-treatment, not the injury

Workers' comp economics live and die on return-to-work timing, MMI determination and PT-utilization against state guidelines (MTUS, ODG). Owl reads the FROI, the ER intake, the payroll register, every progress note and the IME on intake, and matches treatment to state cohorts and provider patterns.

PT utilization vs. MTUS, L4-L5 strain0 → 30 wks, L4-L5 cohort
MTUS, L4-L5 strain, 6–10 visitsP50 MMI, wk 12wk 24, 38 visits
Provider over-utilization
4.1× cohort, 38 vs 6–10
Indemnity rate, §4453
TTD $761.45 / wk, 66.67% AWW

38 visits, wk 24

PT at 4.1× MTUS guideline cohort

$761/wk

TTD rate, §4453 AWW, leave excluded

Subro: 87%

Forklift-vendor product-liability path

03A real claim, walked end to end

One loss: a forklift strain, 38 PT visits, an MSA the state hasn’t seen yet.

Anonymized composite: warehouse forklift incident, L4-L5 strain, claimant 24 weeks post-DOL, PT utilization at 4.1× cohort, subrogation path on equipment vendor.

Claim #
WC-2025-04-08-1142
LOB
Workers’ Comp, Warehouse
DOL
2025-04-08, 09:14
Reserve (current)
$184,000
Reserve (Owl)
$92,500
OwlVision
What it read
FROI + ER intake + ambulance run
24 pp
Read, Indexed, Cited
Payroll register, 52wk lookback
6 pp
Read, AWW reconstructed
PT progress notes, 38 visits
168 pp
Read, MTUS-compared
IME + QME reports
42 pp
Read, Reconciliation flagged
Forklift maintenance log + OEM bulletin
18 pp
Read, Subro path identified
Structured extraction
DOL 2025-04-08 09:14; forklift Hyster H50FT serial #H187xx2231; L4-L5 strain on lift maneuver; ER same-day; MRI 2025-04-22 shows L4-L5 disc bulge 5mm; MMI declared 2025-08 by treating physician; 38 PT visits weeks 1-24 (MTUS guideline 6-10); TTD paid 24wk @ $761/wk; IME 2025-09 finds claimant at MMI; forklift maintenance log shows last service 2024-09 (overdue per OEM 2,500hr interval); Hyster service bulletin SB-2024-114 on lift-cylinder seal failure.
OwlSignal
What the world said about the claimant

External data only. None of this lives in your CMS. Owl gathered it from public records, professional networks, registries and the open web, then resolved it to this claimant.

UTL-01
PT utilization, 4.1× MTUS cohort

38 PT visits across 24 weeks against MTUS guideline of 6-10 visits for L4-L5 strain. Provider NPI 1xxxxx5821 shows 247 prior WC matters with avg 32 visits per claim, 3.8× the cohort. CMS billing-graph flags this provider on a top-decile over-utilization list within the state.

CMS NPI billing graphMTUS / ODG guidelinesState WC Board provider sanctions
SUB-01
Subrogation, forklift maintenance vendor

Forklift Hyster H50FT serial #H187xx2231 last service 2024-09; OEM-required interval is 2,500 hours, equipment hour-meter shows 3,840hr at DOL (1,340hr overdue). Hyster service bulletin SB-2024-114 covers lift-cylinder seal failure on this serial range. Maintenance vendor is third-party. Product-liability + maintenance-negligence subrogation: ~87% recovery probability on the indemnity portion.

OEM service bulletin SB-2024-114Equipment hour-meter / maintenance logVendor service contractNHTSA + OEM recall registry
OSHA-02
OSHA, prior inspection history

Employer OSHA 300 log shows 2 prior forklift-related lost-time incidents at this facility in last 36 months. Most recent OSHA inspection 2024-06 cited 1910.178(l)(4)(i) (operator training) with abatement filed 2024-08. No equipment-related citation. Subrogation does not implicate the employer.

OSHA inspection recordsOSHA 300 log filings29 CFR 1910.178
PEX-02
Pre-existing, prior lumbar treatment

HL7 records exchange returns prior PT episode 2022-03 (12 visits) for L5-S1 strain on a separate non-occupational matter. Apportionment opportunity on the PPD rating; does not extinguish compensability under AOE/COE for the current L4-L5 episode but will compress final PD award by ~18%.

Datavant HL7 exchangeState PT licensing claims registryPharmacy fill history
IME-01
IME ↔ treating reconciliation

IME 2025-09 (orthopedic) finds claimant at MMI with 8% WPI lumbar rating per AMA Guides 5th ed. Treating physician progress note 2025-08 declares MMI but continues PT through 2025-11 (12 additional visits post-MMI). Post-MMI utilization is non-compensable under §9792.6: recovery opportunity on $4,200 of paid PT.

AMA Guides 5th ed.State UR / IMR rules§9792.6 post-MMI utilization
OwlAssist
What it answered
Examiner asked
What is our exposure on this file?
Owl answered in 1.2s

Reserve revisable down by 50%. Current reserve of $184K reflects continued PT utilization, an open MMI determination and no subrogation credit. With IME-confirmed MMI 2025-09 at 8% WPI, post-MMI PT non-compensable under §9792.6, and the forklift-maintenance subrogation path at 87% probability, recommended reserve is $92,500. Indemnity floor $68K (8% PD + closed TTD), ceiling $128K (if MSA over-funds). Subrogation recovery target $42K-$58K against the equipment-maintenance vendor under the OEM bulletin SB-2024-114 product-liability theory. Open MSA work now via CMS WCMSAP submission with $32K-$40K projected.

IME 2025-09, 8% WPI§9792.6 post-MMIOEM bulletin SB-2024-114Vendor service contract pp.4-7
Examiner asked
Run the AWW under §4453 with leave correctly excluded.
Owl answered in 0.8s

AWW = $1,142.18, TTD = $761.45/wk. Gross wages 52-week lookback per payroll register: $59,393.36 across 52 weeks gross. §4453 requires exclusion of weeks with zero qualifying earnings, and the claimant had 2 unpaid leave weeks (2024-12 and 2025-02 per HR record). Adjusted divisor is 50 weeks. AWW = $59,393.36 / 50 = $1,187.87, then reduced by §4453(b)(1) statutory minimum/maximum to $1,142.18 (state SAWW cap). TTD rate at 66.67% × AWW = $761.45/wk. Capped at $1,651.39/wk SAWW maximum (not binding here). 24 weeks paid to date = $18,275; remaining authority before MMI cap = $0 (claimant at MMI 2025-09).

§4453(a) AWW§4453(b)(1) min/maxPayroll register 2024-04 to 2025-03HR leave records 2024-12, 2025-02
04OwlSignal external data

What the world says about your Workers’ Comp claimants, none of which lives in your CMS.

Internal claim data is half the picture: it tells you what the claimant told you. OwlSignal continuously gathers external data (public records, professional and corporate registries, court dockets, social and open web) and matches it back to the claimant. These are the families that move the needle on Workers’ Comp.

UTLProvider Utilization & Sanctions

CMS NPI billing graphs, OIG LEIE sanctions, state WC Board provider sanctions, MTUS / ODG guideline-deviation analysis. Identifies the providers driving over-utilization across cohorts.

CMS NPI billing graphOIG LEIE sanctionsState WC Board sanctionsMTUS / ODG guidelines
SUBSubrogation Pathways

OEM service bulletins, equipment maintenance graphs, third-party vendor contracts, NHTSA / CPSC recall registries. Surfaces product-liability and maintenance-negligence subro paths your file doesn’t flag.

OEM service bulletinsEquipment maintenance vendorsNHTSA + CPSC recallsVendor contract terms
OSHAOSHA & Workplace Safety

OSHA inspection records, 300 log filings, BLS injury rates by NAICS, EPA / state-OSHA citations. Establishes the safety record and proximate-cause picture for compensability and subrogation.

OSHA inspection recordsOSHA 300 logsBLS by NAICSState-plan OSHA
PEXPre-existing Conditions

External EHR pulls and HL7 exchanges that surface prior PT episodes, imaging, pharmacy fills and diagnoses. Drives apportionment under AMA Guides for the PPD rating.

Datavant HL7 exchangeState PT registryPharmacy fill historyAMA Guides apportionment
WAGWage & Income Records

IRS 4506-T income reconstruction, state UI wage records, employer payroll filings, 1099 reconciliation. Substantiates AWW against §4453 and overtime/bonus inclusion rules.

IRS 4506-TState UI wage recordsEmployer payroll filings§4453 inclusion rules
MSAMedicare Set-Aside

CMS WCMSAP submission graph, prior MSA approvals by region, prescription cost projection, life-expectancy tables. Right-sizes MSA so settlements close instead of stalling for 18 months.

CMS WCMSAPWCMSA approval historyRed Book / Medi-Span pricingCMS life tables
Refreshed daily, matched by identity-resolution, every observation cited to its source.
05What changes

Numbers from P&C carriers running Owl on Workers’ Comp in production.

MetricWithout OwlWith Owl
PT over-utilization caught at week 818%79%
Subrogation paths identified at intake12%64%
AWW accuracy on first calc71%98%
MSA submission cycle18 mo6 mo
Avg cycle to MMI determination47 wks22 wks
Indemnity leakage per claim$11,200$2,800
Source: rolling 12-month average across 4 P&C carriers, Workers’ Comp only, n = 38,400 claims.

Built for the regulatory shape of Workers’ Comp.

07Integrations

Lives where your Workers’ Comp files live.

Claim systems

Guidewire ClaimCenter, Origami, Ventiv, Riskonnect, in-house

Bill review / UR

Mitchell, Mitchell SmartAdvisor, Coventry, myMatrixx, Optum

Records exchanges

Datavant, MRO, Verisma, Ciox, HL7 partners

Industry data

NCCI, WCIO, CMS NPI, OIG LEIE, OSHA inspection feeds

Document intake

Box, OnBase, Documentum, ImageRight, Kofax

Identity & SSO

Okta, Azure AD, PingFederate, SAML, SCIM provisioning

08Get started

Bring us a closed WC file. We’ll show you the over-utilization, the subro path and the MSA you under-funded.

Two-week pilot. Your records, your tenant, your bill-review partners. We measure cycle time, RTW timing, subrogation catch and indemnity leakage against your own ground truth.