CVS Helps Refine Coverage Search

Monday, June 9, 2008 | 0

By the Nevada Workers' Compensation Section

The public launch of the WCS Coverage Verification Service back in January 2006 ushered in an era of Nevada coverage
information accessibility. This advance was further enhanced in May 2008 with an information technology adjustment to upgrade the system and make CVS more reliable in displaying contact information about third-party administrators.

CVS allows anyone with Internet access to verify the workers’ compensation coverage of a Nevada employer who has a policy with a private insurance carrier. Close to 200,000 CVS searches have been done since CVS first came online, and figures for April 2008 show an alltime monthly high of 11,110 searches.

By regulation, WCS is required to serve as a clearing house for routing misdirected C-4 claims for compensation to the correct insurer. The average number of C-4s WCS receives per month has declined slightly over the past two years from 212 to 205.

“In addition to having search numbers go up, we were hoping to see our C-4 processing numbers go down more,” said Ruth Ryan, supervisor, Research and Analysis Unit. “A common refrain we heard from many CVS users was that they needed
not just the insurers, but the TPAs. So we worked hard with our IT staff and NCCI (the National Council on Compensation
Insurance) to improve the accuracy of the TPA information,” said Ryan. “It required us to synch our Nevada databases
with NCCI’s national insurer reporting database, and it took awhile to get them to talk to each other. TPA information is fluid, and the databases require constant maintenance. If someone hasn’t used CVS in a while, they should try it again. Our goal is that when they click on the ‘claim processing information’ link, they’ll get the latest TPA information available.”

Pat Judge coordinates the efforts of three administrative assistants in Henderson who investigate misdirected C-4s.

“Ideally, we’d like our monthly C-4 intake to be down in the double-digits. That keeps morepayments and benefits flowing closer to the timeline required by law, and if we run across a possible uninsured employer, we can get that claim to the Employer Compliance Unit faster for follow up investigation.

“Still, if anyone can’t find the information they need using CVS, they should give us a call,” said Judge. The phone number for WCS Henderson is (702) 486-9080; WCS in Carson City can be reached at (775) 684-7270. CVS is currently at
https://www.ewccv.com/cvs/

<i>This column was reprinted from the Nevada Workers' Compensation Section's quarterly newsletter, The Nevada Workers' Compensation Chronicle.<i>