Across the country, the cost of workers' compensation insurance is soaring at the highest rate in nearly a decade. This is adding yet another heavy burden on employers already struggling with budgets. Nationwide, the average cost of workers' compensation insurance has risen 50 percent
in the last three years, according to Robert P. Hartwig, the chief economist at the
Insurance Information Institute, a national trade group.

Workers' compensation is the United States' oldest social insurance program; it was adopted in most states, during the early 1900s. It is a no-fault system, meaning that injured employees need not prove the injury was someone else's fault in order to receive workers' compensation benefits for an on-the-job injury. The injured employee is entitled to all health care reasonably required to treat the work related injury or illness. The workers' compensation system is premised on a trade-off between employees and employers: employees are supposed to promptly receive the limited statutory workers' compensation benefits for the on-the-job injuries, and in return, the limited workers' compensation benefits are the exclusive remedy for the injured employees against their employer.

Southpointe CEO Association member, Dr. Shannon Vissman is the Founder and President of SmartComp, LLC and Vissman Therapeutics. Both companies are on the frontier of lowering Workers' Compensation costs through innovative techniques in case management, work injury prevention, and rehabilitation.

Dr. Vissman states, "Outcome-based rehabilitation is the premise on which all treatment programs are prescribed and implemented. It has long been our expeirience that carefully supervised exercise regimens using specialized exercise equipment measurably enhance a patient's recovery process."

Universal SmartComp specialized in the medical coordination and cost containment of workers' compensation injuries. Universal SmartComp:

Universal SmartComp's clients have saved an average of 37-52% on rehabilitation costs utilizing network services. For additional information on how Universal SmartComp can assist you in lowering your workers' compensation costs contact Dr. Shannon Vissman on the company's website www.universalsmartcomp.com.