Comp ‘routine tasks’ have led to more AI in industry: study

Forty-six percent of workers compensation claims professionals spend as much as 40% or more of their time on routine tasks, with 23% saying they allocate just as much time to regulatory compliance, according to research published Wednesday by Rising Medical Solutions.

These numbers have led more claims organizations to seek technological approaches to managing claims, the study found. As of 2023, 37%  of claims organizations are using as many as six technology “systems” to help manage claims, up from 28% in 2019; 18% are using seven or more as of 2023, up from 14%.

Based on first-person focus group research with claims and medical management executives, the latest annual report said that “high-performing organizations . . . are using artificial intelligence to enhance human performance and strategic productivity while simultaneously investing in human judgment and emotional intelligence that technology cannot replicate.”

“Successful organizations aren’t choosing between technology and human connection — they’re strategically combining both to create better experiences for injured workers while improving operational efficiency and job satisfaction,” Rising said.

The report also zeroed in on efforts to attract claims talent, highlighting that demand is at a 13-year high. In response, organizations “are expanding recruitment pools, enhancing training programs that upskill claims staff in both emotional intelligence and the use of AI, and creating cultures that embrace innovation instead of resisting it,” according to the report.