WeGo Public Transit, Nashville’s primary transportation provider, was named among the recipients of the prestigious Theo Award, which honors organizations demonstrating excellence in workers’ compensation, injury prevention, and program innovations across industries. In partnership with Charles Taylor, WeGo transformed its claims processes, achieving greater efficiency, faster employee recovery, and significantly reduced costs.
Challenges
WeGo faced challenges in managing its workers’ compensation program, including high claims volume, rising costs, and inefficiencies in claims resolution. Slow return-to-work times delayed recovery and impacted operations. The program lacked streamlined processes, resulting in delays and higher medical and legal expenses. WeGo needed to overhaul its approach to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and accelerate claims resolution.
Solution
In October 2023, WeGo transitioned to Charles Taylor as their Third-Party Administrator (TPA). Key improvements included integrating safety technology, such as cameras on buses and terminals to verify and dispute claims, reducing costly investigations. WeGo increased claims reviews with management and defense counsel to address high-exposure cases quickly. Early diagnostic tools like MRIs and CT scans detected injuries sooner, speeding recovery and reducing medical costs. A new transitional duty program facilitated faster return-to-work for employees.
Summary
After partnering with Charles Taylor, WeGo Public Transit significantly improved its workers’ compensation program. The number of lost time claims fell by 14%, and total lost workdays dropped by 21%, reflecting faster and safer return-to-work outcomes. Claims closures increased by 42%, helping the team resolve cases more efficiently. At the same time, the average cost per lost time claim decreased by 36%, and medical only claims were reduced by 39%. These results contributed to their Theo Award recognition and underscore WeGo’s commitment to employee recovery, operational efficiency, and cost control.
