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Access to care continues to plague comp industry: panel - Business Insurance Skip to content Register for free Search Search Log In Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Access to care continues to plague comp industry: panel by Louise Esola Workers Comp Coverage , Workplace Safety Mar 3, 2026 BOSTON — A long-running pressure point in workers compensation, access to care is becoming more difficult as provider shortages, hospital closures and broader health system disruptions ripple into occupational medicine, panelists said Tuesday at the Workers Compensation Research Institute’s Issues & Research Conference. Delayed care can slow recovery and return-to-work timelines and increase claim costs, making care coordination “huge in workers comp,” moderator Randall Lea, Waltham, Massachusetts-based senior research fellow at WCRI, told attendees as he framed the discussion around practical tactics employers, payers and regulators are using to keep injured workers moving through the system. Dr. Mary Capelli-Schellpfeffer, Boston-based vice president and national medical director for Liberty Mutual’s workers compensation unit, said access challenges are no longer confined to rural areas. Even in major metro regions with abundant medical resources, she said, workers comp patients are increasingly being turned away — a dynamic she described as “enormously significant” for the system. “In our personal lives … scheduling a surgery may take weeks, if not months,” she said, but in workers comp those delays can directly affect “the best possible opportunity to return to work.” She also pointed to “ghost” provider networks — listings that appear available in directories but do not actually take workers comp patients — as a growing obstacle that complicates triage and scheduling. “Not seeing workers comp patients,” she said, is often the reality behind a listed phone number. Across the panel, speakers said the central challenge is aligning a strained health care delivery system with workers comp’s need for timely treatment and doing so with a mix of triage methods that include telemedicine, network management, direct contracting, and employer-led support. To close gaps, Dr. Capelli-Schellpfeffer said payers and employers are relying more heavily on layered strategies. Networks, she said, are increasingly organized around “segments of care” such as rehabilitative services or durable medical equipment, requiring stronger coordination at the claim level. When a network option is not available, she said, direct contracting is becoming more common as stakeholders attempt to “lock in resources” and secure appointments. Telehealth paired with 24/7 nurse triage can also help guide injured workers to the next appropriate step, particularly in rural areas or for mobile workforces, she added. From the regulatory side, Jeff Nelson, an Austin-based commissioner with the Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation, said Texas has focused on making its system easier for providers to navigate through predictable rules, extensive education and enforcement that supports timely payment — all aimed at improving participation. Texas ties its medical fee schedule to annual inflation adjustments and provides administrative processes for fee disputes rather than forcing providers into litigation, he said. The agency also runs outreach, including live webinars and “boot camps,” with a focus on front-office staff who often shoulder the billing and paperwork burden. A provider hotline helps offices troubleshoot workers comp-specific questions, he said. Mr. Nelson said certified health care networks have improved outcomes in Texas, citing lower costs and higher return-to-work rates among employers participating in networks. About half of employers are in a network, he said, and Texas networks report statewide coverage across all of its 254 counties. Employers are also directly pushing care access. Jessica Moyers, a Charlottesville, Virginia-based environmental health and safety specialist at The Hershey Co., said the company builds relationships with providers in advance, invites clinicians into facilities to understand job demands, and, in areas with limited local resources, arranges transportation. “We drive,” she said. Hershey also staffs on-site clinics with nurses, emergency medical care and physical therapy in many locations, emphasizing early intervention for minor aches and pains and a “culture of care,” Ms. Moyers said, even if the clinics don’t always deliver a traditional return on investment in workers comp alone. 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