Delivery standards for injury medical assessors priority

Developing industry-wide delivery standards for third-party medical examinations and standards for training and experience of assessors in auto-related injury claims are among the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO)’s top priorities for 2010. In its 2010 Statement of Priorities, FSCO says it will be taking the following initiatives, among others, to support automobile insurance reform:

• in conjunction with health care providers and the insurance industry, develop industry-wide delivery standards for third-party medical examinations and qualifications for assessors;

• appoint a panel of experts to recommend changes to the definition of catastrophic impairment in the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS) and develop minimum standards for the training and experience required for assessors of catastrophic impairment.

• conduct a study of closed automobile insurance claims to understand the factors contributing to cost changes and create an up-to-date framework for projecting the impact of auto insurance product design or system changes; and

• using the findings published in 2008 by the World Health Organization’s Neck Pain Task Force to expand the Minor Injury Guideline to provide a more comprehensive continuum of care for those injured in auto accidents. In a report on key initiatives of 2009, FSCO also said it had established a protocol for the processing and payment of SABS claims by the Motor Vehicle Accident Claim Fund and subsequent recovery of MVACF costs from the auto insurance industry in the event of an insolvent insurer.

“The protocol will help to ensure compensation for people injured in automobile accidents when no automobile insurance exists to respond to the claims,” FSCO said. •