Rising Medical Solutions Publishes 13th Annual Workers' Compensation Benchmarking Study Report

New Research Identifies Four Execution Patterns That Separate High Performing Claims Organizations

CHICAGO, Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Rising Medical Solutions (Rising) today announced the release of its 13th annual Workers' Compensation Benchmarking Study Report. The newly published report reveals that higher performing workers' compensation claims organizations are not necessarily distinguished by different priorities, but by how effectively they execute them. While many organizations are investing in similar workforce, technology, and operational initiatives, the study findings show significant differences in how those investments are translated into measurable results.

Based on a nationwide survey of claims leaders that was conducted in late 2025, the 2025 Report explores a question facing many payers: Why do organizations pursuing similar priorities achieve such varied outcomes? Using the study's signature comparison of Higher Performers (organizations with claim closure ratios of 101% or greater) and Lower Performers (100% or below), the latest findings point to a consistent answer: the greatest performance differences emerge through execution.

"One of the most interesting findings this year is that higher performers are managing more complex claim inventories than their peers, yet they're still closing claims faster," said Rachel Fikes, Chief Experience Officer and Study Program Director at Rising. "The strongest claims organizations aren't distinguished by what lands on their desks. They're distinguished by what happens after it does."

Four Ways High Performers Separate Themselves

The 2025 Report organizes its findings around four patterns that demonstrate how higher performing claims organizations operationalize strategy and transform priorities into everyday execution.

1. They Choose Better. Higher performers rely more heavily on frontline insight and operational data to identify improvement opportunities, prioritize investments, and select high-value initiatives.
2. They Reduce Friction. Higher performers are more effective at identifying operational pain points and designing solutions that reduce administrative burden, simplify workflows, and improve day-to-day claims execution, contributing to stronger gains in staff efficiency.
3. They Drive Adoption. Higher performers actively engage frontline staff throughout implementation, using pilot programs and feedback loops to test, refine, and improve solutions before scaling them across the organization. They are also significantly more likely to foster innovation and change adoption through leadership behavior modeling.
4. They Build Strength. Higher performers invest more heavily in workforce development, knowledge transfer, leadership readiness, and organizational capabilities that support ongoing improvement and future performance.

While the performance gaps associated with individual practices vary from modest to major, the findings suggest that their true impact emerges when they work together. Higher performing organizations consistently demonstrate strength across multiple dimensions of execution, creating a cumulative advantage that can compound over time. Rather than approaching improvement initiatives in isolation, they align people, process, technology, and culture in ways that reinforce one another and drive stronger outcomes.

"What I find most encouraging about this year's findings is that many of the differentiators we identified are largely within an organization's control," said Fikes. "Organizations can't always change evolving workforce demographics, claim complexity, or external market conditions. But they can improve how they identify opportunities, reduce friction, drive adoption, and build organizational strength. That's what makes these findings so actionable."

Continuing its tradition of industry contribution, the 2025 Study Report is available to all stakeholders at no cost. Interested parties can request the 2025 Report here.

Beyond the Report

Members of the Study Advisory Council will explore the practical implications of the Report's findings at National Comp 2026 on September 29 at 11:00 a.m. PT. During the session, "Navigating What's Next: A Data-Backed Roadmap for Claims Success," Fikes will moderate a panel featuring Denise Algire (Albertsons Companies), Stacey Foote (The MEMIC Group), and Leslie Dunham (Travelers Insurance). Panelists will share industry leader perspectives on the findings, real-world applications of the research, and the operational practices that consistently distinguish high performing organizations.

About the Workers' Compensation Benchmarking Study

The Workers' Compensation Benchmarking Study is a national research program examining the complex forces impacting claims management in workers' compensation today. The study's mission is to advance claims management in the industry by providing both quantitative and qualitative data. Through survey research with claims leaders and practitioners nationwide, the program generates actionable intelligence for claims organizations to evaluate priorities, challenges, and strategies amongst their peers. Conceived and directed by Rising Medical Solutions, the ongoing program is a collaboration of industry executives representing diverse organizational perspectives, including the Study's Principal Researcher and Advisory Council:

• Denise Zoe Algire, Director of Health | Albertsons Companies
• Marcos Iglesias, MD, Chief Medical Director | AF Group
• Kim Leggette, Chief Claims Officer | AF Group
• Robert Biltz, Vice President, Claims | AmTrust Financial Services
• Tyrone Spears, Chief, Workers' Compensation Division | City of Los Angeles
• Kelli Chapman, Vice President, Claims | Eastern Alliance Insurance Group
• Thomas Stark, Regional Vice President, Commercial Lines | Encova Insurance
• Daniel Conley, Partner, Senior Vice President, Director of Claims | FutureComp
• Helen Weber, Assistant Vice President, Head of Medical Strategy | The Hanover Insurance Group
• Adam Seidner, MD, Chief Medical Officer | The Hartford
• Victoria Kennedy, Vice President, Workers' Compensation | Linea Solutions
• Jaclyn Tiger, Senior Director, Claims, Workers' Compensation | Markel
• Jennifer Barth, Vice President, Chief Legal & Claims Officer | MEM
• Stacey Foote, Vice President, Claims | The MEMIC Group
• Michele Lewis, Medical Services Director | Montana State Fund
• Molly Flanagan, Assistant Vice President, Workers' Compensation Claims | Nationwide
• Shannon DelGuercio, Director, Workers' Compensation | Publix Super Markets
• Brigitte Hamilton, Vice President of Claims | SAIF
• Leslie Dunham, RN, Managing Director, Workers' Compensation Claim Product | Travelers
• Brian Trick, Senior Director, Employee Health & Claim Services | Wegmans Food Markets

About Rising Medical Solutions | We Make Lives Better.
Rising Medical Solutions (www.risingms.com) is a national managed care firm that provides medical cost containment and medical care management services to the workers' compensation, auto, liability, and group health markets. Rising's mission is to "make lives better" by taking the pain out of the healthcare experience for those providing, receiving, and paying for medical care.

Rachel Fikes, [email protected]

SOURCE Rising Medical Solutions LLC