By Amy O’Connor, Sr. Director, National Product Leader, Diagnostics, One Call
In workers’ compensation, complex claims often build through delays, missing information, disconnected communication, and uncertainty about what should happen next. Diagnostics can change that trajectory. When coordinated quickly and clearly, diagnostic services help claims teams make informed decisions, give injured workers faster access to care, and create a clearer path forward.
Before joining One Call, I spent my career in healthcare leadership with a focus on radiology, including hospital and outpatient imaging operations. I led teams responsible for the daily work that keeps imaging services moving — scheduling, authorizations, provider availability, regulatory compliance, report delivery, and follow-up. I was not a clinician, but I saw how operational excellence shaped the care experience.
It also influenced how I approach occupational injury diagnostics and my role in helping advance our diagnostics program. Diagnostic testing may look like a single event — an appointment, image, or report. But in reality, it’s a critical connection point in workers’ comp case management, giving stakeholders the information they need to determine next steps and support recovery.
Diagnostics Create Clarity When Claims Are Unclear
Complex workplace injuries often raise more than one question: Is the injury acute, chronic, or pre-existing? Does the treatment plan need to change? Is there a clinical reason for ongoing pain, limited function, or delayed recovery? Without timely medical assessments, those questions can stay open longer than they should.
Diagnostic services bring objective information into the process. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), electromyography (EMG), nerve conduction studies (NCS), and other evaluations can support faster decisions when coordinated appropriately. The value is not simply completing the test; it helps the care team understand what the results mean for the injured worker’s recovery path.
Speed Matters, But So Does Coordination
In radiology operations, speed mattered, but speed without coordination still created problems. A quick appointment did not help if the order was incomplete, the authorization was unclear, or the report did not reach the right stakeholder. In workers’ compensation, diagnostics, timeliness, and accuracy must work together.
For claims leaders and third-party administrators, a coordinated program can reduce administrative friction and keep information moving, from referral details and scheduling to injured worker communication, compliance expectations, and report delivery.
Better Information Supports Better Treatment Decisions
Timely results help reduce uncertainty. When the right information is available sooner, treating physicians can refine the care plan, claims teams can evaluate next steps, and case managers can coordinate services that align with the injured worker’s needs. In complex claims, that clarity can help prevent avoidable delays, duplicate services, or treatment paths that do not match the injury. Research also supports that musculoskeletal imaging can help evaluate traumatic injuries more precisely by estimating injury timing and assessing the impact of pre-existing conditions, which can inform both clinical care and claims-related decisions.1
Additional review options, such as Age of Injury, second opinion reviews, comparison reviews, and advanced record reviews, can strengthen clarity when findings are new, pre-existing, or changing over time. These insights help teams make decisions based on evidence, not assumptions.
Provider Access Is an Operational Advantage
Access to qualified diagnostic providers can also shape claim outcomes. In many markets, provider availability, staffing constraints, fee schedule pressure, and network consolidation can make timely scheduling more difficult. For injured workers, limited access may mean longer wait times or travel distances. For claims teams, it can create more follow-up and risk that the claim loses momentum.
A strong diagnostics network should account for both quality and practicality. Providers should be able to complete the ordered test, meet credentialing expectations, support timely appointments, and deliver reports efficiently. Technology-enabled scheduling can help care coordinators see availability, turnaround times, and location more clearly.
Diagnostics Strengthen Workers’ Comp Case Management
Diagnostics do not stand alone in complex claims. They connect to physical medicine, durable medical equipment, transportation, language services, home health, and other needs that may emerge during recovery. To the injured worker, these are not separate issues — they are one recovery experience.
As I step into this role, my focus is on shaping diagnostics solutions that support customers, strengthen provider access, and deliver better outcomes for injured workers and clients. From an operations perspective, measurable value begins when each step – intake, scheduling, coordination, report delivery, review, and next-step communication – works together.
The Right Care Delivered Faster
For workers’ compensation claims leaders, diagnostics should be viewed as a practical part of claim management, not simply a required service. Timely evaluations can help guide treatment, support earlier intervention, and reduce avoidable friction. My goal is to help our diagnostics strategy meet evolving customer needs while keeping injured workers at the center of the experience.
The strongest diagnostic programs are built around a simple idea: injured workers need answers, and claims teams need clear information they can act on. Studies have shown that prompt access to appropriate care can accelerate recovery, support an earlier return to work, and reduce overall claim costs.2 When diagnostics are coordinated well, those needs come together – supporting faster access, better decisions, and a more connected recovery journey.
About Amy O’Connor
Amy O’Connor is Senior Director, National Product Leader, Diagnostics at One Call, where she helps guide the strategy and growth of the company’s diagnostics solutions. With extensive experience in radiology, imaging operations, and healthcare compliance, she has led initiatives focused on quality, efficiency, and better care delivery. Amy partners across the organization to strengthen diagnostics solutions, support customers, and improve outcomes for injured workers and clients.
About One Call
With more than 30 years of experience, One Call is a leading ancillary care coordination platform in the workers’ compensation industry. We unify every aspect of care as one trusted, technology-enabled partner. Our connected platform leverages data, analytics and automation, simplifying care and amplifying outcomes for injured workers, payers and employers. For more information and the latest news, visit onecallcm.com.
Disclosure:
One Call has advertised with WorkCompWire.
This is NOT a paid placement.