--- title: Workers’ Comp Member Spotlights description: assisted living image: https://blog.coverisk.com/hubfs/hands.jpg --- [![CoveRisk](https://blog.coverisk.com/hs-fs/hubfs/8d15887e-42d8-4403-90c5-7ef148763acb_medium.png?width=283&height=150&name=8d15887e-42d8-4403-90c5-7ef148763acb_medium.png "CoveRisk")](https://www.coverisk.com/) [CONTACT US](mailto:submissions@coverisk.com) # Workers’ Comp Member Spotlights ![CoveRisk](https://blog.coverisk.com/hs-fs/hubfs/a48b020c-9dc9-411f-91de-89b97b7b9115_medium.png?width=48&height=48&name=a48b020c-9dc9-411f-91de-89b97b7b9115_medium.png) By CoveRisk ![TimeIcon](https://23722879.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23722879/Icons/clock-icon-white.png) 8 min read ![DateIcon](https://23722879.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23722879/Icons/calendar-icon-white.png) Oct 22, 2026 Share -   **MA CARE SELF-INSURANCE GROUP** **Workers’ Comp Member Spotlights** *Real Results from a Collaborative Workers’ Compensation Model*   **ABOUT THE PROGRAM** **What Is the Massachusetts Care Self-Insurance Group?** The Massachusetts Care Self-Insurance Group (MAC) is a specialized workers’ compensation program established in 1990 to serve nursing homes, retirement communities, and assisted living facilities throughout the state. Its mission is simple and enduring: to provide high-quality coverage at an affordable cost, supported by a program structure that rewards strong performance and responsible participation. Today, MAC represents nearly fifty member facilities across Massachusetts, with a combined premium exceeding $3 million. Over its nearly four decades of operation, the group has returned more than $26 million in dividends to its members; this is a direct reflection of the stability created through careful underwriting, disciplined claims management, and active member engagement. These are not paper gains; they are real dollars returned to facilities that can be reinvested in staff, residents, and safer workplaces. | **Why MAC Workers’ Comp Works** | | | --- | --- | | **● Rigorous Standards** | Disciplined group underwriting for long-term balance | | **● Hands-on Safety  Support** | On-site safety consultation with hazard identification, impactful recommendations, and safety education | | **● Expert Claims Management** | Experienced adjusters and nurse case managers prioritizing return-to-work outcomes | | **● Responsive Partnership** | A collaborative approach between Cove Risk, member facilities and trusted independent insurance agents to drive stronger performance | | **● Shared Financial Rewards** | Historic dividend distributions that reflect strong group performance | **PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION** **Cove Risk Services: The Engine Behind MAC’s Success** MAC’s sustained performance does not happen by chance. It is the product of a rigorous, relationship-driven administration model delivered by Cove Risk Services, the group’s third-party administrator. Cove Risk brings a rare combination of analytical discipline and hands-on engagement to every aspect of the program, from underwriting to safety consulting to claims resolution. **Cove Risk’s underwriting process is designed to ensure the group remains balanced and sustainable over time**, screening for facilities that share MAC’s commitment to safe operations and continuous improvement. Onsite safety consultations go beyond routine audits: Cove Risk’s consultants develop genuine working relationships with facility staff to identify hazards, co-develop solutions, and follow up to verify that improvements are sustained. When injuries do occur, Cove Risk’s claims team moves quickly to assess the situation. They will establish appropriate reserves and coordinate with employers, medical providers, and injured workers to drive timely, efficient outcomes. Experienced nurse case managers play a central role in this process, guiding injured employees through treatment and facilitating return-to-work plans that benefit everyone involved. **The result is a claims environment where severity is controlled, litigation is minimized, and employees feel genuinely supported throughout their recovery**. *“For facilities considering their workers’ compensation options, the quality of the TPA is not a secondary consideration. It is the difference between a program that generates dividends and one that drains resources.”* MAC was founded on the principle that senior care facilities deserve access to high-quality workers’ compensation coverage, delivered in a way that genuinely understands the unique pressures of the industry. The group has grown and thrived because members share a belief in collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement. Those values are not merely aspirational; they are the engine behind every reduced injury rate, every employee who returns to work safely and promptly, ultimately resulting in dividends for members. The group’s long-standing partnership with Cove Risk Services has been instrumental in that success. Its disciplined underwriting, proactive safety consulting, and responsive claims management have built an environment where members do more than reduce injuries, they build the kind of organizational culture that sustains long-term financial strength. The results speak for themselves as over $26 million in dividends have been generated to members since the group was founded. *“MAC is a workers' compensation program built by employers, for employers, with a shared commitment to better outcomes for injured workers and greater financial stability for its members.”*   **SPOTLIGHT ON OUR PRESIDENT** **Frank Romano, Board President** Frank Romano understands both sides of workers’ compensation. For more than 50 years, his career has been dedicated to caring for others. As president of Essex Group Management Corp., he oversees a family-owned network of skilled nursing, assisted living, rehabilitation, and home care services throughout Massachusetts. But when it comes to workers' compensation, Frank brings another valuable perspective, one shaped by firsthand experience as an employer. Long before he became Board president of the Massachusetts Care Self-Insurance Group, Frank was part of a family-run business that was more than 55 years old. It started with just one facility and grew to more than 1,000 employees. But workers’ compensation was a problem; he knew the company wasn’t closing claims, and they would cost a lot of money. As he reviewed the details, he realized that the longer a claim dragged on, the more expensive it became, half the cost was legal fees. So his mantra became, “If you manage claims more effectively, costs improve.” And it did. Frank found that traditional workers’ compensation insurance typically means higher costs, delayed claim resolutions, and less control over the claims process. That leads to claims that remain open longer than necessary, increased claims payouts, and frustrations for both the employer and the injured employee. The Massachusetts Care Self-Insurance Group changed everything. Frank joined the Massachusetts Care Self-insurance Group. As he explained: *“When claims are managed proactively and employees receive the care and attention they need early in the process, everyone benefits. Employees recover sooner, claims close faster, and employers spend less.”* That experience is one of the reasons Frank chose to take on a leadership role with the Group. As Board president, he understands members’ challenges because he faces them himself every day as the owner of a healthcare organization. "I'm not speaking as someone who only reads the reports," he says. "I'm speaking as an employer who has lived it." For more than three decades, the Massachusetts Care Self-Insurance Group has been a stabilizing force for long-term care providers across the Commonwealth. As Board president, Frank has had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the commitment members demonstrate toward creating safer workplaces for their employees and stronger financial outcomes for their organizations. "Healthcare is a challenging business," he says. "You need partners who understand your industry and are committed to helping you create safer workplaces, care for injured employees, and control long-term costs." Frank’s story reflects what has attracted many Massachusetts healthcare organizations to the Group: a workers' compensation program built by employers, for employers, with a shared commitment to better outcomes for injured workers and greater financial stability for its members. For Frank, serving as Board president isn't simply about governance, it's about helping other healthcare providers experience the benefits his own organization has realized through decades of membership.   MEMBER SPOTLIGHT **Orchard Cove** *MAC Member Since 2003 / Experience Mod: 0.91 / Loss Ratio: Under 25%* To understand what MAC membership looks like at its best, look no further than Orchard Cove. A member since 2003, Orchard Cove has consistently demonstrated the qualities that define MAC’s highest-performing participants: a deeply ingrained safety culture, exceptional communication between staff and administration, and a proactive relationship with Cove Risk that has kept their loss history among the most favorable in the entire program. With a 2026 experience modification rate of 0.91, well below the industry baseline of 1.0, and a sustained loss ratio under twenty-five percent, Orchard Cove’s numbers tell a clear story. But the numbers only capture part of the picture. It’s the company’s culture that’s even more compelling. Orchard Cove primarily serves independent residents, which comes with its own set of safety considerations. Its success begins at new employee orientation. Each new employee is introduced to a comprehensive framework of risk awareness and personal responsibility. A combination of ongoing training, clear policy enforcement, and open lines of communication between staff and leadership ensures that safety is not a reactive concept, but a daily practice. *“We have an outstanding working relationship with the team at Orchard Cove. Through close collaboration on numerous safety initiatives, we have made significant progress in identifying, eliminating, and reducing workplace risks. Their commitment to employee education and enforcement of best practices has contributed to meaningful improvements in workplace safety.”* *— Chris Clark, Sr. Health & Safety Consultant, Cove Risk Services* Cove Risk Senior Health & Safety Consultant Chris Clark, who has 30 years of experience (27 years with this Group), worked closely with Orchard Cove on targeted improvements across the facility. Together, they have addressed the highest-priority hazard categories, like slip- and trip-prevention indoors and outdoors, and best practices for safely assisting residents who require help getting up after a fall. But Cove Risk doesn’t suggest generic solutions. Working collaboratively with Orchard Cove, it identifies practical alternatives that fit the facility’s specific environment and resident population. Claims adjusters who have worked with Orchard Cove for over twenty years are equally emphatic: Significant losses have been rare. A cornerstone of this success is the facility’s commitment to modified duty. Orchard Cove consistently offers meaningful transitional work to injured employees. This keeps the employee connected to their team and reduces both the financial and human cost of lost-time claims. Their open, transparent communication with Cove Risk’s claims professionals ensures that no claim lingers unresolved, and that every injured worker feels supported. The combined effect of these practices has produced one of the most consistently favorable loss histories in the MAC program. Orchard Cove is not just a success story for one facility, it is a model for what any member can achieve with the right culture and the right partner.   MEMBER SPOTLIGHT**Mary Immaculate Health Care Services** *MAC Member Since 1991 / Part of the Covenant Health System / A Turnaround Story* Not every MAC success story begins with strong numbers. Mary Immaculate Health Care Services (MIHCS), part of the Covenant Health system and a MAC member since 1991, offers a different kind of testament to what the program can deliver: a story of meaningful transformation, driven by honest partnership and a leadership team willing to do the hard work. **Cove Risk stands by members that have struggled with higher losses and commit to make improvements.** Mary Immaculate was struggling with an increase in costly claims. Cove Risk Safety & Claims teams identified a plan of action and presented it to the team at MIHCS. Together, they observed immediate improvements in both the frequency and severity of claims. The facility worked to identify opportunities for modified duty; the combination of creating a safety culture and offering modified duty has been critical to its overall success. Cove Risk Vice President of Claims Sue Sobolewski began conducting regular claims review meetings with facility leadership. These structured, honest conversations were designed to identify root causes and develop targeted strategies for improvement. What followed over the next five years was a comprehensive transformation of MIHCS’s approach to post-injury treatment, employee communication, and modified duty. | **Key Initiatives That Drove the Turnaround** | | | --- | --- | | **● Occupational Health as First Response** | Reduced claim severity, shorter disability durations, and fewer costly ER visits | | **● Expanded “Stay In Work” Modified Duty** | Injured employees stay connected to their teams and return to full duty faster | | **● Stay Interview Culture** | Proactive conversations that build trust, surface issues early, and improve retention | | **● Record Only / Self-Pay Program Participation** | Minor injuries handled outside formal claims, protecting the experience mod | Perhaps the most impactful change was the MIHCS adoption of occupational health centers, and where appropriate, urgent care facilities, as the preferred destination for initial injury treatment. This single shift produced cascading benefits: claim severity dropped, disability durations shortened, and the facility’s exposure to the dramatically higher costs associated with emergency room visits was substantially reduced. The “Stay In Work” approach similarly transformed outcomes. By creating meaningful modified duty assignments and keeping injured employees engaged with their teams during recovery, MIHCS reduced lost-time claims significantly while improving employee satisfaction. Workers who feel supported during an injury are more likely to return to full duty promptly, and less likely to pursue unnecessary medical treatment or litigation. MIHCS also introduced “Stay Interviews”, structured, proactive conversations between managers and employees designed to surface concerns before they become problems. Unlike exit interviews, which capture feedback only after someone has decided to leave, Stay Interviews allow leadership to hear and respond to issues in real time. The impact on morale, retention, and overall safety culture has been measurable and meaningful. *“What began as a challenging loss ratio has become a powerful example of how a strong partnership between a facility and the dedicated team at Cove Risk can deliver lasting, measurable improvement.”* MIHCS’s active participation in MAC’s Self-Pay / Record Only program has been another important lever. Cove Risk’s Self-Pay (Record Only) Program is a unique benefit that allows Insureds to remove qualifying claims from their experience reporting. Such a program is not available through traditional insurance carriers and is often a unique offering of self-insured groups. Today, MIHCS stands as one of MAC’s most compelling examples of the program’s value. It did not simply absorb services, it leaned into the partnership, made structural changes, and built a safer, more supportive workplace for employees. Its journey is proof that improvement is always possible with the right commitment and the right partner.   **WHY THIS WORKERS’ COMP?** **The Case for Joining the MAC Community** The Massachusetts Care Self-Insurance Group is not simply a workers’ compensation program. It is a community of senior care providers committed to a common standard: safer workplaces, financially sound operations, and a long-term partner that genuinely understands the industry. For any Massachusetts nursing home, assisted living community, retirement facility, or adult day care evaluating its coverage options, MAC offers something the standard market cannot: a model built *by* and *for* senior care, with a thirty-five-year track record of dividends and results. The experiences of Orchard Cove and Mary Immaculate Health Care Services illustrate what MAC membership can mean in practice. One facility demonstrates the power of a safety culture sustained over decades. The other shows that even a challenging history can be transformed with honest collaboration and targeted effort. Together, they reflect the full range of what MAC’s structure, and Cove Risk’s partnership, makes possible. If your facility is committed to employee safety, disciplined operations, and long-term financial stability, we invite you to explore what MAC membership could mean for your organization. The doors to this community are open, and the results speak for themselves. ### Subscribe to Our Blog #### "This workers' comp coverage offers something the standard market cannot: a model built *by* and *for* senior care, with a thirty-five-year track record of dividends and results." 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