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Firm introduces workers' compensation hub service

by Anne Straub
Brevard Technical Journal

Robert Cook, CEO of STOPS. Photo by Michael R. Brown, © 2004.

One day, when Robert Jarvis was reviewing workers' compensation files, the case manager began to notice a trend. Large amounts of money were going toward transportation charges for claimants who needed rides to doctor appointments and therapy sessions.

"It really was an eye-opener," Jarvis said. He contacted Robert Cook, a colleague in the industry. The two saw that a lot of the companies providing the transportation had driving experience, but no workers' compensation experience.

That's where they figured they could do better. Both had owned businesses in the workers' comp industry, and so they knew how the industry operates.

They brought in other principals to round out their skills and founded Titusville-based STOPS. Cook, whose background in workers' comp included working as a fraud investigator for nine years, serves as CEO, and Jarvis is company president.

Knowing that workers' comp carriers mail out thousands of checks a month, they decided to position their company as a way for carriers to simplify their operations. Their business plan involved going to national carriers and proposing that they contract with STOPS for transportation services and let STOPS worry about dealing with the many vendors in cities across the country. The idea was to raise the bar in the industry and introduce a hub service to replace the system of national carriers dealing directly with local providers.

Five years later, STOPS has contracts with each of the 12 major national carriers to provide transportation, from taxis to air ambulances. "We were really the first company to go nationwide in a big way," Cook said. "The national carriers want national providers."

Growth followed quickly. The company landed in the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing privately held companies last year, the first time it was eligible for the ranking. The list used 2003 figures, which put STOPS at No. 35, with 662.8 percent annual growth and revenue of $5.5 million.

Last year, sales exceeded $9 million. The company employs 68 full-time workers and has contracts with about 4,000 drivers nationwide.

Smart use of technology has played a part in that success.

STOPS uses proprietary software that lets clients to go online to view patient files and read notes about completed services.

Also, the company was the first transportation provider to use online maps to reduce the risk of fraud from the local transportation companies that provide the services. Vendors input their starting and ending locations, and the mapping program states the number of miles the vendor can charge.

Not only are vendors prevented from padding the figures, but the practice led to another first for the industry: STOPS can state its fee for services upfront, again helping simplify billing for insurance carriers. "They can sit down with their calculator and know what it's going to cost before they order it," Jarvis said. STOPS bills clients online, also for added convenience.

That's a switch from local providers, who tend to bill more slowly. The result is carriers might get a bill for an amount they hadn't counted on, perhaps months after a case file has been closed.

The predictability is an asset during a time when NCCI Holdings Inc., an organization that serves the workers comp industry, reports medical care inflation and low interest rates are putting a squeeze on carriers.

In addition to transportation services, STOPS provides interpretation services for claimants. The company tends to hire native speakers of the language services it provides to keep quality high.

The company is expanding on its expertise and available technology to launch a wholly owned subsidiary called ADSUM. The company provides interpretation services over a private network. The service includes video so participants can look at X-rays and other visuals together.

The service is aimed at helping carriers keep costs down by making interpreters more easily available, and without having to pay for travel time. "At times, the interpreter can cost more than the doctor," Cook said.

STOPS is also getting into home and vehicle modifications for the disabled, again primarily for the workers' compensation industry. The company sponsors driver Ray Paprota, the only disabled driver to be licensed by NASCAR. His car, which uses all hand controls, was featured on an episode of the Discovery Channel program Monster Garage.

Cook, a Titusville native, graduated from the University of Florida in 1984 with a degree in criminal justice. He worked as a state probation and parole officer for four years before getting into the insurance fraud industry. He built a business that he sold in 1997.

He's now working on an MBA, a degree already held by his wife, Donna Lindsey. She oversees personnel for STOPS. The couple has a son, Scott, who works as a teacher for the Orange County School System.

The alligator head and prints of wild animals in his office are meant to intimidate workers when it's time for a serious talk, Cook said with a laugh. But the truth is it thrills him to be able to provide employment to the staff at STOPS. "It really is fun to see people buy their homes because you've been able to do that," he said.

"I really enjoy what I do," Cook said. "I've been blessed to always be in a field I find interesting."