Prevention, Intervention and Coordination: The Proactive Path to Profits

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Prevention

The axiom that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is especially true with workers’ compensation costs.  That’s why we believe in and can arrange for physical capacity evaluations, substance abuse testing and employee assistance programs.  We will also work closely with your safety coordinator to insure that the proper loss prevention programs are in place and working for you and your employees.

Intervention

The pie chart above shows the high percentage of total cost associated with injuries before the introduction of managed care.  By adding managed care to the formula, studies show a reduction in the medical cost component.  WCMS has observed that only in those situations where the payor takes control of the claims as close to the time of injury as possible is there a reduction in the disability and legal cost component.  Virtually every study encourages the employer or payor to provide high quality, appropriate medical attention to injured workers as soon as possible, with the goal of expediting the employee’s recovery and return to work.

Proactive medical attention is the key to early intervention.  Employers must focus on quality and an occupational orientation when choosing physicians and clinics, and there should be meaningful and ongoing presentations that clearly instruct employees and supervisors on what to do when injuries occur.  In addition, the provider network must be philosophically aligned with the employer’s basic objectives: early return to work without prolonging the medical phase into the indemnity phase.

Return to Work

This program must encourage employees to return to work as soon as medically appropriate, even if in a less strenuous capacity at first.  A close relationship with your medical provider is important in determining the limits of an injured employee’s physical abilities.  Equally important is your commitment to facilitate the return of the injured worker.  At WCMS, we’re eager to work with existing service providers or to recommend quality vendors to assure that these tools are being effectively applied.