Renee Mattaliano creates a vision for "The Early Return-to-Work."
Then she identifies the building blocks and discusses their value to the employee.
Her discussion points are:
* Start with a plan, not an incident.
* Establish communication with physicians and clinics.
* Build a task bank.
* Make managers and supervisors a major part of the plan.
* Next develop the team approach.
Renee ends her discussion by declaring that if all elements are properly in place, the results will be more than cost savings. Benefits will be increased productivity, a company culture that values the contribution of every individual on the basis of the abilities of each employee.
Karen Provine walks us through the return-to-work process from the accident to the final establishment of the patient returning to their job. She emphasizes that the main goal is to get the patient back to work. If the patient has become disabled, then modify the goal to return the patient back in some capacity.
The benefit is that if the patient can no longer perform his past job, such as construction, employing him or her in the company in a different job allows him or her to see the former colleagues and befriend new co-workers. The patient now feels "at home" again and is proud to be productive for himself or herself and the employer.
Gary Nelson guides us on a tour of the many factors concerning transportation for injured workers. First he discusses unreliable sources for transportation. Next he lays out the criteria for choosing a reliable transportation company. He follows up by defining the service the reliable transportation company must provide for the injured worker. Note that this service can be expanded to provide transportation for the injured worker to and from work during the light duty phase. Gary concludes his tour with this final direction; use a transportation company to help contain costs by getting the injured workers the treatment they need; this will decrease the lost time benefits and the overall cost of the claim.
Frances Snowden, BS, RN, CRRN, CCM
Contributing Editor