The healthcare industry is diligent about safe patient handling and event reporting but frequently lacks the time and resources to make workers' compensation and post-injury management a priority for their own injured employees, according to a new report.
The report, authored by insurance broker Lockton's Beth Wood, is titled "Seven Way to Take Care of Your Caregivers: Best Practices for Post-injury Care in Healthcare."
Wood explains how employers in the healthcare industry can improve how they take care of employees after they have been injured.
"There are proven realistic and effective approaches to post-injury management in the healthcare environment," said Wood.
"Many of these approaches have been implemented by Lockton clients, either partially or completely, resulting in improved medical outcomes for their injured employees, reductions in lost-time days, shortened disability durations, decreased litigation rates, and lowered workers' compensation costs."
Some of the strategies discussed include centralization of the post-injury management process; development and execution of a practical, effective transitional duty program; and periodic measurement of program objectives.
Lockton recommends risk managers determine what is driving both the frequency and severity of workers' compensation costs and set appropriate program goals. It is also important for a healthcare organization's executives to demonstrate that patient safety and employee safety are equally important, both from a prevention and response perspective.
The insurance broker is making the full report available free at its website, www.lockton.com.
Lockton, Beth Wood, US
