Illness and Injury Management

It can happen in an instant – an employee is injured at work. What do you do now? When a health and safety injury occurs, most people probably know the appropriate reporting chain of command, but who decides the appropriate level of care? If the medical treatment is too conservative, the injury could worsen; if treatment is excessive, it could result in an unnecessary OSHA recordable.

Incident Intervention® is the practice of using WorkCare physicians to "intervene" at the time a workplace injury or accident occurs. Through this process, organizations can leverage clinical expert resources to coordinate appropriate treatment care at the “Golden Hour.”

The Golden Hour refers to the first hour following the onset of an employee injury or illness. When trained occupational health experts intervene at the Golden Hour, there is a real window of opportunity to affect the outcome of a case. The sooner the occupational health team gets involved, the greater the impact on the case.

Generally, a WorkCare physician or nurse is notified by a supervisor upon the occurrence of an employee injury/illness. The supervisor provides information on the type, possible cause and scope of the incident. The WorkCare clinician provides responsive evaluation of the incident; determines the most appropriate course of action; and consults with the treating physician to design a quality care treatment plan that meets the needs of the employee and employer in cases where the incident is work related.

These services provide health and safety managers with an effective tool to:

• Cut lost-time accidents.
• Reduce the number of OSHA recordables.
• Lower workers' compensation costs.
• Return recovered employees back to work in an expedient manner.

It's a practice that generates measurable results.