The workers’ compensation industry has a tendency to separate indemnity (wage) and medical costs. Nothing exists in a vacuum, certainly not in workers’ compensation claims.
Maybe you think I’ve oversold you with the title of this blog post. Consider the following questions.
What happens when an injured worker is injured and their employer cannot return them to work?
· They are left to sit at home in their recovery. Anyone who has spent time at home for a period exceeding one work week as the result of a medical issue or surgery can attest to the impact that being out of work has on you. You may start to wonder what your co-workers are up to. Maybe you try to stay connected by checking in or reading some emails from home, but it’s not the same. You don’t have the context and the opportunity to ask questions – getting second hand information about the goings on at work can actually make you feel even more isolated.
· The injured worker may begin to question if they’ll ever be able to get back to work. What will happen if they have permanent restrictions? Like reading hotel rating reviews, our minds tend to go to the most negative example possible. The story of the neighbor who had to file bankruptcy because he lost his job after his work injury. They’ve probably memorized the phone numbers for the attorneys who promise to get them huge sums of money.
· The injured worker may become deconditioned from lack of activity. If you’re a mason who’s used to lifting block every day for the past 15 years and now you haven’t lifted anything more than five pounds since your injury, you may have lost some of your strength and stamina.
What do these consequences have to do with medical inflation?
· Isolation may have negative consequences on an injured worker’s motivation to get better. It may also deplete their ability to cope with the aspects of managing their claim and their recovery. For those of us who need people around us to support us, to guide us and to motivate us – when you take that away it can leave one feeling alone and without the wherewithal to get up and push through challenging physical therapy sessions or perform the home exercises that help in recuperation.
· They may have an increased need for prescription pain medications or other medications. These prescriptions may have negative side effects (and may require additional medications to treat the side effects).
· Deconditioning may require additional physical therapy or work hardening. It may also lead a physician to extend the time period between improved work status notes, resulting in increased office visits for progress checks.
Prudent, proactive employers should focus on preventing injuries in the first place. But, when injuries do occur, a plan that focuses on the whole person (employee) and their return to wellness should be ready to go.
What steps are you taking to prevent future injuries like this from happening?
What are you doing to communicate regularly with the injured worker while they are totally disabled?
What are you able to offer based on what the anticipated restrictions?
Are there other concerns that the injured worker has about their employment or benefits? Address the concerns and to reassure your employees that you will work together reach the best possible outcome for them in their recovery.
It’s never too early to have these discussions. Start today.
