Video: Injured Worker & Employer Interview

As you know, RTW can benefit injured workers and employers alike.  The psychological and physical benefits of proper RTW planning are highlighted in this interview of a childcare worker who sustained a serious shoulder injury and her employer's RTW Coordinator.  To view the interview, click here.

While viewing this video, take note of the positive attitudes of the employer and injured worker.  The structure of the employer's RTW program as well as their efforts to maintain contact with the injured worker undoubtedly had a positive impact on the outcome of this claim. 

Issues with RTW form long before a claim even occurs.  If you are interested in learning more about how an employer's actions can influence a claim, check out "Employer Do's and Don'ts" in the ecovery library under the For Employers section of our website.

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We're pleased to announce our ecovery newsletter for Employers!

If you're an employer who is insured by Eastern, you now have access to another great RTW resource!  Written with employers in mind, we've developed a monthly ecovery newsletter that focuses on a variety of topics including:  RTW tools and resources, a recap of the month's blog postings, "how-to" section, helpful tips, news, and reminders. 

You can access the newsletter by visiting http://www.eains.com/work/employers/additional-resources.aspx and logging in.  Upon logging in, you will see a link to access the ecovery newsletter.

If you would like to receive the newsletter via email once a month, please send an email to ecovery@eains.com and include your name, your account/policy number and the email address to send the newsletter to.

We hope you find this resource beneficial to your organization!

Study: Physician panels reduce duration of lost time claims

Frequently, the first question after a work injury is reported is, where do I go for treatment?  Each state has its own provisions regarding physician panels, including whether they are permitted, what types of providers must be on the panel, and rules governing the change to a new provider.

The treating physician plays a very important role in the direction and duration of a WC claim.  Physicians influence the injured worker's return to work, permanency rating, frequency and cost of care, as well as their eligibility for WC benefits by giving an opinion as to whether the injury is work-related or not.

Neumark, Barth and Victor (2007) utilized data collected from 750 interviews with employers and injured workers in California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Texas, as well as data from the WCRI database of over 16 million workers' compensation claims.  They focused on the impact of provider choice.  In this study, provider choice is defined as by the employer or employee.  More specifically, it looks at outcomes when an employee chose to treat with someone they've previously treated with, or when they choose a new provider.

So, how do you think that an employee's choice of a new provider or a provider that they have previously treated with impacts the following issues? Take a minute to jot down your answers.  I gave you a freebie with the title of this post.  The results may or may not surprise you.

To push oneself or self-protect oneself, that is the question...

...asked by many older workers.  Many of us have asked ourselves the same question, whether it's a choice between taking the stairs or the elevator, doing that extra set of reps at the gym, or getting out of bed after pulling a back muscle.  It is also likely that the decision you would have made at age 20 is not the same decision that you would make at age 45. 

What factors go into making these decisions?  More importantly, how can employers and insurers use their understanding of this decision making process to improve the outcomes of WC claims for their older employers?