A nonprofit risk management training and educational organization said yesterday it has created a manual that outlines methods to control workers' compensation costs.
The Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) in Fairfax, Va. announced the release of the PERI Day of Injury Resource Manual, detailing a strategy of early intervention to control workers' comp costs.
Gerard J. Hoetmer, PERI executive director, said the new manual “lays out a proactive approach for addressing rising costs of workers' compensation by establishing processes for responding to employee injuries starting right on the day of injury.”
He said PERI's research “presents compelling evidence that employer actions on the day of injury have a profound impact on the overall cost of workers' comp claims.”
The institute explained that its resource manual, which sells for $25, builds on the findings of a study PERI jointly sponsored with the Schools Insurance Authority (SIA), a joint powers authority based in Sacramento, Calif.
PERI said the publication details injury reporting processes for organizations to put in place as part of an overall early intervention strategy.
The manual, PERI said, besides providing best practices advice for building a structured return-to-work program, also provides organizations with sample forms, checklists, and training materials.
In partnership with SIA, the PERI Day of Injury study was conducted to assess the relationship between employer actions on the day an employee was injured and workers' comp costs. The study focused on injury reporting, directing medical care, and early return to work initiatives. A major component of the research focused on SIA's use of telephonic nurse injury reporting/triage.
The study, PERI said, demonstrated that the nature, duration, cost and eventual outcome of a claim can be largely shaped and controlled by the employer's response on the day of injury.
Among the keys to a successful early injury reporting process found by the study were:
oKeep it simple–have a single point of contact to keep the process uniform.
oStaff the injury reporting process with an experienced triage nurse, either in-house or using a contracted service.
The quality of information derived from this process greatly impacts the claims management function and builds a positive relationship with the employee.
oMake it easy to use for employee and supervisor.
A phone call is efficient and personal especially when talking to a medical professional.
oImmediately integrate the injury reporting process with access to qualified medical care.
Employees that receive medical treatment on the day of injury have much higher satisfaction levels.
oSet an expectation of early return to work with prior targeted communications and reinforce it on day of injury.
The executive summary and the final report on the PERI Day of Injury study can be accessed free on PERI's Website at www.riskinstitute.org.
PERI's manual can be purchased for through the PERI Bookstore at www.riskinstitute.org.
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