Looking at an injured worker holistically and considering his or her overall situation can prevent so-called 'creeping catastrophic' claims. (Credit: arka38/Shutterstock)

Getting the best outcomes for injured workers involves much more than just treating the actual injury. Their recoveries depend on a variety of additional factors such as whether they have access to healthy food and clean water, their ability to travel to medical appointments and the extent of support they have.

Increasingly, workers' compensation payers are finding that these social determinants of health (SDoH) have a significant impact on the healing process and a worker's ability to return to work. While these issues may not be a direct responsibility of stakeholders, addressing them to whatever extent possible can vastly improve and expedite the process.

Many of us already do this when catastrophic injuries are involved. We believe SDoH could and should become a critical review of a workers' compensation claim as a way to improve overall health and well-being among the workforce and create better medical outcomes.

Two experts were on hand for our most recent Out Front Ideas webinar to provide their insight and outline strategies the industry can take to influence SDoH factor.

Related: Still accepting applications for 2019 Workers' Comp Award

Defining SDoH

SDoH is not a new topic. Within the healthcare system, stakeholders began implementing programs 20 years ago to address the structural determinants and conditions in which people live, work and age. We included SDoH in this year's Issues to Watch because we believe there is a significant opportunity in the workers' compensation system to address these in the claims process.

SDoH includes multiple categories, such as:

• Economics: Does the person have a stable income? Does an individual have enough money for not only for his medical needs but to care for his or her family?
• Environment: What is the neighborhood like? Is it safe?
• Transportation: Can the worker get to and from work? What about travel to his or her medical appointments? Can he or she drive? If not, does he or she have other options, such as public transportation?
• Nutrition: Can the injured worker access quality food and clean water?
• Support: Does the worker have a network of family and friends who can help out? Social isolation and community connections are imperative in a person's ability to recover from an injury or illness. In fact, within Medicare and Medicaid there is a realization that a person who is not engaged in his or her community is more likely to have a readmission.
• Culture: Is there a discriminatory attitude toward the person in his or her living area or within the medical community?
• Understanding: An injured worker needs a basic understanding of what he or she needs to do to facilitate his recovery. Managing chronic conditions, for example, is crucial, along with taking medications as prescribed.

All these and other factors come into play in how well an injured worker recovers and returns to work. How an organization addresses SDoH depends on the company, the culture and the worker himself.

Employees of International Paper, for example, typically work in remote areas where paper mills are likely to be located. Also, many of its workers are older. That creates challenges in trying to ensure they have access to medical providers, quality food and water, and a network of support.