Controlling Costs in Worker's Comp

One of the challenges with a worker's comp incident is that time is usually not on the business owner's side. If an employee has a non-emergency workplace injury and follows a normal progression of informing their supervisor and leaving work to seek medical attention, the costs rapidly escalate. Remember, time is not on the employer's friend, and during this process the employee may conclude that his or her injury is worse than it is. This conclusion may be real (caused by a lag in treatment) or perceived. One of the keys to lowering the cost of worker's comp incidents is to significantly shorten the time window from the event to the first conversation with a medical professional.

Through technology, a company can provide rapid response telemedicine which shortens the incidence of the medical response window, distributes all paperwork and lowers the cost of worker's comp claims. Employees with non-emergency injuries talk with a healthcare professional before leaving the workplace. Often, these injuries can be treated without a costly trip to the local Emergency Room or healthcare provider. Also, many injured employees can receive on-going consultation via a virtual clinic or provider. As a result, the cost of worker's comp claims and time out of work are both significantly reduced. On average, a virtual triage program has proven to lower E-MOD scores and decrease workers comp claims and costs by 40%.