Today's post is about how the simplest of changes can make a big difference. When you're talking about a person who has been injured on the job, sometimes simple changes can greatly improve or diminish a person's quality of life. We live in a fast-paced world with ever-increasing pressure to do things faster and cheaper. If you are involved in the management of workers' compensation claims, you know this to be true. No matter what your role in workers' compensation, whether your are a physician, a nurse case manager, an adjuster, or a manager for a large company, you know that every day there is increasing emphasis to do more with less, be more efficient, and keep costs low.
Streamlining saves money, or does it?
Because of this constant pressure to do things faster and cheaper, we streamline. Streamlining is good, right? Streamlining allows us to get more done and it saves money. But what are the real cost savings? You may save a buck today, but what other costs may be lurking down the road? By streamlining, we don't always get to see the big picture, and it becomes easier to miss the obvious facts that are right in front of us...
Claimant confined to wheelchair, can't access his home.
This story is about an injured worker who, due to his work-related injury, is confined to a wheelchair. He lives in a small trailer. The manual wheelchair he had been prescribed did not allow him to access his kitchen, bedroom or bathroom. He wasn't even able to use the ramp to his home because his wheelchair was too wide. Can you imagine how frustrating this must have been for the claimant?
Total Medical Solutions asked to perform home evaluation.
Total Medical Solutions was asked to do a home evaluation on this case. So, a rehab technician from Total Medical Solutions visited the claimant. Upon observing the claimant in his home, the rehab technician recommended a narrower, light-weight wheelchair. Somehow this detail was missed when the initial wheelchair was prescribed. Could it have been because no one bothered to visit the claimant in his home before ordering the wheelchair? Whatever the reason, obvious facts were overlooked. Decisions were made that negatively impacted this claimant's quality of life.
Two eyes are better than none, when it comes to managing complex claims that is.
So, what is the moral of this story? We all have to streamline in order to perform our jobs. However, considering all the technology we use, along with clinical protocols and databases of information we access to make decisions faster and cheaper, sometimes a pair of eyes is the best thing for the job; or in this case, for the claimant.
As you look to streamline your work flow, partner with vendors who are experienced in workers' compensation. When you partner with the right vendors, streamlining is a very good thing. The right vendor partners will help you save money now and in the future. How? they'll help you manage your claims the right way, the first time around.
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