‘Company Nurse,’ ‘Pay As You Go’ programs promise innovation
We’ve covered changes effected and proposed in workers’ compensation systems in various states, including proposals not only from legislative, judicial and executive branches of state governments but also from electoral propositions.
However, private industry also comes up with new wrinkles, new products and programs that promise improvements in efficiency or costs.
Company Nurse Injury Hotline
One such is described in a recent press release from a 13-year-old company based in Scottsdale, AZ, announcing services available from its Company Nurse Injury Hotline.
According to the PR:
When a workplace injury occurs, client employees and supervisors call Company Nurse to report injuries and to speak with a triage nurse. Unlike nurse case managers, triage nurses get involved at the front end of the claims process, essentially on the day of injury — which is the earliest, most critical point at which to influence medical care, claims costs, return-to-work (RTW) outcomes, and employee satisfaction. Many organizations view nurse injury triage as a vital part of their corporate wellness, employee wellness, and employee health programs.
“Our nurses assess injuries over the phone and refer employees to the most appropriate level of care — whether it’s an urgent care facility, occupational clinic, or simple first aid,” said Paul Binsfeld, CEO of Company Nurse. “As a result, our Injury Hotline facilitates immediate, critical medical decisions that positively impact an employee’s medical care, as well as overall claims’ costs and outcomes.”
Decreases reported in costs, litigation
According to a November post at Risk & Insurance.com, “Since developing the company, [founder Paul Binsfeld] says employers have seen remarkable savings of 15 to 20 percent and up to 40 percent. The City of Little Rock, Ark., saw a 39 percent decrease in workers’ comp claims costs. And a hospice company with a mobile, in-the-field workforce and a decentralized injury reporting process reduced its lag time from an average of 17 days to two days, and litigation drop by nearly 40 percent. Most other organizations, he said, achieve virtually 100 percent same-day reporting.”
Improved referrals reported
Another satisfied customer, according to the company is the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix, where Carol S. Sterling is the Human Resources Manager. “As an early adopter of the Company Nurse program, her organization experienced several key benefits. ‘First, we receive instant notification of injuries, so we can immediately file our first report of injury forms,’ said Sterling. ‘Second, Company Nurse is extremely flexible. We were able to include our local network of preferred providers in their referral process. Third, Company Nurse helps to control medical expenses, as triage nurses often refer injured workers to urgent care clinics, rather than the ER, which saves costs and still ensures quality care. Fourth, supervisors experience “peace of mind” in knowing injured employees are immediately assessed and referred for appropriate treatment, and we also experience smooth processing of claims and medical bills among the provider, insurance company, and employer.’ ”
Here’s a link to a brief .pdf file of a report by the company.
‘Pay As You Go’ program announced
Another company claiming to offer innovative services in various human resource areas, including workers’ compensation, is Unicorn HRO, a New Jersey-based company founded in 1982, with offices in four states. Unicorn says it has more than 900 U.S. and international clients, with more than one million employees.
In a Dec. 12 press release, the company “announced today that it will begin offering ‘Pay As You Go’ Workers’ Compensation insurance as part of its suite of services. The . . . system for managing workers’ compensation insurance offers employers the compelling advantage of being able to manage workers’ compensation insurance payments in real time, thus allowing for simple, accurate and fiscally responsible cash flow management. The . . . offering will eliminate the need for large installment payments and costly annual end of year workers’ compensation insurance reconciliation audits. The insurance premium calculations are automatically processed through Unicorn HRO®’s payroll solutions system.”
Highlights listed
On one of its Web pages, the company says the highlights of the system include the ability to:
- Maximize cash flow by eliminating large upfront installment payments
- Pay workers’ compensation premiums based on actual payrolls rather than estimates
- Obtain real-time evaluation of premium payment history and calculation
- Eliminate the need for costly year-end insurance reconciliation audits
The company also emphasizes that the “offering of the ‘Pay As You Go’ . . . payroll services is not the offer or sale of any insurance product.”
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Frequently enough, a worker’s compensation case may be so complex as to demand legal representation. However, sometimes what seems like a cut-and-dried situation to an injured worker may result in a smaller award than envisioned–or even a denial. Have you, a friend or a loved one been injured on the job? Whether you’re merely seeking answers about your rights or believe a lawsuit may be necessary, be sure to seek counsel with attorneys trained and experienced in workers’ compensation. Here’s some resources:
