Further Proof That Prompt Injury Response Reduces Workers Compensation Costs
In previous blogs I had talked about the importance of promptly responding to and reporting worker injuries. What it is intuitively obvious that this will reduce workers compensation costs, Hartford Insurance has recently published its own findings that are quite interesting. There study covered workers compensation medical only and lost-tiime claims from 2003 – 2007.
If the claim is reporting within 48-hours there is no material increase in workers compensation claim cost. However, if the claim is reported a week after the date of injury the cost goes up approximately 5%. If there is a two week delay the cost goes up 19%. If claim is reported 2-3 weeks after the date of injury the cost goes up 23%; after one month the cost goes up 36%. These are amazing numbers and reinforce the necessity for having a structured prompt response program.
Prompt reporting of the worker compensation claim by the injured employee is the first step in providing prompt, quality and compassionate medical care. Your organization should have a written and communicated policy that clearly states that the injured employee must report any and all injuries or illnesses to his or her Supervisor immediately. By the organization’s prompt and fair handling of the situation it is demonstrating its genuine concern for the safety and welfare of the employees. In this way departmental employees will look up to their Supervisors and claim management team as people who take decisive action that is in their best interest and whose first concern is their health and safety. Departmental employees will take to take pride in working for someone who shows genuine concern for them.
You can now benchmark the effectiveness of your PROMPT INJURY RESPONSE program using CompEraser’s Safety And Health Benchmark Survey. If you agree that the critical first step in making quantum improvements in your safety and health program, and reducing your total worker injury costs, is to evaluate what you have in place and measure its effectiveness then this FREE, no obligation, on-line safety assessment is for you. Nowhere else can you get such a fast, easy to use elf-evaluation that will immediately analyze the twelve major components that drive your worker injury costs, including the formalization of your PROMPT INJURY RESPONSE program.
CompEraser comes with on-line, on-demand resources needed to design and implement an effective PROMPT INJURY RESPONSE system, including this important step in the process. Resources also include the formalization of your safety team, injury prevention, OSHA compliance, safety training, workers compensation disability management, plus more. These resources are available 24/7 and used irrespective of which workers compensation carrier you select. Its patent-pending technology also provides unique financial reports for monitoring the effectiveness of your safety and health program on an on-going basis. For more information visit our website at www.CompEraser.com.
