Is nurse triage the Magic Bullet to solving reporting issues?
Many of you will agree that one of the toughest parts of handling workplace injuries is to get the Supervisor to turn in a detailed report in a timely fashion. In lots of states, there are penalties and fines that are in play if you do not comply. If you are a TPA or Insurance Broker, it can be very difficult to do your job because late reporting means details are lost, time has passed, and you are less likely to be able to gather the information you need to perform your services.
The Supervisor should not be tasked with determining the medical needs of an injured worker, as this creates liability for the company. But they do need to offer their information and expertise in what occurred, preferably in the form of a solid and detailed report at the time of incident. However, because of other job duties, and possibly driving the injured employee down the street to a clinic for evaluation, the reporting piece slides down the priority list.
The easiest and most effective way to resolve this issue, and deal with the injured worker’s injury, is to employ a telephonic nurse triage system. This service is in place 24/7, and offers time-of-injury medical guidance for an injured employee AND all of the documentation needed as part of this process. At TriageNow, we offer recorded calls and all documentation needed, including:
– FROI
– Incident Report
– Provider Notice (when a clinic referral is made)
– OSHA log
– 301A Form
This information is disseminated to your company’s pre-determined distribution list within moments of the end of the triage call. We also suggest that when a medical referral does occur, that TriageNow automatically file necessary state forms and also notify your company’s Work Comp provider.
Another benefit of having a third party medical professional determine what the appropriate level of care should be for the IE is that this removes the stigma of “you’re trying to save money by not sending me to the clinic” mentality that can sometimes be prevalent. This service offers your employees the peace of mind knowing that if any injury occurs on the job, a medical professional is a mere phone call away.
Telephonic nurse triage can help you change your company culture towards one that is more trusting of the care that is being provided. Management is no longer involved in the decision of who goes to a clinic and who does not. From the company perspective, unnecessary trips to the clinic are avoided and therefore expenses are lowered. Truly a win-win situation for everyone involved!
If you would like to learn more, please contact TriageNow