Reducing Healthcare and Workers’ Comp Costs with On-site Early Intervention
ATI Worksite Solutions Featured in WorldatWork Journal
How can businesses manage and reduce costs while also improving productivity and output? When is comes to controlling health care costs and workers’ compensation claims, an on-site early intervention program can have an significant impact according to a new article published in the 2014 First Quarter issue of WorldatWork Journal.
The article “Return on Investment of Worksite-Based Intervention: An Empirical Examination” reviews a glass manufacturing company’s response to health care and workers’ compensation (WC) costs that were out of hand. Authors Sheila Denman, PT, Vice President of ATI Worksite Solutions, and Chris Stout, Psy.D., Director of the Department of Research and Data Analytics, ATI Physical Therapy, discuss the development of a solution that would continue to return dividends on the investment while also being supportive of employees.
Case Study
According to the article, 43% of the company's general health insurance claims in 2010 were for the treatment of preventable diseases and that 83% of this spend was on soft-tissue injuries. An analysis of workers’ compensation claims was even more dramatic. 100% of the company’s workers would have to work 7% of the year just to cover the direct cost of WC claims.
Intervention
In early 2011, the company initiated a unique approach to providing on-site health services. Certified athletic trainers with advanced training as Certified Early Intervention Specialists were embedded within the workplace. The specialists provided wellness program initiatives; early intervention of jobsite injuries; and injury prevention through job coaching, ergonomics, and return-to-work transition management.
Results
The empirical examination found that in a little over a year the results were “rapid and significant” with a 92% decrease for total WC direct spend. In addition, the manufacturer estimates the early intervention program benefited its group health insurance cost at a rate 10 times greater than the workers’ compensation cost savings.
“In these unstable economic times, employers and business leaders must find more creative ways to increase their bottom-line profitability while ensuring a healthy and motivated workforce with high morale,” says Denman. “Early intervention programs have proven benefits including fewer and less severe injuries, reduction in commercial health expenditures, and overall improved health, productivity and morale.”
The full article is available on the WorldatWork website at http://www.worldatwork.org/worldatworkjournal/html/journal-1stQ14.jsp
About ATI Worksite Solutions
ATI Worksite Solutions integrates early intervention and wellness with core components of traditional on-site occupational health to remove an "access" barrier and greatly enhance health care contact. ATI Worksite Solutions partners with clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to small “mom and pop” shops. All programs focus on one-on-one engagement and yield a 4 to 1 ROI secondary to significant reductions in recordables, work comp injury rate and costs related to over utilization of health care. ATI Worksite Solutions is a division of ATI Physical Therapy. For more information visit http://www.atiworksitesolutions.com
About WorldatWork
WorldatWork (www.worldatwork.org) is a nonprofit human resources association for professionals and organizations focused on compensation, benefits, work-life effectiveness and total rewards. WorldatWork has more than 70,000 members and subscribers worldwide; 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies employ a WorldatWork member.