Healthcare – 91��

Families First: Strong Support with 91�� and Shepherd Center

91�� — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Last month, the fourth-floor therapy gym at in Atlanta, GA looked a little different than it normally does during the day. Wheelchairs lined the walls. Therapy equipment stood quietly in the background.

After a long day of rehabilitation sessions, patients, families and loved ones gathered around buffet tables while volunteers from 91�� and served more than 100 meals and welcomed each guest as they arrived.

91��, Yates Insurance Agency and Shepherd Center teams host and serve at a Shepherd Center family dinner in Atlanta, GA.

They that they didn’t have to plan, prepare, or clean up after. Conversations began to unfold across the tables and laughter surfaced easily during dinner, growing louder through a few spirited rounds of bingo. By the end of the evening, strangers and new friends alike were trading stories, jokes, and the kind of easy conversation that makes a room feel just a little bit more like home.

It may have been one dinner, but when life is often defined by endurance and incremental progress, even one impactful evening can make all the difference.

When Recovery Reshapes Everything for Families

Each year in the United States, people sustain a spinal cord injury, often from events that arrive without warning. Behind every fall, car accident or medical emergency statistic is a family that is navigating a new and unexpected reality. In a single moment, routines must shift; family and friends reorganize around hospital schedules, and those long-term adjustments that will begin to reshape daily life.

At Shepherd Center, recovery is never treated as an individual journey. Nationally recognized for rehabilitation outcomes, focuses not only on helping patients regain independence, but also on equipping families with the confidence and support they need for life beyond discharge. It’s a powerful reminder that recovery does not belong to one person alone, it also belongs to those who stand beside them.

“We’re so honored to partner with Shepherd Center and 91�� to support families navigating difficult journeys,” said Maggie Fischer, Managing Partner, Personal Lines Marketing Manager at Yates Insurance Agency.

“Opportunities like this are a wonderful way to bring people together, and a reminder that sometimes the most meaningful support comes from simply being present for those when they need it most.”

At 91��, that idea resonates deeply with the core values that make up who we are. Much like the work taking place every day at Shepherd Center, we meet people in those moments that arrive just as unexpectedly—after an accident, a catastrophic injury, or an unforeseen disruption that suddenly changes the course of a life or a livelihood.

Powerful Partnerships

��ܰ��’s relationship with Shepherd Center extends well beyond a single evening of service. Recognizing the strain placed on families traveling long distances for rehabilitation care, 91�� helped support the development of the 12th floor of the , a 16-story housing tower that opened in 2024 and more than doubles Shepherd Center’s capacity to house patients and families who live more than 60 miles away.

��ܰ��’s Chief Financial Officer, Chris Spaude and Chief Service Officer, Steve Donnelly
at the dedication of the Arthur M. Blank Family Residences.

The impact is both practical and deeply personal. Proximity allows spouses to attend early-morning therapy sessions, parents can remain present for milestone moments, and it reduces the emotional and financial strain of long commutes for countless, committed loved ones.

This partnership reflects ��ܰ��’s broader approach to community engagement. Through the 91�� Charitable Foundation (ACF), we continue to support nonprofit organizations that strengthen the communities where our employees, agency partners, and policyholders live and work. Since 2020, the ACF has contributed more than $732,000 directly to charitable causes, focused on everything from health and education to community resilience.

“��ܰ��’s greatest strength is our people,” said Erin Buddie, ��ܰ��’s Chief Human Resources Officer. “Each teammate brings our service culture to life through the way we support our communities and one another.”

“Partnerships like ours with Yates Insurance and Shepherd Center show what that commitment looks like in action—helping ensure families facing life-changing moments know that they’re not navigating them alone.”

A Shared Commitment to What Comes Next

As the recent Shepherd Center Family Dinner wound down, volunteers stacked chairs and gathered leftovers for the night shift to enjoy. Families lingered in conversation before returning to patient floors. Tomorrow’s therapy sessions will begin again in the morning.

At their best, both healthcare and insurance are built on a certain responsibility and trust—bringing dedicated professionals together to help people recover, rebuild, and find stability when uncertainty appears. Whether it’s helping to expand housing so families can remain close during rehabilitation, sitting beside them at a shared dinner table after a long day of therapy, or guiding a policyholder through the aftermath of an unexpected loss, our goal remains the same: supporting our communities through moments that call for the best of care and the compassion of those you can count on.

The Patient Safety Triangle: Smart Strategies for Reducing Healthcare Worker Injuries in Long-Term Care

91�� — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:29:13 +0000

In healthcare, some of the most important work happens in those routine moments.

A nurse helps a someone sit up after surgery. A physical therapist steadies someone learning to walk again. A caregiver gently shifts a patient to ease discomfort or prevent complications during the recovery process.

These movements are part of daily care, and among the most physically demanding tasks in modern workplaces—especially in long-term care settings and senior living communities, where caregivers support residents with daily mobility needs over extended periods of time. For these organizations, the question becomes clear: How can we help protect the people who spend their careers protecting others?

“When injuries happen in healthcare, they rarely come from one dramatic moment,” said Ed Sowers, Risk Management Service Specialist at 91��.

“More often, they’re tied to routine movements repeated throughout the day. The organizations that manage that risk best look at the entire system—how the room is designed, what equipment is available, and how teams support each other during patient care delivery.”

Where Patient Handling Risk Really Begins

Healthcare professionals perform some of the most physically demanding work in any industry. Moving a patient from bed to chair, assisting with rehabilitation, or repositioning someone to prevent pressure injuries are essential parts of care—but they can also place significant strain on caregivers. In long-term care communities, these movements often happen repeatedly throughout the day for the same residents, increasing cumulative physical demands on staff. that manual lifting can expose workers to spinal forces that exceed recommended safe limits, especially when mechanical support or team assistance is limited.

Unlike many industries, healthcare cannot remove these tasks from the workflow; mobility assistance is a necessary part of treatment. This is especially true in senior living facilities, where supporting activities of daily living is central to resident care. As a result, the workforce experiences some of the over most private industries, with musculoskeletal disorders among the of missed workdays. Many of these injuries are linked to handling tasks such as lifting, repositioning, and transfers and, when injuries occur, the impact reaches beyond the individual caregiver. Staffing pressure increases, workflows may slow, and care environments become increasingly more complex.

The Triangle

Protecting caregivers is essential to protecting patients. aligns ergonomics, lifting equipment, and team-based support to make patient movement safer and more efficient. By replacing high-risk manual tasks with safer systems, healthcare facilities may reduce injuries while creating a more comfortable and dignified experience for those in recovery or receiving treatment.

The model centers on three interdependent elements: Ergonomics, Equipment, and Staffing.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics focuses on designing healthcare environments that help support safer movement. This includes patient room layouts that allow proper positioning during transfers, workflows that support assisted movement, and training that reinforces safe body mechanics. In both senior living and long-term care facilities, this may also include room configurations that accommodate mobility aids and support frequent repositioning throughout the day. Recent federal workplace safety guidance as an important component of healthcare injury prevention.

“When caregivers have space to move properly and understand how to position themselves during patient handling, the strain on the body drops significantly,” Sowers explained. “Ergonomics helps make safe movement the natural way the work gets done.”

Hospitals that incorporate ergonomic design into patient handling programs fewer lifting-related injuries and greater confidence among caregivers assisting patients with mobility.

Equipment That Supports Safer Patient Movement

Training and workplace design are essential, but safe patient handling also requires the right tools. Mechanical lifts, transfer devices, slide sheets, and adjustable beds are in healthcare environments. These tools help caregivers reposition or transfer patients while reducing the strain associated with manual lifting.

Staffing

Even with ergonomic design and advanced equipment, safe patient handling depends on teamwork; many transfers require two caregivers working together to safely reposition or assist a patient. And when staffing levels are stretched, caregivers may feel pressure to handle these tasks alone, often raising the risk of injury; continues to highlight staffing support as a key factor in safe handling programs.

“Patient movement is rarely meant to be a solo task,” Sowers noted. “When caregivers have the support of their team, they can follow safe procedures rather than rushing through physically demanding movements.”

Adequate staffing allows care teams to move more deliberately, communicate clearly, and assist one another during potentially difficult mobility tasks.

When Safety Systems Work Together

The strength of the Patient Safety Triangle becomes clear when ergonomics, equipment, and staffing operate not as isolated solutions, but as parts of a coordinated system.

In healthcare facilities that approach patient handling this way, safety is built into the environment itself. to allow caregivers to move and position themselves properly during transfers. Mechanical lifts and transfer devices are readily available where patient movement occurs. Care teams receive practical training in and have the staffing support needed to work together when tasks require more than one set of hands.

Over time, these systems begin to reshape the rhythm of care. Transfers become more deliberate. Caregivers can move with greater confidence. Patients may feel more stable and secure during moments that can otherwise be physically and emotionally vulnerable.

Safety, in these environments, is not treated as a separate initiative or an afterthought. It becomes part of the everyday workflow, supporting caregivers while strengthening the overall resilience of the healthcare organization.

Strengthening Healthcare Safety

When healthcare organizations treat patient handling as a system rather than a series of individual tasks, the benefits may extend well beyond injury reduction. Over time, these practices can help strengthen more than safety metrics. They support workforce resilience, preserve valuable clinical expertise, and help healthcare organizations maintain the steady, high-quality care patients depend on every day—especially in environments where continuity of care and caregiver well-being are critical to resident outcomes. They support workforce resilience, preserve valuable clinical expertise, and help healthcare organizations maintain the steady, high-quality care patients depend on every day.

At 91��, this work happens alongside agents and healthcare policyholders every day—translating real-world operational insight into practical safety strategies designed to protect caregivers and strengthen healthcare organizations.

To learn more about how 91�� helps healthcare organizations strengthen safety programs and protect their teams, visit 91��.com.

The information provided in this article does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal or financial advice; instead, all information, content, and materials contained in each article are for general informational purposes only.

Handle With Care: Smarter Patient Handling in Healthcare

91�� — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 15:51:48 +0000

Ed Sowers, Risk Management Service Specialist

Every day, healthcare workers lift, transfer, and reposition patients—often without a second thought. But behind these everyday tasks lies a hidden crisis: manual patient handling is one of the top causes of occupational injuries in healthcare, leading to chronic pain, missed workdays, and long-term disability. According to , nurses and nursing assistants suffer musculoskeletal injuries at rates significantly higher than workers in construction or manufacturing.

“Patient handling isn’t just a physical task—it’s a safety moment, every time,” says Ed Sowers, Risk Management Service Specialist at 91��.

What’s more troubling? Many of these injuries are preventable—but persistent myths and outdated practices continue to put caregivers at risk.

More Than Lifting

One common misconception is that lifting is the sole hazard in patient handling. In reality, horizontal movements—like sliding a patient from a bed to a stretcher or repositioning them in bed—are equally, if not more, dangerous. These movements often involve awkward postures, repetitive strain, and high physical exertion, all of which contribute to cumulative trauma injuries.

According to the , these high-risk activities place stress on the spine and shoulders, especially when performed without proper assistive equipment or technique. OSHA also reports that back injuries account for a majority of musculoskeletal disorders in healthcare, making safer patient handling an urgent priority.

Training Is Not a One-and-Done

Even the best equipment won’t prevent injuries if staff aren’t trained to use it properly—and consistently. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) key components of an effective Safe Patient Handling and Mobility (SPHM) program, including:

Annual hands-on competency evaluations
Ongoing mentoring by trained “safety champions”
Training tailored to patient mobility levels
Hands-on instruction with powered and non-powered equipment

Training should be continuous, not just during onboarding. The data shows facilities that implemented ongoing SPHM training programs saw a dramatic reduction in injury rates—

Equipment Quality Matters—and So Does Staff Buy-In

Slide sheets. Sit-to-stand lifts. Air-assisted lateral transfer devices. Reusable slings. While these tools are essential to reducing physical strain, not all equipment is created equal, and poor design or lack of user comfort often leads to underuse.

Research when selecting equipment—one that includes nurses, aides, and other frontline caregivers. Their feedback on usability, ease of cleaning, and comfort helps ensure tools are effective and actually used.

Facilities should regularly evaluate patient handling devices for ergonomics, durability, and staff acceptance, and make upgrades when needed to support safe work practices.

Handle Proactive Solutions

The consequences of unsafe patient handling go beyond injury. from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), nursing assistants had the highest number of cases involving days away from work among all occupations—most commonly due to overexertion and bodily reaction.

The financial impact of these injuries is staggering: workers’ compensation costs, staffing shortages, and lost productivity quickly add up. More importantly, these injuries are emotionally and physically devastating for the dedicated caregivers we rely on every day.

Redesigning Care

Reducing these risks requires more than compliance—it requires a culture of safety, supported by leadership, equipment, education, and empowerment. Safe patient handling should be viewed as a core element of quality care—one that protects not only patients, but also the skilled professionals who care for them.

“When we invest in better tools, smarter training, and a culture of accountability, we’re not just checking a compliance box—we’re protecting the people at the heart of healthcare,” Sowers added. “Safe patient handling is about making sure everyone goes home healthy at the end of the day.”

At 91��, we help healthcare facilities design and implement evidence-based safe patient handling programs tailored to their unique needs. From ergonomic assessments to staff training support, our team works with you to prevent injuries before they occur.

To learn how we can support your facility’s safety goals, contact your local 91�� Risk Management Consultant.

Rooting Out Risk: How Enhanced Location Coding Helps You See the Bigger Picture in Safety

91�� — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 15:06:05 +0000

In complex industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and construction, injuries are an unfortunate part of operations. But when incidents happen repeatedly—and in familiar patterns—leaders may feel like they already know the How? and the Why? For example: “Of course our nurses have the most injuries. We’re a skilled nursing facility.”

It’s a common conclusion—but often incomplete. The real insight comes when we ask more targeted questions:

What shift were they working?
What task were they performing?
Was the incident related to patient handling, environmental hazards, or equipment?

These questions are difficult to answer with surface-level claims data. That’s why 91�� utilizes Enhanced Location Coding (ELC) to help our policyholders—and our own teams—go deeper, improve operational insight, and support safer outcomes.

What is Enhanced Location Coding?

Enhanced Location Coding (ELC) allows claims to be tagged with three additional, customizable fields—such as: Shift (e.g., first, second, or third), Job Description (e.g., housekeeping, dietary, maintenance), or Cause of Injury (e.g., slip/trip/fall, needlestick, combative resident). These filters add vital context to each incident, empowering risk managers to analyze trends with greater accuracy and clarity.

For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that healthcare and social assistance workers experienced 455,700 nonfatal injuries, the highest among all private-sector industries. Of these, over 346,000 resulted in days away from work, restricted duty, or job transfer—often due to overexertion, slips, and interactions with patients.

Ed Sowers, Risk Management Service Specialist

“It’s not just about recording what happened. It’s about understanding why—and taking informed steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” says Ed Sowers, Risk Management Service Specialist at 91��. “ELC gives us and our policyholders the clarity to move from reaction to prevention. With better data comes better decisions—and ultimately, safer outcomes.”

How 91�� Uses ELC to Improve Operations

��ܰ��’s internal adoption of ELC has helped us deliver smarter, more efficient service. Through this initiative, we’ve enhanced the integrity of our claims data, created a streamlined and consistent process for coding, and empowered service teams and policyholders to act on better insights

Our Claims Department plays a key role in the process, ensuring each applicable claim is coded accurately and promptly. This allows us—and our agency partners—to identify and address root causes with greater speed and precision.

Who Benefits Most from ELC?

While ELC is beneficial across industries, it’s especially valuable for organizations that meet criteria such as:

High Claim Frequency (e.g., 30+ claims annually)
Diverse Departments (e.g., multiple job functions or roles)
Decentralized Operations (e.g., locations with independent oversight)
Strategic Reporting Needs (e.g., internal tracking for executives or board reporting)

In healthcare, common incidents—such as needlestick injuries or injuries from combative residents—can be better analyzed with ELC. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that hospital workers experience over 385,000 needlestick and sharps-related injuries annually.

In manufacturing, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most reported injuries. ), MSDs account for nearly one-third of all worker injury and illness cases. ELC helps correlate these injuries with specific tasks or shifts. In construction, recent BLS data that struck-by incidents resulted in over 21,400 nonfatal injuries in 2022. ELC can help determine which crews, tools, or job stages pose the most risk.

Key Benefits of Enhanced Location Coding

Organizations that implement ELC gain:

Deeper Loss Insights: Analyze trends with greater clarity and specificity
Root Cause Confirmation: Move beyond assumptions to verify contributing factors
Targeted Loss Allocation: Assign losses to specific departments or shifts
Customized Data Structures: Tailor filters to the needs of your business
Improved Claims Analysis: Support more strategic decisions and prevention planning

These benefits align with OSHA’s recommendation for , which emphasize early hazard identification and customized safety planning. 91�� teams are committed to working directly with policyholders and agency partners to determine the most relevant filters for your business. Whether you’re managing a skilled care facility, a manufacturing floor, or multiple job sites, we’ll help you align ELC with your operations.

Looking Ahead

Building a culture of safety requires more than reporting—it demands clarity, accountability, and a commitment to continuous improvement. By implementing Enhanced Location Coding, you can empower your team with the tools and knowledge needed to identify root causes, prevent repeat incidents, and operate with confidence every day.

At 91��, we believe smarter data leads to safer decisions. Ask your Risk Management Consultant if Enhanced Location Coding could be the right tool for your safety strategy.

91�� Coordinates Safety Grant for Granco Clark to Minimize Ergonomic Losses

91�� — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 01:33:40 +0000

Ergonomic workplace injuries have accounted for more than half of emergency room visits in recent years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. To help combat the prevalence of these injuries, innovative camera-based applications are available to provide in-depth evaluations of an employee’s job functions and physical movements while conducting their role. These systems leverage recordings of employees performing their tasks to help assess overall safety data and prevent future injuries without causing workflow disruption.

Innovative Solutions
When utilizing technology vendors such as , a video of a worker performing their task is uploaded into the analytics platform. Using motion-capture artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the risks associated with the task are captured in the video and calculated. TuMeke’s platform then provides an in-depth analysis that includes risk scores and videos with color-changing elements to depict risk severity and further analysis of the associated risk.

��ܰ��’s risk management team recently leveraged its partnership with TuMeke Ergonomics to document the need for a policyholder safety grant through the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration Workplace Improvement to Safety and Health (MIWISH) Grant Program. As a result, , a global leader in the aluminum extrusion industry located in Belding, Michigan, will receive state funds to improve workplace safety.

Analysis & Safety Grant
The safety grant came to fruition when discussing ergonomic risks during a safety committee meeting with Granco Clark.

“When ��ܰ��’s risk management consultants recommended the concept of leveraging TuMeke Ergonomics to validate the need for a safety grant, the company was immediately elated by the idea,” said Eric Austin, 91�� risk management expertise specialist. “Together, Granco Clark and our risk management experts conducted an analysis of the areas of work in need of additional safety measures for the grant application process.”

The production role that was analyzed at Granco Clark’s jobsite occurs when the employees manually lift metal components weighing as much as 50 pounds and assemble them onto a large machine that contains as many as 2,000 parts. , manual lifting accounts for a significant amount of human suffering, productivity loss, and economic burden each year.

Following the assessment and application, a grant was approved for the purchase and installation of a jib hoist — a crane with a horizontal arm known as the jib or boom — at Granco Clark. The jib hoist lifts the parts and swivels to move them from workstation to workstation, and then holds them in place for assembly.
The state of Michigan will cover approximately half the cost of the jib hoist for Granco Clark.

Ergonomic Safety Programs
The assessment and measurement of ergonomic risks can help reduce injuries and control workplace losses. Coordinated through ��ܰ��’s highly trained risk management consultants, policyholders have access to a pre-paid program and collaborative solutions to improve worker safety.

Safe Patient Handling and Avoiding Workplace Injuries

91�� — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 07:31:53 +0000

There are often misconceptions about the best ways for healthcare workers to safely handle patients while avoiding occupational injuries. In fact, manual patient handling is one of the healthcare industry’s major occupational risks, according to The National Institutes of Health.

Becoming aware of common misconceptions around patient handling can help teams reduce the risk of injuries for workers.

High-Risk Behavior Includes More Than Lifting

In addition to the commonly understood risks associated with physically lifting patients, it’s important for healthcare professionals to be aware of risk factors associated with manual patient handling tasks completed on a horizontal plane. These tasks can include lateral transfers from a bed to a stretcher or repositioning a patient in bed.

Training Should be Ongoing

Thorough training and education is a critical step toward a comprehensive safe patient handling program. Effective training should be continuous in nature and include the proper use of equipment as well as reiterate the benefits of handling patients safely. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), this continuing training should include the following:

Mechanical lift equipment efficiency
Annual competency sessions
Mentoring and “safety champions”
Patient mobility capabilities

Patient Handling Equipment Varies in Quality

Patient handling equipment, such as slippery sheets, sit-to-stand equipment, air transport moving devices, non-powered patient transport devices, and reusable slings, is not always created in equal quality and should be regularly evaluated for ergonomics as well as user acceptance. According to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, healthcare facilities should select these types of items with input from relevant staff members regarding comfort, safety, ease of use and ease of cleaning the equipment.

91�� can help healthcare facilities establish a safe patient handling program to reduce risk to healthcare workers. To learn more, contact your local 91�� risk management consultant.

The Importance of Risk Management in Healthcare

91�� — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 05:03:26 +0000

As risk management practices and the regulatory landscape continue to shift, risk management in the healthcare industry plays an increasingly crucial role.

Healthcare risk managers focus on identifying and preventing risk to patients, employees and visitors, with unique responsibilities:

Protecting patient interests and sensitive information
Minimizing safety events and supporting incident management
Reporting and analyzing risk data for the organization
Maintaining the facility’s public image and financial status
Balancing the delivery of quality care with controlling costs

To ensure these areas of focus are effectively managed, it’s imperative for risk managers to proactively assess and problem-solve to help mitigate the top risks related to healthcare:

Clinical. Medication errors, facility-acquired conditions (a condition that happens to the patient during their stay at the facility) and serious safety events.
Equipment. Computer hardware and software, medical devices and tools, data risk management information systems, electronic health records (EHR) and cyber liability.
Financial. Costs associated with financial interruptions such as malpractice, litigation, credit and interest rate fluctuations, corporate fraud, accounts receivable, billing and collection.
Human Capital. Recruitment, retention and termination of members of the healthcare staff.
Legal/Regulatory. Regulatory and statutory mandates on a local, state and federal level.
Hazards. Physical assets and their insurable value; risks related to natural exposures such as fire, flood, tornados as well as business interruption (loss of, or damage to, property).

Supporting Healthcare Policyholders
��ܰ��’s Risk Management Consultants have a deep understanding of loss prevention as it applies to the healthcare industry and can provide customized risk management solutions. We use a partner-driven approach to help reduce claims and risk while helping our policyholders create a strong safety culture for healthcare professionals.

For more information, please contact your agency or local 91�� Risk Management Consultant at (800) 257-1900 or riskmanagement@amerisure.com.

How to Prevent and Manage Workplace Injuries

91�� — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 06:12:37 +0000

The National Safety Council estimates that a worker is injured on the job every seven seconds and, in 2017 alone, 104 million work days were lost due to work-related injuries.

Injury prevention is key
Today’s workplace safety programs offer a variety of tips and strategies for keeping your workers injury-free. In fact, many employers are shifting from reactive risk mitigation to creating a culture of workplace safety that proactively prevents accidents and injury.

Companies also are using data captured in permitted pre-employment physicals to tailor their wellness programs to the specific needs of the employees.

Some companies are investing in wearable technology to monitor and track their workers’ activity. For example, a device on a worker’s tool belt can monitor movement and alert the worker if unsafe ergonomic activity occurs. The data from these wearables is available to management at all times via a dashboard. Workers can be trained on proper behavior to prevent injury, based on this data.

After-injury strategies can help
Even with proactive measures in place, injuries and accidents can still occur. Job-related injuries are costly for both the employer and the employee. That’s why companies are looking into additional strategies that have the added benefit of getting injured employees back to work sooner.

After an injury, workers may need physical therapy, occupational therapy or other rehabilitation before they are able to fully function in their jobs again. But rather than not working at all, they may be able to perform light-duty work for several weeks or months until they can return to their full job demands.

Early return-to-work programs provide opportunities for all parties — the employer, employee and medical providers — to coordinate and identify accommodations, modifications or light-duty work, and place workers in these modified assignments. This helps workers be productive while completing their treatment plans. Workers who perform light-duty work while recovering are generally more optimistic about their injury and are less likely to develop further injury from lack of use.

Case management is another strategy to help employees return to work sooner. For example, 91�� uses nurse case managers to coordinate the claims process between the insured company and its injured workers, which helps expedite the treatment process. A nurse case manager also creates a direct, open line of communication between all parties.

Case managers review the injured worker’s job description and connect with the doctors to evaluate the worker’s capabilities. They stay in touch with the worker during treatment, and can connect the worker to necessary transportation, pharmacy and therapy programs.

Return-to-work and case management programs can be advantageous to a company’s business insurance plan. Talk with an about your options.

House Calls: How Telemedicine is Transforming Healthcare

91�� — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 04:18:55 +0000

Approximately seven million patients will use telemedicine by the end of 2019, according to Chiron Health.

Using telemedicine, healthcare professionals can evaluate, diagnose and treat patients via telecommunications technology. Thanks to the internet and smart devices with high-quality video, today’s patients can receive remote healthcare in their homes or workplaces.

What’s telemedicine used for?
Telemedicine is most commonly used to treat strains, sprains, burns, abrasions and common illnesses like the flu, or to perform post-operative checks. Patients can schedule appointments during a break at work, then check in to a virtual waiting room until it’s their turn to video conference with the doctor.

For those with an injury that makes them dependent on transportation from others, telemedicine enables self-sufficiency. This is also true for those who face discomfort after operative procedures.

What are the effects of telemedicine?
As telemedicine becomes more popular, insurance coverage and provider reimbursement are increasing accordingly. The American Telemedicine Association reports that 35 states already have parity laws for private insurance coverage of telemedicine, and many of these laws require insurance companies to provide reimbursement for telemedicine services that are equivalent to in-office visits.

Telemedicine is beneficial for keeping minor health issues out of expensive healthcare facilities and hospital emergency rooms. Additionally, the reduction in demand on the in-patient healthcare system actually enhances patient services. Facilities have time to invest in technologies that increase efficiency, capacity and more.

The reduction or elimination of waiting time effectively reduces the overall cost of seeing a medical specialist. Additionally, telemedicine is available after hours — some states even require 24/7 care, which enables continuous communication between healthcare professionals and claims specialists.

Who benefits from using telemedicine?
Those with high-deductible health plans can benefit most from telemedicine. While some people are hesitant about the security of telemedicine, all virtual visits protect patient confidentiality. Conferencing occurs through a secure line, and no video visits may be saved or recorded for playback.

The increased access and convenience of telemedicine improves patients’ perception of care and their understanding of the healthcare system. As more patients take charge of their own care, the financial and staffing burden on facilities decreases dramatically. Moreover, business owners will see an increase in their bottom line as a result of this relief to the system.

What’s Up Doc? The Importance of Having Workers That Are Healthcare Literate

91�� — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 04:07:32 +0000

One of the largest factors affecting policyholders’ perceived quality of healthcare is healthcare literacy. Recently, thirteen healthcare organizations nationwide distributed a survey to almost 6,000 patients. The majority of these patients had self-reported health literacy challenges. They reported problems such as difficulty understanding written information about medical conditions, a lack of confidence in completing medical forms by themselves, and needing someone to help them read hospital/clinic materials.

Regardless of the industry, policyholders who improve their healthcare literacy can create a stronger, more effective relationship with their doctor and insurance carrier.

What is healthcare literacy?
Healthcare literacy is defined as a person’s ability to understand and act on health information. Evidence suggests that individuals who have limited healthcare literacy, or are healthcare illiterate, are more likely to:

Misunderstand health information
Face difficulty following medical instructions
Inappropriately use healthcare services
Experience higher risk of hospitalization
Have worse physical and mental health

A baseline for improvement
Healthcare literacy can be improved in a variety of ways. Policyholders can take one of many simple, online assessments to gauge their current literacy levels. They will be scored as below basic, basic, intermediate, or proficient. After the test, apps and websites can be utilized to supplement existing knowledge. Policyholders should also ask for clarification from healthcare professionals during checkups or procedures. It never hurts to follow up with more questions at a later date, either. Often times, more questions arise when the patient reflects on the appointment or instructions for further care.

The benefits
Policyholders with intermediate or proficient scores can benefit from a more inclusive relationship with healthcare professionals. They are able to better describe symptoms, follow treatment plans — and most importantly feel involved in decisions regarding their health. They also have a greater understanding of health insurance — and can apply that knowledge to select a policy, interpret an invoice, or make financial decisions about treatments.

Healthcare literacy is particularly powerful in Workers’ Compensation cases, as it allows an individual to return to work faster. Injured workers will benefit from more comprehensive, personalized treatment plans. They can also monitor their progress more closely. While being injured is never ideal, the recovery process is much smoother when the policyholder, healthcare professionals and insurance carrier are able to communicate in a clear, detailed and efficient manner.

Healthcare – 91������

Families First: Strong Support with 91������ and Shepherd Center