Coordinating an effective return to work program

Abstract

Each year employers in the United States spend billions of dollars on lost work time due to employees not returning to the job after a work related injury. Despite efforts to implement programs to expedite a return to work, costs continue to increase due to lost work time. Employers, employees, and insurance companies share these costs and would benefit from an effective return to work program. This study involved working with an employer to develop a formal approach on how to effectively implement and administer a return to work program. The perspective of this study will be from a relationship between a risk control consultant from a worker's compensation insurance company and an employer that is being insured. The risk control consultant will coordinate with the employer and establish a service plan with roles, responsibilities and a timeline for implementing the return to work program. The service plan will be a mutual agreement that will serve as the foundation for the coordination of the return to work program and the partnership in communication throughout this process. The goals of this study were to implement a formal written program that supports the early reporting of injuries to expedite the return to work of injured employees, determine the impact of the formal written return to work program by using lost time and disability day frequency rates to establish a baseline and measure results, and to establish a process for creating temporary alternative duty jobs with specific job descriptions and physical requirements. The conclusions demonstrate that by implementing and effectively managing a formal written return to work program, medical and indemnity costs can be reduced.