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Digital Edition2024 Theo Award Winner: Sanford Health
Sanford Health, a large health care organization, embarked on a journey to become a High Reliability Organization (HRO) in 2018, with a focus on patient and employee safety. As the organization grew, it identified challenges in its injury reporting process that were creating barriers for employees to report minor injuries or near-misses.
“For us, being a high reliability organization is about fostering a culture of quality and safety. We strive to do everything we can to promote this culture, making it a priority and a value,” said Sara Francis, the health system’s director, injury management.
“Our journey started in earnest back in 2018 with an initiative called SAFE (Sanford Accountability for Excellence). Initially, it focused on improving safety for all patient-facing aspects of our organization, ensuring that patients and residents have a high-quality, safe experience while in our care.
“Over time, our journey has also encompassed employee safety and wellbeing,” she added. “We view our employees as our most important asset, and their safety and prevention of injuries are as crucial to us as patient safety. As we continue our journey to become a highly reliable organization and implement SAFE, we have also focused on improving employee safety and preventing injuries to our workforce.“
Tackling the Problem
In 2019, Sanford Health merged with long-term care organization Good Samaritan, revealing disparities in injury reporting processes. While Sanford used an outdated electronic system, the long-term care organization relied on paper forms. Both methods presented obstacles to timely and accurate reporting.
To address these issues, Sanford Health developed a new, more accessible electronic injury reporting system. This centralized platform was designed to empower frontline staff and managers to easily report injuries, comply with OSHA standards, and maintain centralized record keeping.
“The ease of having frontline staff report incidents, injuries, or near misses has been substantial,” said Francis. “The electronic system is readily available and easy to find, unlike our previous form, which could only be accessed on specific computers and often didn’t work, leading to frustration among employees.
“By moving to a platform that our employees are familiar with and use for other requests, such as payroll or IT issues, we’ve made the process much smoother. On the Good Samaritan side, transitioning from pen and paper to an electronic format has eliminated issues like lost forms or the need to fill out a form multiple times,” she added.
By simplifying the procedure, Sanford Health has removed barriers to reporting, encouraging employees to speak up about safety concerns and report injuries or near-misses promptly.
Success to Build On
The implementation of the new electronic Injury Report system has yielded positive results for Sanford Health. Despite a 44% increase in employees due to the merger, the organization saw a 13% increase in reported injuries within just over a year of implementing the new system. Importantly, this increase in reporting did not correspond to an increase in OSHA recordable injuries or DART rates. In fact, OSHA recordable injuries decreased from 2022 to 2023, and the DART rate has been on a continual decline.
Sara Francis, director, injury management, Sanford Health
The new system has also improved Sanford Health’s ability to comply with OSHA regulations, allowing them to easily pull OSHA 301 data for submission as required for employers with over 100 employees.
“Switching to an electronic format has also put us in a much better position to track our OSHA reportable occurrences,” said Tom Penisten, senior corporate counsel, claims at Sanford Health. Previously, this was also a pen and paper process on the Good Samaritan side, which was prone to errors and inefficiencies.
“Our injury report mimics the OSHA 301, satisfying that standard. The centralized process has made it more efficient and easier to file injuries and complaints with OSHA, which is significant for our organization of about 45,000 employees across 26 states,” Francis added.
“Reporting injuries electronically has also put us in a better position to track the number and location of injuries, enabling us to target prevention efforts more effectively. The improved data availability allows us to work towards the goal of preventing employee injuries across the organization,” said Scott Aberson, the health system’s senior vice president, legal and risk management.
Organization: Sanford Health * Location: Sioux Falls, SD * Number of Employees: 44,000+ * Category: Health Care
Perhaps most significantly, the new reporting system has enhanced the employee experience for Sanford Health’s 44,000+ workforce. The enterprise team, comprised of nurses and staff with adjuster or HR experience, can now reach out to injured employees more quickly to assess their needs, investigate the cause of injuries, and take steps to mitigate risks.
Sanford Health’s injury management team now provides better support for injured employees and leadership, facilitating an early return-to-work program that offers physical, mental, and financial benefits to injured employees.
By prioritizing accessible injury reporting and follow-up care, Sanford Health has demonstrated its commitment to employee safety and wellbeing, setting a strong foundation for continued improvements in workplace safety. &
The Theo Award celebrates its inaugural year, honoring 31 workers’ compensation programs for their excellence and service to workers across the nation. To learn more about the award and amazing qualities each winner possesses, visit here.
