2017 NWCDC

The Era of Engagement

The very best workers’ compensation programs are the ones where workers aren’t just the subject of the program, they’re a part of it.
By: | December 6, 2017

Employee engagement, employee advocacy, employee participation — these are common threads running through the programs we honor this year in the 2017 Theodore Roosevelt Workers’ Compensation and Disability Management Awards, sponsored by PMA Companies.

A panel of judges — including workers’ comp executives who actively engage their own employees — selected the winners based on performance, sustainability, innovation and teamwork.

Fifty highly trained members of Valley Health System’s clinical staff and security departments comprise its Code Atlas team, which can respond to violent threats at a moment’s notice.

Valley Health drills regularly, including intense annual active shooter drills involving participation from local law enforcement. The health system cut its workplace violence injuries in half in the course of just one year.

At Rochester Regional Health’s five hospitals and six long-term care facilities, a key loss driver was slips and falls. The workers’ comp team got out in the field to understand what would motivate workers to wear safety shoes, using a survey and striking up conversations.

Compliance shot up from 35 percent to 85 percent, contributing to a 42 percent reduction in lost-time claims and a 46 percent reduction in injuries.

Delta Air Lines adopted an employee advocacy model for its disability and leave of absence programs, then transitioned all lines, including workers’ compensation, to an integrated absence management program bundled under a single TPA.

A year after the transition, the feedback from employees is overwhelmingly positive, and Delta has reduced open claims from 3,479 to 1,367.

Massachusetts Port Authority shed its self-administered program and partnering with a TPA to improve the claims experience as well as cut costs. The organization has saved $21 million over the past six years, freeing up resources to invest in more safety.

Risk & Insurance congratulates all the 2017 Teddy Award winners and holds them in high esteem for their tireless commitment to a safe workforce that’s fully engaged in its own care. &

Michelle Kerr is Workers’ Compensation Editor and National Conference Chair for Risk & Insurance. She can be reached at [email protected].

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