The Connection Magazine AIM MUTUAL Fall 2019 | Page 25

INJURY MANAGEMENT
Partnership at Work:
Injure d Worker Make s
Amaz ing Strid es
AT A.I.M. MUTUAL, Senior Claim
Representatives are often assigned
serious and complex claims. We know
decisions must be made without delay.
Approving acute care, assigning a patient
advocate to follow the treatment, and
putting resources in place are priorities.
The reason? Communication and
collaboration are proven first steps toward
a positive patient outcome and successful
return to work. We’ve seen that, time and
again. As you might expect, the road back is
not easy for many injured workers. No one
understands that better than Edwin Bartis,
who has given us permission to discuss his
claim and journey over the last year.
In December, Mr. Bartis was working 30
feet up on the roof of a commercial building
in Franklin, Massachusetts, when he fell to
the ground and sustained multiple serious
and potentially life-threatening injuries. He
required urgent medical attention and was
transported to Rhode Island Hospital.
Upon notice of this injury, I immediately
assigned Diane Silvia, a nurse with Best
Doctors Occupational Health Institute
that facilitates care for injured workers.
She reached out to the hospital to ensure
there was no delay in treatment. Mr. Bartis’s
injuries required the care of several different
specialists and multiple surgeries, and he was
hospitalized for nearly a month.
Once stable enough for transfer, he
began inpatient rehab at Gaylord Specialty
Healthcare Hospital in Wallingford,
Connecticut. Gaylord specializes in rehab for
patients who have experienced a traumatic
accident. It was here that Mr. Bartis received
extensive physical therapy to, quite literally,
get him back on his feet. Throughout his 49-
day stay, Gaylord’s staff updated our medical
and claim personnel on a biweekly basis
with Mr. Bartis’s gains, status, expectations,
and goals. By all accounts, his progress was
promising, and he was ready to continue
rehab on an outpatient basis.
Edwin Bartis
Beforehand, a team from A.I.M. Mutual
and Gaylord Hospital worked to prepare Mr.
Bartis’s home with all of the required durable
medical equipment. When Mr. Bartis was
discharged home in March, he was back to a
regular diet, walking short distances with a
cane, and capable of activities of daily living
at an independent level.
Today, not quite a year from his date
of injury, Mr. Bartis continues his medical
regimen, hopeful he can return to gainful
employment. His orthopedic care and
physical therapy are ongoing, and our patient
advocate remains on the case, monitoring
all his treatment, attending medical
appointments with Mr. Bartis, and liaising
frequently with me.
Upon discharge, Gaylord Hospital
featured Mr. Bartis in its “Experts in
Healing, Experts in Hope” patient outcome
campaign. At A.I.M. Mutual Insurance, we
look to this claim experience, and others
like it, as one example of success through
collaboration.
ABOUT CHRIS MONCADA
CHRIS MONCADA, AIC, is a Senior Claim Representative
at A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies, responsible for
investigation, evaluation, and settlement primarily of
Massachusetts and Connecticut claims. He is also licensed
in New Hampshire. Previously, Chris worked as a publicist
for Alligator Records and later in the franchise business
industry. He has been with A.I.M. Mutual since 2012. He
also has hands-on experience in fine woodworking and
manufacturing and holds a B.A. degree in Communications
from DePaul University.
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