The Connection Magazine AIM MUTUAL Spring 2019 | Page 31

At the case management level, trust is earned when the case
manager offers an empathetic ear, clarifies medical treatment
options, and coordinates travel arrangements or accelerates
appointments. Trust is further solidified when nurse case
managers attend medical appointments and remind the
treating physician that transitional work is available.
In most cases, it’s not a question of if injured workers are
going back to work; it’s when. Injured workers might be afraid
their employer may not want them back at work and wonder
how they will provide for themselves and their loved ones.
They may also worry about the injury keeping them from
doing the activities they enjoy. Recent headlines underscore
those fears:
• “Forty percent of Americans (are) only one missed
paycheck away from poverty”- CBS News Money
Watch 1/27/19
• “Most Americans don’t have savings to cover a $1,000
emergency”- CNBC 1/23/19
No. 3 Engagement
Helping to make injured workers feel valued and an integral
part of their recovery and return-to-work process is critically
important. A weekly phone call, text message, or handwritten
note from the employer showing concern and the desire to
have the injured worker back to work as soon as he or she
is able makes all the difference. It is essential that injured
workers feel connected to their employer in a positive way
from the time of injury until they return to work.
Most injured workers don’t want to lose time from work.
Therefore, a system that demonstrates that recovery and
returning to work are the primary focus is a system that
addresses and overcomes the injured worker’s greatest
concerns.
The late Bertram J. Black made the best argument for
advocacy when he wrote, “To work is to be needed and to be
needed is essential for life.” That philosophy is the essence of
workers’ compensation insurance today.
No. 2 Trust
Building trust is paramount. Navigating the workers’
compensation system is most certainly unfamiliar territory
for most injured workers.
The A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies and Windham Group provide exceptional care
through patient advocacy and utilization review to facilitate a positive and rehabilitative
return to work. Windham Group offers Job Fit Accommodation (JFA) which complements
A.I.M. Mutual’s own Stay at Work/Return to Work SM program.
Employers can earn trust immediately by reacting with
compassion to a worker who reports an injury. When an
employer believes the injury is real and reassures an injured
worker that he or she is a valued member of the workforce,
the employee is more likely to remain motivated to get back
to work as soon as possible.
At the claim level, trust is developed when the claim
representative clearly establishes the expectations—
including injured worker rights and responsibilities—and
then follows through. Trust is reinforced when indemnity
checks arrive on time and the claim representative is
responsive to questions or concerns.
ABOUT SEBASTIAN GRASSO
SEBASTIAN GRASSO is the co-founder, president, and CEO of Windham Group. Entering its
30th year in business, Windham Group is the premier case management and return-to-work
company in the country. Windham Group has case managers from Maine to Florida and a
network of work environment specialists across the continental United States.
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