NWCDC 2018: It’s Time for the Teddy’s! Award Winners Take a Look at their Successful Strategies in Comp

Las Vegas, NV (WorkersCompensation.com) – It’s Teddy time at NWCDC, but we are talking the 2018 Risk & Insurance Teddy Award winners’ panel.

Roberto Ceniceros, Conference Chair, Senior Editor, Risk & Insurance Magazine, greeted a full house and introduced panelists William McGuane, Manager of Benefits and Workers’ Compensation, Monmouth County, NJ Hall of Records; Noreen Olson, Workers' Compensation Manager, Starbucks Coffee Company; Benjamin Evans, Associate Vice President, Risk Management and Insurance, University of Pennsylvania; and Michael Miller, Manager, Workers’ Compensation and Employee Safety, Main Line Health. Frank Altiere, President of PMA Management Corp., moderated.

Evans mentioned the importance of focusing on the employee themselves, and their healing process… He stressed that even the smallest details can make a difference. He provided an example of a veterinarian center with employees carrying around heavy feed bags, being around animals all day, and performing tasks that are both very involved and sometimes labor intensive.

What tool made a difference in that situation? A new hose handle, of all things. The handle decreased and almost eliminated the need to squeeze for pressure every time the responsibility came around to clean or use the water flow, which led to stress on the employees’ hands. That small change really helped to alleviate an injury that could develop on the job, and made everyone’s lives easier. This small upgrade helped make a huge difference.   

Ceniceros told the crowd that Starbucks has more than 28,000 stores worldwide, with 170,000 partners (what their employees are called). With 500 new claims per month, 2,500 remain open at any time. In 2013, the company set out to revamp their “stale work comp program” to get workers involved. The company utilized multiple measures, including advocacy, engagement of their employees, and self-reporting claims. What came of all this? 50% of their litigation decreased, and reporting lag time for injuries was reduced as well.

Ceniceros commented on the bravery involved with the transition to self-reporting claims. Olson said there was pushback to begin with, because it was possible partners could incorrectly report non-occupational claims. To mitigate those concerns, Olson stressed the comfort level of employees in reporting their injuries to the dedicated call center, who would in turn help them navigate the process.

Altiere said that no matter what kind of reporting process is in place, a lot of engagement and communication has to happen with all stakeholders involved, no matter what the circumstance.

McGuane commented on his current philosophy when it comes to his organization’s reporting process. “It is critical to keep people in business whenever possible,” he said, referring to an injured worker.

As much as he hated to use the term loss leader, Evans said it involves housekeeping staff. They are supervised by a third party, so some of the employees don’t understand who their boss is. That is why it works to report to their occ med team and tell them about the matter to see what should happen next.

On the topic of psych claims, Miller said it was important to understand valuable information from the employee, whether it is a sick spouse, divorce, child with a medical condition, etc.

“This (psych information) allows us to look at not just the claim information, but the employee as a whole person. In that partnership, we are better positioned to help them to put the pieces together when there is a work injury,” he said. When you can add that background to someone with a physical injury, it helps with more effective case management.

During Q&A time, Olson was asked about Starbucks: “How do you manage medical care across so many jurisdictions?” She said the coffee company utilizes Genex Services, and has hired four dedicated telephonic nurse case managers, who also wear the hypothetical green apron with their very involved participation in the claims process.

Evans was asked if the University of Pennsylvania occ med system was open 24/7. He said operation hours are Monday-Friday with a normal workday. But, there are two emergency departments on campus in case an injury occurs at a non-business hour, in which the occ med system is eventually brought back in.

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