This article is authored by guest blogger, Tom Kerr, Director of Communication at Genex Services, a part of Mitchell | Genex | Coventry. As frontline workers, field case managers are essential in helping injured employees navigate their way through the workers’ comp labyrinth to achieve return-to-work goals. And while the COVID pandemic has created new barriers, Genex’s field case managers are constantly using their skills to adapt to changes that come their way. In today’s Inside Workers’ Comp, Tim Howard, Senior Vice President, Field Case Management, explains how the recent availability of COVID vaccines are giving these frontline workers an extra level of safety. Tom Kerr (TK): Tim, roughly, how many Genex field case managers have received at least the first dose of the COVID vaccine? Tim Howard: Nationwide, I’d say about 50 percent of our field case management team has currently received the vaccine, and those numbers are increasing daily as it becomes readily available across the country. TK: Why is it important for these case managers to receive the vaccine as soon as possible? Howard: Genex follows CDC guidance and recommendations. So, we are proactively encouraging our frontline workers—our field case managers—to receive the vaccine in accordance with their state and local policies so they can feel comfortable with in-person interaction. We need our case managers to be able to move freely through health care facilities to engage injured employees, providers and other health care professionals and promote the best possible dialogue/interaction leading to positive case outcomes. TK: What’s being done to ensure Genex field case managers have access to the vaccine? Howard: Since the vaccine is administered on a state and local basis, our regional branch managers keep up with the various qualifications and processes for workers’ comp case managers to receive the vaccine in the area they cover. We alert our staff on these guidelines and vaccination schedules so they can receive the vaccine as soon as possible after it is offered. TK: What challenges have you faced in meeting this goal? Howard: As I mentioned before, vaccine deployment and qualifications vary by state and locality, so understanding the inconsistencies for distribution and making sure we have plans in place to achieve our goals can be a challenge, but we’re addressing and meeting it. TK: How does vaccinating field case managers impact workers’ comp claims? Howard: Our field case managers who have received the vaccine report an increased sense of freedom and confidence in meeting with injured employees and other parties to the case. It just increases their comfort level which will lead to more positive case outcomes. TK: What other safety measures are your case managers using to protect themselves and injured workers from COVID? Howard: Genex continues to supply and enforce the use of personal protection equipment, social distancing and other protective measures when dealing with any sort of in-person field intervention. The Genex Clinical Guidelines Team also continues to update and publish our Coronavirus Guideline, ensuring our case managers have access to the latest information on the virus so they can best protect themselves and those they come in contact with to maintain the health of the injured employees in their care.
More stories
Mitchell Awarded Third Patent for Collision Repair Diagnostics
November 1, 2022
Company continues to add to its growing portfolio of issued U.S.
P&C Update: Auto Liability and Workers’ Comp Could See a Tidal Wave of Change in 2023
October 28, 2022
Enlyte’s compliance update looks at recent legislative decisions in the month of August and their impact on automotive casualty and workers’ comp
Mitchell Diagnostics Reaches New Milestone for Dynamic and Static Calibrations
October 27, 2022
Latest achievement driven by increasing vehicle complexity and growing reliance on the company's ADAS calibration target system
Facilities costs lead charge on medical inflation in comp
October 25, 2022
A new report shows that medical inflation in workers compensation over the past decade has been modest, but one area to watch is costs paid to facilities, which make up the lion’s share of increases, according to experts.
Ask The Pharmacist: Safe Drug Disposal Methods in Workers’ Compensation
October 20, 2022
Often prescribed for moderate-to-severe pain, opioids can be highly effective medications, they can also be associated with serious risks including the potential for abuse and addiction. Patients may not be aware of the dangers of keeping unused opioids in the home and the importance of safe disposal of these medications.
Third Party Auto Cost Drivers: Medical Inflation and More
October 13, 2022
To help understand these cost drivers, Enlyte analyzed its third party medical bill review charge data from the beginning with claims created in our bill review system from 2017 through the end of 2021. We’ve outlined Enlyte’s observation of trends in this data.