BARRIERS TO TREATMENT

Make the program easily accessible to workers. True onsite integration encourages higher participation rates (in the case of wellness programs) and can also reduce the time taken to report claims and seek treatment. And speed to treatment is important, both in terms of recovery - and cost. Where an appropriate treatment is provided from the onset of injury, the average number of treatments required to discharge an injured worker is 4.2 over 10 days4. This is a significantly better outcome when compared to an injured employee with an open workers compensation claim who takes over 6 weeks and an average of 14.3 treatments.5

While a relationship with a local doctor or physio can work well, access to an onsite physio can offer a greater level of convenience, encouraging even minor niggles to be treated immediately. This is important, because if minor injuries and aches aren’t managed early, they can quickly spiral out to significant injuries resulting in expensive claims.

The likelihood of an injured employee returning to work after being off work due to sickness or injury after 20 days is 70%.

But this reduces to 50% once an injured employee has been off work for 45 days, and a staggering 35% after just 70 days.7