| The HeadMouse was discovered as a solution in this case by Intercare Insurance Services, the Port of Sacramento's third-party workers' compensation claims administrator. The Port is a self-insured, self-administered employer that contracts with Intercare for their services. The Intercare Information Technology department suggested the technology. That department is highly knowledgeable about assistive technologies that can help get employees back to work.
"That's our goal," says Claims Supervisor Kelli Vitale-Carson, about the advantages of getting people back to work. "The longer people sit at home, the worse they feel, the less productive they become. Anything that we can do to return an employee to work-regardless of whether it's using some sophisticated technology or just bringing them back in another position-we try to do," says Vitale-Carson.
Although it may not be readily apparent at claims settlement time, there is often a significant financial advantage for the employer in finding ways to accommodate employees and return them to work in whatever capacity they are able to handle.
"Businesses need to step back and look at the big picture," Vitale-Carson says. "Often they'll realize that the cost of accommodations is a small price to pay when compared to potential costs related to an employee who is unable to work."
"In our experience," she says, "we see that when injured workers sit at home, their focus becomes their injury. Any medical progress they attain is depleted by the affects of sitting at home. A negative domino effect occurs-often their self-esteem suffers, their families suffer, and ultimately their communities suffer."
"The employer often suffers too," she says. "There is the cost of the permanent disability settlement, worker retraining costs, and management costs of handling the change in personnel. There is also an impact on the rest of the workforce. There is a cost to the employer to replace an injured worker, including training to get the replacement up to a level of productivity that was lost. Finally, there is a cost to business as a whole-a cumulative effect of workers not returning to work-the eventual increase in medical insurance costs." |
