The nursing shortage, shrinking margins and industry pressure to contain costs make scaling disability & leave management services difficult. One of the most daunting workforce challenges today is hiring and retaining qualified teams. Minimizing time away when a claim or leave occurs is paramount. Effective absence management practices and policies are critical as we prioritize employee health and a safe return to work.
3 Key Best Practices
We know absenteeism is costly for both employees and employers making it imperative for providers of absence management services to minimize its impact. Every organization has their own unique approach to deploying clinical resources. At Shearwater Health, we have identified three recurring best practices in effective Absence Management Programs:
- Absence prevention – Physical and mental health are essential to an engaged and productive workforce. Some strategies that employers are using to improve employee wellbeing and prevent absences include:
- Wellness programs providing reductions in premiums or other employee incentives.
- Health coaching (particularly around some of the more common co-morbidities).
- Providing wearable devices.
- Remote monitoring.
- Manage the absence when it occurs – When absences occur, there are a lot of moving parts that need to be considered. Some of these include:
- Evaluating leave requests and eligibility for FMLA and/or State leaves of absence.
- Sorting, entering, and uploading medical documentation and information to update the claim or voluntary leave.
- Providing clinical resources to:
- Review medicals to determine if the requested leave remains substantiated.
- Help identify barriers or risks that may delay a return to work.
- Provide health coaching.
- Remote patient monitoring.
- Coordinate a successful return to work and health – A sense of belonging increases an employee’s motivation to go to work and their loyalty towards the organization. The goal to return the employee to health and productivity may include:
- Providing vocational rehabilitation or assessment services.
- Determining modified duty options.
- Engaging nurse case management to follow treatment plans.
- Performing comprehensive disability reviews to determine functionality.
Shearwater Health Absence Management & Disability Services
Absences happen. Best practices and proactive strategies support employees outside of work reducing the impact of absences on the business. Shearwater Health works with our clients to help them augment their clinical teams. We provide resources to support our clients FMLA, ADA, STD, and LTD claims management and administration needs. From determinations of eligibility, document management, and claims payment services, to case management and disability reviews, Shearwater Health can provide the clinical scale our clients need.
With a concentrated focus on the healthcare market, Shearwater Health combines our clinical expertise and business acumen to assist clients in delivering improved quality of care, reduced cost, and improved clinical processes.
Follow the link below to see the services Shearwater offers to help your business. https://shearwaterhealth.com/absence-and-disability/
