Early Return to Work
Northwest Disability Management specializes in pro-active return-to-work services for both occupational and non-occupational injuries or illness. These efforts result in productive light-duty positions developed with careful consideration of medical work guidelines, ongoing business needs of the employer, involvement of the employee and commitment to a successful transitional work program.
Timely communication with all individuals involved in the return-to-work effort is essential to its success. Consider these benefits of a carefully developed return-to-work program:
- Reduced medical cost: active involvement with medical staff prevents over treatment, improves delivery of appropriate and effective services and encourages doctors to look at ability to work, not just disability.
- Improved communications: develop team building by integrating goals with physicians, insurance providers, employees and supervisors.
- Loss of productivity: reduce the hidden, indirect expense of employee absence by improving the identification of meaningful work, employee satisfaction with transitional work and loss of valuable management hours to coordinate the adjustment of assignments or the hiring temporary help during sustained periods of employee absence.
- Maximize the therapeutic benefit of transitional work in facilitating physical and emotional recovery through supportive, well-organized return-to-work protocols. “Work is therapy.”