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Published on Aug 9
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In emergency situations after an incident, workers injured on the job may seek treatment from any medical treatment facility or provider. After their initial treatment, however, injured employees must seek treatment from a Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) certified medical provider. While getting your employees the treatment they need is crucial, working with a provider network offers a host of advantages that can benefit your company and employees.
Cost savings
Working with a dedicated network of providers through their managed care organization (MCO) offers employers access to cost savings below the BWC fee schedule. When employers choose to work with a provider network, the physicians are able to offer discounts that are unavailable to those outside the network.
When selecting an MCO partner, employers should ensure that they will have access to a large, high-quality provider network to meet the needs of their employees. Some provider networks offer discounts of up to 20% below the BWC fee schedule while delivering top-notch service from highly-qualified physicians.
Understand your industry
While employees have a choice in deciding who their medical provider will be following a workplace injury, your MCO should identify specific providers in your area and facilitate meetings between the practice and your key staff members. By establishing relationships with medical care providers who specialize in workplace injuries, your MCO can help you develop an outcome-based approach to returning injured workers to full duty faster.
When you work regularly with a provider network, those providers are able to develop a greater understanding of the types of injuries to expect within your industry. Additionally, when providers are more familiar with the work that your company performs and the types of work performed by your employees, they will be better equipped to develop transitional work strategies to return your employers to work sooner. Check out How to Find the Best Healthcare Providers to learn more about selecting the right provider network for your employees.
Return to work strategies
Working with a network of providers that you know and trust allows the physicians to understand the physical demands and needs of your workers. This knowledge informs the physical and occupational therapy treatments of the physician and allows them to make informed decisions regarding return to work recommendations for your employees. Learn more about how your MCO can help you develop better return to work strategies by reading 5 Things You Should Know About Your MCO.
Your MCO has a provider network you can trust
Your MCO serves both the best interest of your company and your employees. Having a partner in your corner that you trust to look out for the well-being of your employees while returning them to work quickly and keeping your workers’ compensation costs down is vital to the success of your business. An MCO partner like Sheakley UniComp can guide you and your workers through the often confusing world of workers’ compensation, helping your employees return to work quickly and safely.
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