RE: Worker Outcomes – How Do Employees Fare After The Injury?
A measure of worker outcomes post-injury was first measured by WCRI (Workers Compensation Research Institute). I had found this study to one of the fresher studies in Workers Comp. To register click here.
Workers outcomes was one of the least understood and shoddily studies subjects until the WCRI started surveying employees after the fact. This study provided an angle that most of the WC industry decided to not track beyond settlement and/or claim file closing. (sadly)
There are a few articles in this website which cover WCRI’s assessments of worker outcomes. The first time I had seen any data from this study was in January 2015. This is my favorite of all the WCRI studies as the groundwork for this study had to be massive.
According to WCRI’s Dr. Savych. “By examining outcomes of injured workers, policymakers and stakeholders can better understand how different state systems compare in order to identify and prioritize opportunities to improve system performance.”
The areas of the study that will be covered in the webinar are metrics such as:
- Recovery of physical health and functioning
- Return to work
- Earnings recovery
- Access to medical care, and
- Satisfaction with medical care.
The webinar will be state-specific or in other words which states outperformed the others in reference to the five aforementioned areas.
- In what states did injured workers report higher rates of being able to go back to work and stay employed after initial return to work?
- How did recovery of physical health and functioning vary across study states?
- In what states did injured workers report higher rates of experiencing “big problems” getting desired medical care?
- What percentage of injured workers across the 15 states was satisfied with their overall medical care?
The 15 states included in the research are
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Wisconsin.