A Quick Guide to Triaging Patients Over the Phone
In 2022, 2.8 million nonfatal workplace-related injuries and ailments were reported by employers in the private sector, as per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During 2021-22, 2.2 million cases also required the affected workers to spend days away. Consequently, Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rates of concerned businesses took a hit, which is undesirable when organizations have to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) regulations and keep their work environment safe, productive, and profitable. Hence, managing workplace injuries promptly, efficiently, and cost-effectively is essential. Luckily, over the phone triage services help with just that.
Instead of rushing an injured employee to the emergency room (ER), bearing expenses that can often be avoided, and unnecessarily driving up the number of OSHA recordable instances, you can connect with a certified medical professional through telephone triage and get immediate and appropriate assessment and guidance. Read on to understand how triaging patients over the phone works and the benefits involved.
Over the Phone Triage Decoded
Here’s what happens when an injured employee or their supervisor calls a triage service provider:
Information Collection: A licensed medical professional answers the call and gathers basic details about the patient, such as name, demographics, description of the injury or illness, main complaint, and medical history. This helps the expert to understand the type and severity of the problem.
Further Probe and Information Verification: Since there is no face-to-face interaction in an over the phone triage, the medical professional might ask more questions to understand the urgency of the case or the symptoms better. The professional might also assess verbal cues like the extent of anxiety or concern in the caller’s tone, moaning, irritability, etc. They will then repeat the data collected back to the patient to make sure everything is accurate.
Decision and Advice: The medical expert will decide whether the injury or illness is manageable at the workplace or requires an in-person visit to a hospital. If it is manageable onsite, the professional will provide a personalized treatment plan. They will also share detailed instructions on when to call back or how to understand if the symptoms are getting worse. In case they refer an injured worker to the emergency room, the triage professional will coordinate with the clinic or hospital, so that the patient receives the right treatment immediately.
Follow-Up: Follow-up consultations are an integral part of an over the phone triage, wherein certified medical professionals track progress, tweak treatments if needed, and facilitate speedy recovery.
Not only are over the phone triage services available round-the-clock, but every call is treated as urgent and serious unless proven otherwise. All calls are documented as well, so that both parties are on the same page and there is no room for confusion or dispute. Therefore, no matter which heavy-duty machinery industry you operate in and how remote your worksite is, telephone triage can help you make informed and timely decisions about worker wellbeing.
Why Your Business Needs Over the Phone Triage
Sprains, strains, slips, falls, and burns are some of the common injuries that happen at construction sites and factories. However, waiting long for medical aid to arrive or transporting the patient to the nearest hospital can be risky sometimes. Sending them to the ER without sufficient cause can also increase your OSHA recordables and impact your company’s reputation. Luckily, over the phone triage can help in the following ways:
- Better OSHA Compliance: Triage service providers can help you manage minor worker injuries effectively at your end without visiting a hospital or clinic. This means such injuries don’t get recorded unnecessarily and you comply better with OSHA standards and avoid penalties.
- Immediate Medical Attention: Since injured workers or their supervisors get prompt advice over the telephone from certified medical professionals, the problem is handled at the earliest and the symptoms don’t worsen. Such early intervention also reduces the need for time-off, helps the employee to get back to work quickly, and lowers the DART rate.
- Improved Business Continuity: Over the phone triage reduces downtime and boosts employee productivity, which means your business isn’t disrupted frequently or for minor injuries. With tailored treatment plans, patients also recover faster and avoid serious disabilities. A straightforward timeline for treatment also means improved satisfaction, which translates to a better output and brand image for you.
- Lower Costs: Availing phone triage services is way more affordable than sending an injured worker to the ER. You have better control over unnecessary expenses and workers’ compensation. This naturally means enhanced profitability. And the best part is that you are not compromising on your employee’s health and safety either.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, running a company in any sector that involves the use of heavy-duty machinery or high-risk activities means you will witness worker injuries from time to time. However, not every scenario has to lead the employee to the ER or burden you with costly compensation or OSHA violations. After all, to survive and thrive as a business in the USA, you need to keep your work environment safe, employees healthy and productive, business interruptions minimal, and expenses low.
Therefore, over the phone triage is a smart way to address and manage a workplace injury without inflating the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) or DART rate. Reputed and experienced providers of telephone triage services have licensed physicians to support, assist, and guide injured workers in a prompt, satisfactory, and cost-effective manner. You can get all the help you need and avoid legal or financial hassles without getting the patient to travel long distances or waiting for emergency personnel to arrive.
Trust WorkPartners to Enhance Workplace Safety with Telephone Triage
At WorkPartners, we understand OSHA guidelines intimately and the importance of keeping your TRIR low. We also believe in treating injured workers and restoring their wellness and productivity as soon as possible. Our team of certified and extensively trained doctors can handle a wide array of occupational injuries and illnesses with the best possible treatment plans through over the phone triage. You can reach our team 24/7 and even consult us to improve your workplace’s existing safety infrastructure and policies. By partnering with us, you can achieve better patient outcomes, enhance your company’s reputation, minimize costs, and strengthen the bottom line.
Contact us today for everything related to workplace safety. You can call us on (800) 359-5020 for injury intervention or on (651) 323-8654 for other queries. You can also send an email to info@workpartnersusa.com to get started.
