Nurse Triage for Workers’ Compensation: Best Practices   

Injuries and accidents are common in any heavy industry, be it oil & gas, manufacturing, or mining. However, unless you take proper measures, workers’ compensation can be quite expensive. In fact, during 2021-22, claims against amputation cost $120,077 on average. For burns, it was $67,224, and for dislocations and fractures, the average claim cost was $63,531. This brings us to the importance of remote nurse triage for workers’ compensation management. After all, the quicker you address employee injuries, the smoother their recovery will be and the lower the costs incurred.

Let’s delve deeper into nurse triage and the best practices for efficiently managing workers’ compensation.  

How Does Remote Nurse Triage Control Workers’ Compensation? 

When a worker gets injured, it can be difficult to transport them to the nearest hospital as most heavy industry worksites and factories are in isolated regions. Waiting for medical aid to arrive can also be risky in many cases. Moreover, sending employees to the emergency room (ER) for even minor injuries like a burn, sprain, cut, or strain can cost you heavily and spike your Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable rate.  

In such scenarios, remote nurse triage services are beneficial, as trained and certified medical professionals assess the patient’s condition via phone or video call. They determine the urgency and severity of the situation and recommend the best course of action. Based on the information gathered from the patient, nurses may provide first aid instructions, refer the patient to a licensed physician, or suggest an ER visit. 

With nurse triage, workers’ comp can be controlled well since many injuries can often be fixed onsite with first aid. The prompt medical attention also allows employees to recover quickly and resume work at the earliest. By reducing the number of unnecessary leaves and improving employee satisfaction, you discourage frequent claim filing, too. Hence, nurse triage benefits both parties.   

Nurse Triage Best Practices for Workers’ Compensation

The best practices in nurse triage for workers’ compensation are detailed below. 

• Round-the-Clock Availability: Since workplace injuries can occur at any time, triage nurses are available 24×7 to attend calls, assess patients, and share appropriate advice. 
• Careful Data Collection: When it comes to workers’ compensation, nurse triage services rely heavily on proper information collection to give suitable advice and prevent unnecessary hospital visits. This means nurses collect data like the patient’s name, work type, work shift, medical history, injury type, symptoms, etc. They also study the patient’s voice and speech to detect abnormalities like slurring, drowsiness, or anxiety. 
• Thorough Documentation: Triage nurses record everything related to the conversation with the patient for future reference and the convenience of doctors and employers. Documentation also promotes transparency among all parties and helps streamline the claim filing process (if applicable). It leaves no room for undue claims. The nurses also make sure that all the details are kept confidential. 
• Appropriate Recommendation: For minor injuries, triage nurses usually offer first aid instructions to help treat the patient onsite. In case of something more serious or urgent, they refer the patient to an MD or suggest an in-person consultation or ER visit. If required, triage nurses share patient information with doctors, hospitals, or clinics and collaborate seamlessly so there is no gap in patient care.     
• Follow-Up: Nurse triage services include following up on the patient’s recovery and conveying any changes in the treatment plan if suggested by the doctor. Triage nurses also check if the patient’s symptoms are improving or getting worse and give advice on when to call for emergency care.  
• Patient Education and Support: Nurses explain doctor-recommended therapies or procedures to injured workers in simple terms, handle questions and doubts, and provide mental support so the patient feels cared for and supported.   

Manage Workers’ Compensation Better with Doctor Triage 

Look beyond nurse triage for workers’ compensation if you want something more fast and efficient. For instance, opting for doctor triage services can help you connect an injured worker with a licensed physician with extensive experience handling occupational incidents. 

Unlike a nurse, a certified doctor can do more than simply assess the patient’s condition. They can diagnose the problem, suggest the most appropriate treatment path, and prescribe medications if needed. This reduces the response time for an emergency and minimizes to-and-fro. 

The treatment is more immediate and effective, which means injured employees recuperate faster than nurse triage. Most problems don’t reach the ER unnecessarily, and fewer claims are filed. Hence, you save more on workers’ compensation costs with doctor triage.  

Conclusion 

At this point, you understand how nurse triage works for workers’ compensation and the best practices involved. Effective management of workplace injuries is crucial for both employee well-being and controlling workers’ compensation costs. Nurse triage services provide a structured and efficient approach to handling injuries, offering timely advice, first aid instructions, and appropriate referrals when necessary. However, doctor triage services go further, with medical professionals assessing the patient remotely for a more comprehensive and rapid response. 

Availing of the services of triage doctors can also help you adhere to OSHA regulations better and avoid penalties, which is another smart step toward managing your finances. 

Qualified and experienced triage physicians can handle simple to complex problems, help lower your Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rate, and ensure business continuity. 

Avail Doctor Triage Services from WorkPartners for Managing Workers’ Compensation 

Get a step ahead with doctor triage services from WorkPartners. Our licensed physicians are experts at addressing workplace injuries immediately and accurately without suggesting unnecessary visits to the ER. Their injury intervention services prevent minor problems from getting serious and ensure your employees recover and get back to work fast, which translates to fewer leaves and compensation claims. Since employees feel seen, heard, and supported, they refrain from making unjust financial demands. 

Contact us today if you’d like to learn more about controlling workers’ compensation through nurse triage or if you simply want to enhance the safety of your work environment.

For intervening injuries, call us at (800) 359-5020 and (651) 323-8654. For other queries, email us at info@workpartnersusa.com.