Reno, NV – EMPLOYERS® (NYSE:EIG) recently announced that it has expanded access to its Injured Employee Hotline to all of its small business policyholders across the country. The service, which EMPLOYERS started pilot testing in Florida in 2014, allows employees who are injured at work to receive a professional nurse consultation by phone for no additional cost to their employers. By reducing unnecessary and costly emergency room visits or treatments by out-of-network medical providers, the service has shown it can reduce total claim costs by an average of 35 percent while ensuring injured employees receive the care they need.
“The most important goal is to get an injured employee the appropriate medical consultation he or she needs to return to work in a timely manner,” said Barry J. Vogt, senior vice president and chief claims officer at EMPLOYERS. “The Injured Employee Hotline is a free resource small businesses can use to accomplish that goal while also creating a more positive initial experience for their employees and controlling the costs of their workers’ compensation claims.”
Injured workers can access the 24-hour hotline to speak with nurses who are fluent in both English and Spanish and who have been specially trained to provide medical guidance for new work-related injuries or illnesses. The nurses can recommend the appropriate level of care and direct employees to the most effective, in-network medical providers.
In addition to the benefits for injured workers, there are also tangible benefits for small business owners. Calls to the Injured Employee Hotline automatically trigger the opening of a workers’ compensation claim with less paperwork needed by the employer. Because injured employees can get the appropriate care they need sooner, there is less likelihood a claim will result in a legal dispute. Also, since employees are referred to in-network medical providers, the total cost of a claim is lower, which can help business owners control the future costs of their workers’ compensation policies.
“While we encourage each of our policyholders to maintain a safe workplace, accidents still can happen,” Vogt said. “The Injured Employee Hotline is an extra level of assurance that helps small business owners get the workers’ compensation claim process started on the right foot.”
Source: Employers