Roles and Responsibilities of a Workers’ Comp Injury Coordinator

Interested stakeholders who have developed an internal injury coordinator have seen better outcomes in handling claims and driving them toward settlements. This is because it creates a single point of contact and allows the employer representative to communicate better with the claim handler. They can also accomplish many roles and take burdens off managers and supervisors. Now is the time to consider adding this role to your team to address workers’ compensation claims.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Workers’ Comp Injury Coordinator

An injury coordinator can undertake many roles and responsibilities to allow an employer to manage work injuries within the workplace better. This person should have an influence on an entity and have the ability to be heard and make a change.

• Ensure safety is taught and implemented within the workplace: A culture of safety and injury prevention is the capstone of every workers’ compensation program. While all work injuries cannot be limited, many can be avoided. When they occur, having a workforce prepared to deal with the injury can ensure the best response.

• Educate the workforce on the workers’ compensation system: The workers’ compensation system is complex and frustrating to anyone suffering a work injury. Many forms need to be completed and documents received. Having someone who can explain the process in layman’s terms will help any injured employee navigate the process.

• Identify barriers that prevent timely reporting: It has been demonstrated countless times that injuries are reported accurately and promptly. A crucial role of this representative is to evaluate the reporting process and ensure all injuries are reported correctly and within 24 hours of it occurring.

• Liaison with the claiming team and injured employee: This person should have excellent communication skills and be sensitive to deadlines. Keeping things moving forward is vital and can reduce anxiety and frustration with the workers’ compensation system.

There are many other roles and responsibilities of an injury coordinator. They can also play a role in evaluating the effectiveness of a claim team and other insurance carriers and determine what company is the best fit to handle workers’ compensation claims for an entity.

Reducing the Hidden Costs of Work Comp

An injury coordinator can also assist supervisors and managers in reducing some hidden costs of a workers’ compensation claim. The result for any employer is increased productivity and quicker return to work by the injured employee.

• Assist in the reporting of a work injury. This frees up supervisors and managers from assisting the employee in completing forms and ensuring the injury is reported to the insurance carrier;

• Assist in all emergency and post-injury responses. This coordinator can also drive an employee to the doctor’s office following non-life-threatening injuries and other follow-ups such as sending a “get well soon” card;

• Assist in the post-injury investigation and the preservation of evidence. A coordinator with training in injury investigation can ensure that all necessary information is received and the accident site is appropriately preserved. They can also make recommendations on any remedial or corrective actions that can take place; and

• Assist in return to work efforts. This person can communicate and work with a return-to-work coordinator to help the injured employee get back to work. Countless studies have demonstrated that a workers’ compensation program reduces costs when there is a quick return to work.

An injury coordinator can also serve as an employer’s primary point of contact. This is the person the claim handler or defense attorney can rely on for information that may be required during the life of a claim. This information can include wage and pay information, employee benefits, return to work options, extraneous information concerning the employee’s habits and social network, and other valuable information when defending a claim.

These are some of the many ways an injury coordinator can assist in removing some of the hidden costs in any workers’ compensation program. Now is the time to consider adding one to your business.

Conclusions

Adding an injury coordinator to your workers’ compensation program will pay dividends and reduce costs. They play many roles that are vital to the success of a claim and driving it toward amicable resolution, which can include returning the employee to work. When adding an injury coordinator, consider their roles and responsibilities and how they can assist the team. It is also to consider how they interact with the claim handler and defense attorney. They can also assist by removing some hidden costs in your program.

Author Michael Stack, CEO Amaxx LLC. He is an expert in workers’ compensation cost containment systems and helps employers reduce their workers’ comp costs by 20% to 50%. He works as a consultant to large and mid-market clients, is a co-author of Your Ultimate Guide To Mastering Workers Comp Costs, a comprehensive step-by-step manual of cost containment strategies based on hands-on field experience, and is the founder & lead trainer of Amaxx Workers’ Comp Training Center, which offers the Certified Master of Workers’ Compensation national designation.

Contact: [email protected].

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