By Michael
L. Happe, CPCU
SFM – The Work Comp Experts
 As the first wave of baby-boomers in America reaches the traditional
retirement age of 62 in 2008, the growing number of senior citizens
will continue to drive expansion in the long-term care industry.
Indeed, the number of people age 65 and over is expected to grow
dramatically faster than younger age groups, increasing the demand
for services in the Long-Term Care Industry well into the future.
This growing demand will drive an increase in jobs and thus an
increase in injuries associated with the long-term care industry.
A recent study by the NCCI defined the long-term care industry
as including nursing homes, retirement living centers and home
healthcare services. The study found that the frequency of injuries
in all three areas are well above average, severity is below average
(due to below average wages in the industry), and that back strains
due to lifting are a larger factor than in all other industries.
1
In an effort to legislate improvement to injury rates in the
medical industry, the State of Minnesota has passed legislation
that mandates a focus on injury protection for the medical services
industry (meaning hospitals, outpatient surgical centers, and nursing
homes). The new law requires licensed health-care facilities in
Minnesota, to adopt a written safe patient handling policy in 2008,
that establishes a plan to be implemented by 2011. 2 The goal of
these plans is to minimize lifting of patients by nurses and other
direct patient care workers, by utilizing safe patient handling
equipment. The primary focus areas will thus be the purchase and
use of appropriate equipment for lifting and handling patients.
As we look to the future, the growth of jobs (and injuries) in
the medical and long-term care sectors, will be a focus area for
SFM’s ability to “make a difference” in our market.
Joe Morin, leader of SFM’s industry-leading loss prevention
team, heads up this effort for our policyholders.
In the short term, Joe and his team are focused on “getting
the word out” – ensuring that SFM policyholders are
aware of the new law and the future requirements. The communications
efforts include a validation from SFM, as the requirements of the
new law do provide a valid framework for injury prevention for
medical employees. SFM promotes that managing an effective safe
patient handling program is a truly cost-effective way to minimize
losses, even for businesses beyond those specifically compelled
to comply with the new state law, such as home health-care operations.
Additionally, for policyholders currently addressing safety patient
handling requirements at some level, the SFM loss prevention team
is helping assess progress and taking the next steps towards improvement.
Joe is actively developing training for SFM staff – not
just the loss prevention team, but for underwriters and claims
staff as well. One innovative idea has been the live demonstration
of patient handling equipment (and how to use it correctly), which
was presented by an equipment distributor to staff at SFM corporate
offices (see photo above).
In the long term, SFM loss prevention staff are assisting medical
and long-term care providers in developing specific safety plans
(including securing support from top management and implementing
active safety committees), thus enhancing SFM’s ability to
add value for employers in these industries. Developing and implementing
safety plans and safety committees is certainly not a new concept.
However, actively assisting employers in mitigating claims from
major loss source areas, is indeed a way for SFM to provide value
to employers, and help control overall claim costs for what will
continue to be a growing share of our customer base.
If you have any questions about the new legislation in Minnesota
and/or the SFM Safe Patient Handling Program, please feel free
to contact Joe Morin at joem@sfmic.com.
Notes:
1. A copy of the NCCI report is available online at https://www.ncci.com/NCCI/article.aspx?cat=ii&id=rao&articleUrl=/NCCI
/Web/News/research/research-baby-boomer-fall07.htm
2. Details on the new Minnesota legislation, including funding
programs,
can be found at http://www.doli.state.mn.us/safe_patient-handling.html
|
