Concentra is helping reduce workers’ compensation claims for employers and transform employee health through an innovative new program that brings the skills of athletic specialists from the gym to the workplace. Known as Worksite Athletic Health Specialists (WAHS), these trained professionals provide critical guidance, ergonomic assessments, and specialized techniques to decrease employee injuries on the job.

Studies have shown that employees whose jobs require significant physical activity often use the same muscles and joints as many professional athletes, and suffer similar injuries. To help these “industrial athletes” reduce their risk of injury and improve their performance of daily tasks, Concentra‘s WAHS apply the same level of prevention, assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation to workplace injuries that is commonly found in professional sports or elite fitness clubs. Under the guidance of on-site athletic specialists, patients enjoy improved functionality and a coordinated continuum of care, at little or no cost to them.

“Concentra’s athletic specialist program is a proven, effective method for reducing workers’ compensation costs and lost work days by taking a proactive approach to employee health,” said President of Concentra Health Solutions, Mike McCollum. “When injuries do occur, our WAHS utilize sports medicine techniques to provide early treatment and speed healing. This program is another example of how we customize and employ health care solutions to meet the needs of each employer client.”

WAHS are experienced health professionals, such as certified athletic trainers or physical therapists, who function as integrated members of a client’s organization. These health specialists provide ergonomic assessment of tasks, coordinate injury care services, arrange specialist referrals, conduct safety audits, and perform other functions as needed. With this new program, companies benefit from an experienced on-site health care professional able to identify the root cause of employee injuries, reduce re-injury, and increase employee safety adherence.

In 2008, a national delivery company selected Concentra Athletic Health Specialists to help reduce its overwhelming workplace injury rates and rising workers’ compensation costs. The company believes that by employing conditioning programs, injury screenings, and health and fitness improvement strategies, its incidence of lost workdays were reduced by more than half and associated workers’ compensation costs decreased significantly. Within the first year of the program, WAHS prevented 289 urgent care visits, saving over $900,000 ($3,250 typical cost per case), according to the company’s safety manager.

This type of savings and return on investment (ROI) is common with Concentra’s WAHS program. According to the National Athletic Trainers Association, industrial companies that use these professionals showed a significant ROI, with 83 percent gaining at least $3 per employee/per dollar invested. Concentra’s workplace health care programs offer an individualized approach to occupational medicine, preparing each employee to perform his or her job safely and enhancing existing worksite health and safety resources.

“We’ve seen great success in reducing injury rates just by performing a warm-up routine at the beginning of the workday,” said Ed Marchall, a Concentra Worksite Athletic Health Specialist in Moreno Valley, CA. “Within a few months, the client began seeing a considerable drop in accidents, employee illness, and lost productivity.”

For more information about Concentra’s employer-focused health care solutions, visit the Employer Services section of our site.