The Three Keys to Achieving Quality Medical Outcomes

Haley Bass

When you send an injured employee to a medical provider, you want to know they’re getting the best and most effective treatment possible. Of course, any physician will tell you exactly what you want to hear, so how do you know who’s telling the truth?

Numbers don’t lie, so you should look for a provider with the data to back up their claims. Concentra has taken a data-driven approach to the way we do patient care, and we use outcome reports to ensure that we’re always measuring up to your expectations. Because of this approach, we can confidently claim that your injured employees will receive the quality care they need while reducing medical costs.

Concentra relies on three key ideas to consistently achieve quality medical outcomes.

Occupational Medicine Expertise

While any physician should be able to treat an injured employee, only physicians trained in occupational medicine know the most effective ways to diagnose and treat work-related injuries. That’s why we make sure all Concentra clinicians receive extensive onboarding and ongoing training in occupational medicine.

With this training, our clinicians know that the best way to achieve a fast return-to-work is to start treatment quickly. Concentra patient treatment is focused on early intervention, a care model that promotes activity and physical therapy to avoid medically unnecessary disability and get patients back to function, faster. We treat employees like industrial athletes, using frequent assessment and intervention to help them return to the “game” as soon as it’s safely possible. This faster return-to-work benefits your employee’s overall recovery and saves you money by reducing lost work days.

The best part is, we can prove it. Research has shown that injured workers treated within the first 24 hours after an injury occurred were more likely to be out of work a week or less, more satisfied with their medical care, physician, and employer, and less likely to contact a lawyer. At Concentra, 92.5% of our cases are recommended for return to work, with only 7.5% of cases with recommended off-duty days.

Clinical Coordination

In some cases, an employee may need to visit a physical therapist or medical specialist as part of their treatment plan. Coordinating between multiple clinicians at multiple locations can be challenging in multiple ways. It’s more difficult to schedule appointments, maintain clear and consistent communication between providers, and motivate the employee to complete their treatment plan. These delays reduce employee engagement and increase the likelihood of the injury evolving into a disabling condition.

Concentra provides a single location for all your treatment needs. We have physicians, physical therapists, and medical specialists all under one roof. This makes it more convenient for employees to get the care they need, and allows for a continuum of care you can’t find with other providers. The clinicians are all able to work closely together to develop the most effective treatment plan possible, meaning a faster return to work.

Focus on Outcomes

Outcomes exist whether or not the medical provider cares about them, but ignoring them is a mistake. Tracking data on patient visits, from utilization of services to lost work days to medical costs, helps a medical provider identify the practices that lead to exceptional, cost-effective medical care. Because we understand its importance, Concentra places a significant focus on patient outcomes.

There are three strong characteristics to a program that is truly focused on positive outcomes:

  1. Ongoing measurement and analysis of all outcomes;
  2. Focus on using data for evaluating quality improvement initiatives; and
  3. Transparent communication with employers and patients.

Concentra uses an IT system that tracks each injury from the initial visit to discharge, allowing us to see trends in patient outcomes. Our clinicians use this information to educate other clinicians, share aggregate data on common diagnoses, compare practice patterns, and refine treatment protocols. We also put our information up against research data to compare Concentra’s outcomes with industry averages. Then we’ll tell you exactly how we measure up. For example, the time savings you get from using Concentra results in an average cost savings of 22% per claim, compared to the industry average.

 

Focusing on quality medical outcomes is a clear priority at Concentra. As a result, we’re able to provide Best-in-Class care and a consistent return-to-work program that benefits employees, and employers alike. Our proven ability to deliver high quality outcomes, while remaining sensitive to cost containment, is the reason that more employers have chosen to entrust Concentra with their most valuable asset, their people.

Ready to start seeing better results? Talk to a Concentra work health expert to start your new injury care program.