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Occupational psychologist Susannah Robertson-Hart looks at the best way to support an employee returning to work following a period of mental ill health.There is compelling evidence that work is good [...]

Occupational medicine providers keep New Mexico working Job-related injuries take their toll on both employees and employers. But occupational medicine providers, which help workers get back on the job while [...]

The City Health Steering Group is a wellness program in London, UK, seeking to identify and quantify especially the health needs of employees in small and medium-sized companies, to identify gaps in health information services, to facilitate the exchange of good practice models in the area, and to consider how best to disseminate the Steering Group's findings.

Employee-assistance programs cost less than replacing workers. On Christmas Day this year Rachel will have three years of sobriety, with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous. She is a 37-year-old single [...]

The establishment of work site health centers may lead to improved employee satisfaction and productivity. Quality, accessibility and efficient cost control are some of the benefits of employee-sponsored work site health centers. Corporate Health Dimensions, which manages 41 employee-sponsored health centers, offers on-site programs including routine medical exams, immunizations, minor outpatient surgery, radiology, preventive care and wellness programs.

If you are not happy with your workers' compensation carrier, the feeling may be mutual. Before you look elsewhere for a new workers' compensation partnership, however, take a closer look […]

Few occupational health services in the UK regularly engage with General Practitioners (GPs), if anecdotal evidence can be relied on. Several have been discouraged by an apparent lack of interest [...]

Healthcare providers can increase their business by understanding the needs and practices of employers that contract for managed care services. This includes becoming aware that most self-funded employers establish PPO, point-of-service or health maintenance organization plans and that employers use strategies such as negotiating for managed care services through business coalitions to gain more control over the care obtained by their employees., Healthcare providers that understand the needs and priorities of employers that contract for managed care services can more accurately assess what strategies they need to adopt to succeed under managed [...]

Businesses should be careful about selecting health maintenance organizations (HMO). They should consider the costs of each HMO as well as the health services offered. They should also consider whether a prospective HMO allows employees to consult other physicians whom they have confidence in. Another major consideration should be the convenience offered by the HMO.

The occupational health nurse decides if and when a patient may work and sometimes determines the duties they perform. Any work-related illnesses or conditions are referred on to the occupational health physician who treats the patient in this capacity and may also refer the patient to their own general practitioner. Occupational medicine, like all other aspects of medicine, is carried out in strict confidentiality.

As employers have sought to rein in health-care expenses in recent years, they have turned increasingly to wellness programs as a way to encourage their employees to lead healthier lives, [...]

Primary healthcare centers sponsored by employers and insurance companies offer health plan participants a cheaper medical care alternative to HMOs and primary-care centers. Some employers plan to form on-site primary care centers to provide physical therapy services to their employees, such as radiology, pharmacy and laboratory services. Employers also can choose to refer their employees to specialists with an HMO or PPO.

At one Pennsylvania hospital, safety committees are proving just what the doctor (and other employees) ordered for improved worker and patient safety. "We are a hodgepodge of the safety concerns […]

Market share, provider contracting agreements and utilization management methods are some of the factors that cause dramatic variations in the economic efficiency of health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Employers who plan to implement HMO strategies should conduct at least quantitative assessments to ensure that they will not incur unnecessary costs. A combination of quantitative and qualitative assessments of HMOs is presented as a best practice strategy for evaluating HMOs.

The results-based approach to managing health care plans has become even more necessary for corporate health care managers because of new business demands. The factors that have contributed to a more demanding health care environment include rising health care costs, the defeat of federal health care reform in Congress, consolidation in the healthcare industry and increased capability for information processing. Several components of a results-based approach to healthcare plan management are discussed.

Health care remains a significant financial risk to US companies. A new type of risk management and a multifaceted approach are needed to manage this risk. The first step in developing a viable health care plan should be performing a health-risk assessment based on employee data. A health plan's ultimate success depends on careful analyses of quality and cost data., With government reform initiatives and providers anxious to secure market position, the management of health care requires a multifaceted approach and new form of expertise. Credit government for raising the [...]

Cost management efforts by employers concerning health care have resulted in transferring some part of the responsibility of health costs to the employees. Employers have seen the importance of directly involving employees in making decisions concerning health care costs. Studies showing the connection between rising health care costs and the unhealthy lifestyles employees lead have compelled employers to involve employees in health care costs. The rising costs of health care and the impending health care reform should make employers, insurance carriers, providers and employees share in resolving the health care crisis. Employers should provide preventive benefits while insurance companies should have dedicated staff and proper resources. Meanwhile, employees should lead healthier lifestyles and read health education materials.

Q Will fit notes be a waste of time? A The principle is good, but at this stage few GPs have been trained in their use. Without at least some [...]

Benefits for employees' dependants are under pressure, but their contribution to staff engagement is clear, says Sam Barrett Extending benefits to family members has a long tradition, going back to [...]

Companies beat back rising health care costs Depending on which index you use, health care costs in this country are rising 16 to 24 percent a year. Health insurance has [...]

The rising costs of health care have caused many companies to reevaluate and, in some cases, reduce the health benefit plans provided to their employees. This means that private payers will have to balance the cost and value of health care. Methods that have been used to accomplish this goal include indemnity insurance plan changes, prepaid health care, providing health care at the work site, and preventative medicine. This issue of the Journal of Occupational Medicine is devoted to the evaluation of strategies that can be and are being used to assure value in health care for employees and their dependents. Data management systems can be used to determine the health of the work force and the quality and cost-effectiveness of the health care program. Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) are being used to provide health care from within the health care system. Managing mental health benefits and care provides a real challenge because mental health patients consume a large fraction of the total resources allocated for health care. Preventative services are becoming more popular as a means of reducing health care costs. Programs designed to promote employee health and preventative medicine are being used to reduce the need for medical care. Many companies are starting to develop their own in-house health care programs that will reduce the need for purchasing external medical services. When medical services are purchased, the purchasers should work with the health care providers to determine the specific services that are needed. These strategies will help to improve the quality and reduce the cost of health care. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Byline: Alan PeedDirector of corporate development, CSSC Sports & Leisure What are the biggest challenges? n Convincing management to pay for a gym is usually the biggest challenge. Start by [...]

Corporate gyms may seem like a luxury, particularly given the current state of the economy, but there's no denying the Brits are emulating their US cousins, and turning into a [...]

How healthy is your workforce? Personnel Today took the plunge and jumped onto the 'I speak your health' machine. Noel O'Reilly reports. With the deluge of public health campaigns and [...]

Occupational health should be free to all at the point of delivery through the NHS and occupational health physicians should take clinical leadership on how it is developed, according to [...]

The government is already looking into the feasibility of piloting a 'fit for work' service, one of the key planks of the Black Review. UK national director for health and [...]

In the wake of the Black Report, qualifications for "wellness champions" at work are beginning to emerge. Sally O'Reilly reports. One of the main thrusts of Dame Carol Black's review [...]

Judging process a[macron]The judges can award up to a maximum of 100 points for each entrant, including up to 25 points for the entry statement, and 15 points against each [...]

EXCLUSIVE by Nic Paton NHS Plus occupational health departments are going to have to take a long, hard look over the next 18 months at their primary purpose, their role [...]

by Nic Paton NHS occupational health services are perceived as being paternalistic, complacent, self-serving, narrow minded, lacking in innovation, commercially naive, bureaucratic and slow. This catalogue of perceived failings was [...]

Leading physician recommends local occupational health centres n The government should consider establishing a network of regional occupational health centres, into which workers could be directly referred by doctors, nurses [...]

Does introducing a healthy lifestyle programme into the workplace really have any effect? A Dublin-based OH service put a pilot programme to the test to evaluate its effectiveness. Mary Devaney [...]

To get a handle on spiraling medical costs, some companies are bringing heath care deskside--by creating on-site medical clinics that offer employees everything from regular checkups to nutrition consultants to [...]

by Natalie Cooper Bob Kiley, the former Transport for London boss, recently spoke out about his alcoholism, admitting that he often drank vodka in the afternoon, but arguing that his [...]

For employers introducing consumer-driven health plans, be careful to avoid plan designs that could inflate disability claims. When not designed well, the two benefits could work at cross-purposes, health experts [...]

Health care consumers are typically charged the same out-of-pocket cost for medications and medical services, regardless of whether the physician visit or treatment is for cancer or a sprained ankle. [...]

Byline: DAVID CULLEN e-mail: dcullen@fleetowner.com The sunny optimist he was notwithstanding, whenever someone floated an overly rosy view of anything before him, my late uncle, Eddie Kallaway, would smile and [...]

Byline: Jessica Marquez Corporate wellness programs normally evolve out of an employer's need to cut health care costs. That was the case at American Standard Cos., which introduced a wellness [...]

Occupational health is seen as the natural home of employee wellbeing and work-life balance, so should such an important function be outsourced? Sally O'Reilly investigates. Tory leader David Cameron's recent [...]

Employer health coverage essential Employer-sponsored health plans are the keystone of any state or federal program to extend coverage to the uninsured, said experts speaking at the recent National Managed [...]