Human Resource Managers are well aware of the factors which rapidly increase the costs of workers’ compensation claims – Time off Work, Delayed Treatment of Injuries, and Prolonged Medical Care.

While an early return to work program is imperative to reducing the disability costs of a claim, what about the medical and surgical costs?

MidAmerica Orthopaedics’ is dedicated to providing both the highest quality of care for your injured workers and also the most cost effective treatment as well. We believe that “Direct to Specialist Care” provides achieves both of these goals. Why?

Direct to Specialist Care allows for timeliness of care for both non-operative and operative conditions. Less time is then spent having your employees see different physicians before they are referred to a specialist. In an acute injury setting this can mean either a savings of several days to a week for the definitive care your employee requires which reduces payments for temporary disability and also allows for quicker return to light duty protocols which also reduces the cost of claims.

Furthermore, specialists have defined periods for which injuries are treated in a conservative manner before determining that surgery is required.

This does not mean that surgery is considered earlier, but when it determined that non-operative means are no longer working medical care is not continued indefinitely before determining the need for surgery. This significantly impacts costs.

Studies have shown significant cost savings, as much as 65% (Acheson et. al.), on workers’ compensation claims with “Direct to Specialist Care” when compared with initial treatment through an Occupational Medicine Clinic or Primary care Physician.

Furthermore with our Orthopaedic Immediate Care and Outpatient Surgery Center emergency cases can be treated effectively and definitively at the time the injury occurs again providing for both cost effective and timely care for your injured worker usually eliminating the need for more costly hospital emergency room services and operating facilities.