WorkCare Telehealth Connects Occupational Providers with Injured Employees – Anywhere, Anytime 

The way a work-related injury is managed from the start influences the end result. Prompt care typically shortens recovery times; delayed care often prolongs them. 

When non-emergency injuries occur, the challenge for employees is figuring out where and when to get care. The challenge for employees is ensuring that employees get the appropriate level of care, according to Associate Medical Director Isabel Pereira, D.O., an occupational physician and clinical lead for WorkCare’s Injury Care and Telemedicine programs.  

Injury Care and Telemedicine are cost-effective, convenient options for employees who need immediate access to occupational medicine professionals. These services are particularly effective when employees work in remote locations or it’s inconvenient for them to visit a nearby provider. 

WorkCare employs occupational health nurses, board-certified physicians, and injury prevention specialists (athletic trainers) who provide care guidance for non-emergency, work-related medical complaints via a secure, 24/7 telehealth triage network. Follow-up Telemedicine visits with occupational physicians for diagnosis and potential treatment are available in selected locations. 

WorkCare’s occupational clinicians give employees the information they need to make informed choices about their own care – whether it is self-administered first aid or referral to a local provider. The providers ask about causes and symptoms, explain the mechanics of an injury and why certain types of care are recommended, and describe reasonable expectations for recovery.  

Nurses follow up after an initial telehealth encounter to check on the employee’s medical condition and recovery status. In some cases, WorkCare assigns nurse case managers to ensure that an employee’s treatment plan is followed until an insurance carrier or third party administrator takes over care management. 

For employees, each of these steps helps reduce anxiety, promote rapid recovery, and sustain productivity. Workplace health and safety managers are relieved of the need to evaluate injury severity, with confidence that an injured employee will receive the right care, at the right time, in the right setting – not more or less care than is needed. 

Approximately 74% of telehealth encounters result in timely care without an employee having to leave the job site, Shamica Reaves, a nurse and director of operations, quality, and training for Injury Care and Telemedicine, reported during the webinar. Most cases referred to clinics are resolved without OSHA-recordable treatment or time off. 

Reaves said immediate care guidance – optimally when it is provided within what WorkCare calls the “golden hour” following onset – is proven to help employers: 

• Effectively manage cases and reduce medical costs 

• Lower workers’ compensation claim rates 

• Avoid unnecessary emergency room visits 

• Facilitate safe return to work 

• Reduce OSHA-recordable incident rates 

• Track injury and incident trends companywide  

• Introduce targeted preventive interventions 

Answers to Your Questions 

During the webinar, our presenters answered audience questions to provide insights into Injury Care and Telemedicine service delivery models: 

Q: What strategies have you seen work best when introducing a virtual injury care model to employers who are accustomed to sending employees off site for injury care? 

A: The best place to start is with data and outcomes that frame telehealth as a proven improvement, one that enhances and builds on existing safety processes, not replaces them. 

Q: What is the supervisor’s role when introducing telehealth as a care option? 

A: Supervisor engagement is critical to success. When supervisors understand how it works and they see the benefits firsthand, they become your biggest advocates. It’s all about showing value through results and building trust through inclusion. 

Q: What should an employer keep in mind when rolling out a telehealth program? 

A: It’s important to ensure that procedures are consistently followed across all locations. Success depends on the ability to keep it structured and familiar. It works well with a phased, hands-on rollout plan that aligns with pre-existing workflows so that nothing feels foreign to the teams using it. We train supervisors and provide quick reference tools with clearly defined next steps.  

Q: How do you demonstrate consistency? 

A: We use standardized documentation and centralized reporting to ensure consistency that keeps compliance strong and gives leadership visibility into trends and outcomes across all locations and shifts. 

Q: What are some key metrics that can be used to demonstrate the value of telehealth? 

A: It depends on the employer’s goals. For example, if the goal is to reduce the likelihood of delayed reporting, a metric would be the date of injury versus when it was reported. If the goal is to reduce OSHA-recordable incidents, a metric might be self-care versus clinic visits, use of non-recordable, over-the-counter remedies versus recordable prescription medications, or days away, restrictions, and transfer (DART) rates. If the goal is cost containment, an employer may track where care is provided, for example, a hospital emergency room, local clinic, or via a remote encounter. Most measurable cost savings data can be provided by the employer’s the insurance company. WorkCare’s analytics team provides experience data based on a client’s specific goals. 

Q: Can a telehealth triage provider give recommendations on work restrictions? 

A: Our role with telehealth triage is limited because we are not the treating provider. We can’t give restrictions. We can make common sense suggestions on the day of injury, like not climbing a ladder with an ankle injury, without making an incident reportable or recordable. Our telemedicine physicians can make work-restriction determinations based on medical necessity because they are the treating provider.  

Q: Is telehealth triage intended to replace in-person care? 

A: Quality care starts with triage. It doesn’t replace it. Occupational health clinicians understand job demands and, from the start, how a certain type of case is likely to resolve. We know from experience when a person should be seen by a local provider and when their condition can be safely resolved with guided first aid in the workplace.  

Q: How is an account managed when a company enrolls in Injury Care? 

A: First, our team does a preliminary needs assessment to learn about your worksites, job tasks, and commonly occurring injuries. Then we will collaboratively develop the approach and services that will work best for you. We have a dedicated implementation manager who will walk you through our step-by-step process from start to finish, including client service instructions and training prior to rollout. 

We will provide information to educate our nurses and physicians on your company-specific protocols and familiarize our entire team with the local providers your company prefers to use. Our robust process is easy, seamless, and comprehensive. 

Are You Ready to Implement Injury Care? 

Contact WorkCare today to learn about the ways we can help your company respond to common work-related medical conditions in a complaint, timely, and safe way for optimal employee health and business outcomes.