How Can You Use Case Management to Support Employee Wellness Programs and Improve Workplace Health and Safety?

Case management software helps you track and trend workplace injuries and work restrictions, record medical visits and comply with regulations.
Around 80% of American employers offer health and wellness programs. They include employee assistance programs (EAPs), regular health screening and health improvement planning as well as general health and wellness promotion.

Most of us have heard the riddle, “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” In the workplace, there is a similar conundrum: Does workplace stress cause poor health and negatively impact wellness, or does poor health lead to increased workplace stress? The answer to this riddle is likely, “Porque no los dos.” It is probable that workplace stress is both cause-and-effect-related to worker health and wellness. This sets up a dangerous, positive feedback loop that results in a host of negative effects. 

We know that poor employee health costs companies billions of dollars a year, but what about their wellness? “Wellness” is the less tangible, more pernicious health factors such as mental health, … Read more...

CDC: Largest Annual Increase in Drug Overdoses in 50 Years

Provisional drug overdose data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that the United States experienced the largest annual increase in deaths reported from overdoses in at least 50 years. If you think workplaces are not impacted by this staggering increase, think again.

Nearly 21 million Americans are living with a substance use disorder (SUD), and 70 percent of them are employed, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). It’s likely that almost every workplace employees one or more employees who are living with a SUD or who are in recovery.

Employers spend an average of $8,817 annually on each employee with an untreated SUD, according to research gathered by NSC and NORC at the University of Chicago. However, each employee who successfully recovers from an SUD can save their employer as much as $8,500, due to utilizing less health care services, missing fewer workdays related … Read more...