PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 11, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- While healing from an illness or injury, many people can begin to work before fully recovered, and, in fact, may recover more quickly if they return to their normal routines.* To help doctors understand the role of return-to-work in recovery, CIGNA Group Insurance introduced a new Physicians’ Disability Toolkit(SM). This one-of-a-kind, informational web site for health care providers and their office staff is designed to aid patients’ treatment and recovery plans.
“Going back to work has a recuperative effect for many people, and physicians are key partners in helping to return employees to a productive lifestyle. The Toolkit provides useful information about disability in a straightforward way with practical advice for physicians to help get their patients back to work safely,” explained Gregory Wolf, president, CIGNA Group Insurance.
The Physicians’ Disability Toolkit(SM) was developed to help health care professionals understand how the disability claim process works, and the important role of medical information in making disability claim decisions. This easy-to-use web site is a single source of information about the disability management process, including the basics of short- and long-term disability, the difference between workers’ compensation and non-occupational disability, and the treating provider’s role in helping to make informed disability decisions.
“When doctors or their office staff do not understand disability management, it may result in extra work for them or incomplete medical information provided to the disability insurer. Subsequently, that can cause the patient to stay out of work longer and with greater financial burden. The Toolkit can help a doctor’s office work more efficiently with the disability manager and ultimately help the patient in the process,” explained Colleen McMurray, director of product development for CIGNA Group Insurance and creator of the Toolkit.
All physicians can access the Toolkit through CIGNA’s provider website at http://www.cigna.com/group/toolkit/pdt/. CIGNA’s disability nurse case managers or vocational rehabilitation counselors also will send an electronic Toolkit link to a treating physician’s office during the disability claim process.
‘Work Is Good Medicine’
“CIGNA’s Physicians’ Disability Toolkit(SM) helps physicians help their patients return to work. I consider return-to-work to be part of my overall treatment plan and this tool helps me achieve a better outcome,” said Dr. Terry Watkin, M.D., a neurologist who practices in Fairfax, Va. Dr. Watkin was among a group of physicians who previewed the Toolkit. “The Toolkit helps me and my office to understand the disability process and to be more efficient.”
In a recent Integrated Benefits Institute survey, 97 percent of the physicians surveyed agreed “return-to-work is good medicine.” However, IBI found that doctors who don’t have disability training tend to find out less about their patient’s work requirements and are less likely to assess functional capacity as part of treatment. The survey also established that a release to transitional work is more likely if the physician has experience in workers’ compensation.
In addition, IBI’s research found that while most doctors know their patients’ job requirements and job titles, eight of 10 doctors are approached infrequently or never by employers about transitional work. More than half of physicians ask workers how much time off they want and one third ask how many weeks of disability benefits are available.
What’s In the Toolkit?
The Toolkit includes answers to physicians’ most frequently asked questions, contact information and handy copies of the information forms usually faxed to physicians, including medical requests, behavioral health requests, physical abilities assessments, and psychiatric functional assessment forms.
The Toolkit reinforces the importance of return-to-work in three key ways: -- As part of the treatment plan. CIGNA Group Insurance will ask doctors to set a potential return-to-work date as one of their patient’s goals, and to plan for a date as early as possible during treatment. This approach allows CIGNA to coordinate resources and plan the least stressful transition for the patient. -- Acceptable even if all therapy is not complete. Continuation of treatment and transitional return-to-work can occur simultaneously. -- Not required to occur on a Monday. “It is often easier for patients to return to the job in the middle of the week rather than trying to handle a full week right away. For example, if a doctor sets a Monday as the return-to-work date, we may suggest the previous Thursday,” explained Dr. Barton Margoshes, chief medical officer for CIGNA Group Insurance. How Does the Toolkit Benefit Patients and Their Employers?
This Toolkit is the latest development in CIGNA’s Disability & HealthCare Connect(SM) program, which coordinates CIGNA disability and CIGNA health care coverages through early notification of potential disabilities, coordinated case management and direct linkages among disability, employee assistance and disease management services. Studies show coordinated programs lead to better return-to-work results. In fact, a recent study of patients by CIGNA found that coordinating health care and short-term disability programs reduces disability durations by 12 percent -- on average, seven days -- and improves return-to-work rates by six percent.
“For employers, use of the Toolkit by their employees’ doctors can improve the partnership with physicians in a patient’s return to productivity, and can speed up the receipt of relevant medical information from physicians. All of this helps employers promote better outcomes for their employees with disabilities,” Dr. Margoshes said.
About CIGNA Corporation
CIGNA Corporation and its subsidiaries constitute one of the largest investor-owned employee benefits organizations in the United States. Its subsidiaries are major providers of employee benefits offered through the workplace, including health care products and services, group life, accident and disability insurance. Web site: http://www.cigna.com/.
* The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons quoted in Wall Street Journal, Oct. 24, 2000
CIGNA Corporation
Contact: Gloria Barone of CIGNA, +1-215-761-4758 orgloria.barone@cigna.com
