A national physiotherapy network aimed at employers and occupational health professionals has been launched to maximise clinical outcomes for injured employees and achieve a faster return to work.
Clinics across the UK have been selected by Health & Case Management Limited (HCML) to form the new Innotrex network, mostly to treat those with acute back or general musculoskeletal problems.
Employers using HCML’s absence management programmes will benefit from the new service.
Operating independently from HCML’s case management activity to ensure impartiality, the network has access to leading experts in rehabilitation who have advised on its formation.
An evidence-based approach is being used to provide injured employees with strong clinical outcomes without over-treating them, to maximise value and achieve shorter absence durations.
Keith Bushnell, chief executive officer for HCML said: “Early intervention is crucial in cases of staff injury and absence. Evidence shows that the longer a member of staff has been absent, the more difficult it is to rehabilitate them successfully and get them back to work.”
He added that providing value is a key goal: “We know the overall cost of a programme is determined not only by the sessional rate but also the number of sessions required to achieve a successful outcome.”
The service will adopt innovative technology to provide real-time communication with partnering clinics and allow online booking of appointments to enable quicker decision-making and manage claimants’ journey and recovery more effectively.
HCML claims Innotrex physiotherapists will be the first to systematically use the orchard code injury classification to measure recovery progress and outcomes against diagnosis and prognosis.
Bushnell added: “Our vision is to provide clinical excellence without over-medicalising the claimant’s journey. Case managers will remain totally independent so programmes are appropriately managed and injured employees are helped to return to work as quickly as possible.”
The launch marks a watershed for HCML which has posted its maiden annual profit in 2011/12, driven by a 20 per cent increase in fee revenue.
Bushnell said a focus on innovation and delivering value-based solutions has been behind the firm’s recent success:
“This company has always been focused around clinical rigour, but our recent attention has been on giving a great service and improved outcomes to the injured party to match that.
“To achieve this we’ve better aligned ourselves with our customers’ objectives, invested in IT infrastructure and made greater use of our first rate medical advisory board.
