When a person is injured at work, the implications can go far beyond their ability to perform a task during their workday. An injury can have a negative impact on an injured worker’s mental state and further hinder their recovery and ability to return to a normal livelihood. This is where Broadspire’s biopsychosocial approach to recovery comes into play. We consider an injured worker’s entire life circumstances when providing support and care. This includes looking at their physical health, mental health, social situation, and more.
At Broadspire, Crawford’s Global TPA, we encounter situations like this every day, and as the following story illustrates, our biopsychosocial approach to recovery can often help restore more than just a physical injury.
During a recent intake call with an injured worker who suffered a shoulder and dominant hand injury, our case manager discovered that this worker was also suffering from significant emotional and social hurdles that made her return to work doubtful. Not only was she dealing with an injury, but she had also recently lost her home and lived out of her car with her two dogs. Shortly thereafter, a concerned neighbor reported her, and the dogs were taken away.
Without her pets, she was devastated. Her world was turned upside down without the companionship and unconditional love that comes with pet ownership. Emotionally drained and losing hope, she told us that she could not return to work and saw no way out.
Following our compassionate and whole-person biopsychosocial approach, our team of claims professionals went beyond the typical “claims management” call of duty to address each of her social and emotional needs one-by-one. We began by coordinating short-term housing and transportation. We also arranged to have her dogs fostered until she could find a more stable housing situation. Finally, we coordinated a payment plan for her so she was able to get her dogs out of “doggie jail,” as she called it.
Thanks to additional solutions and support, along with our industry-leading quality and medical management programs, the injured worker was back on the job within just a few short weeks. She now saw the light at the end of a very difficult tunnel.
