Comprehensive nurse triage services can help agencies and policyholders control and minimize workplace injuries and their related costs. This care-centered resource allows employers and employees to respond to a non-emergency workplace injury at the most critical time – right when it happens.
With nurse triage, the appropriate treatment for an injured worker is determined quickly, resulting in higher-quality patient care and fewer lost work days. Employers benefit from better claims management and reduced workers’ compensation claims costs.
What is Nurse Triage?
Nurse triage is a hotline injured workers can call to talk with a registered nurse. The nurse evaluates the injury and helps to determine an effective course of action for care, ranging from self-care to referrals for clinical or emergency room care. Determining the needs of the injured worker is the nurse’s sole focus; they do not determine compensation.
What are the Benefits?
Beyond timely and appropriate medical advice for work-related injuries, nurse triage services offer additional benefits for both employees and employers. The advisory service can:
- ensure prompt reporting, which can keep a minor injury from becoming a costly, drawn-out claim
- maximize recovery for the injured worker and help them return to work faster
- improve employee experience and claims management by referring treatment to an authorized care provider, when needed
- lessen the loss impact on the employer, including potentially reduced direct and indirect costs
- help businesses comply with state workers’ compensation rules
How Can Insureds Access Nurse Triage Services?
At Kinetic, we’re committed to helping our agency partners and policyholders with value-added programs and services, provided through our partnership with Nationwide. This includes 24/7 nurse triage services that help our clients manage and control workplace injuries.
Nationwide’s Nurse Triage service supports timely reporting and appropriate treatment for non-life-threatening work-related injuries. It does this by:
- using the skills of a registered nurse for an initial assessment to determine the need for medical care
- providing the employee with a user-friendly experience and the most appropriate medical attention based on the injury sustained
- supporting self-care when appropriate for the injury sustained
- offering easy access through a toll-free Nurse Triage hotline, which takes care of reporting the claim to Nationwide, and is available 24/7
- assisting the employee in locating providers for any follow-up care needs
When to Call Nurse Triage
Nurse Triage 24/7 is a valuable resource for Kinetic policyholders through Nationwide. It’s also the recommended method for reporting a work-related injury. Nurse Triage will report the claim, and if no further medical treatment is sought, there is no cost for the service.
For policyholders managing a non-life-threatening injury, an employee’s call to the hotline can help make a decision on the treatment needed. (For life- or limb-threatening injuries, employers should immediately call 911.)
What You Should Do in Some Typical Scenarios
| It’s a serious and/or life-threatening injury (e.g., fall from heights, laceration causing significant loss of blood, struck by falling object) | Employer should call 911 immediately so the employee can receive emergency treatment. Then employer should report the injury to Nationwide at 1-800-421-3535. |
| It’s a non-life-threatening injury that clearly requires treatment (e.g., broken bone, laceration requiring stitches, concussion). | Employer should refer the employee to an authorized treatment provider if their state permits or have the employee call the Nurse Triage Hotline at 1-855-777-7090 for assistance. If Nurse Triage Hotline is not called, employer should report the injury to Nationwide at 1-800-421-3535 after medical treatment is obtained. |
| It’s an injury and employer is not sure whether medical treatment is needed or what type of treatment is needed. | Employee should call the Nurse Triage Hotline at 1-855-777-7090 for guidance on how to proceed. |