Category: Events

ATF Medical Launches Continuing Education Series for Case Managers

Tuesday, January 16th, 2024

Newnan, Georgia (January 16, 2024) — ATF Medical, a national provider of complex equipment and adaptive housing programs in the workers’ compensation industry, has launched its “Making Complex Simple” educational series for case managers. Each of the three free courses in Quarter 1 offers a one-hour continuing education credit for Certified Case Managers and State Nursing licenses.

Designed for professionals who manage complex and catastrophic workers’ compensation claims, the courses dive into different aspects of complex rehab technology and home modifications.

“We believe it’s critical to provide credible education on these complex products and services to our partners,” said Brendan Swift, Vice President, Payer Partnerships & Marketing. “Ongoing advancements in technology drive the need for continued education and awareness. This series is just another way ATF Medical works to provide support, communication and knowledge to our partners, nationwide.”

Making Complex Simple – Quarter 1 Courses:

Introduction to Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) / January 31, 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT

Selecting the optimal power wheelchair for a specific injured worker with an overview of the types, features, and uses of equipment.

Registration link: https://atfmedical.zoom.us/webinar/register/9217049082209/WN_WWJCqRamRvyBakQhYVsE3A

 

Benefits of Standing Wheelchairs / February 28, 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT

Avoiding health risks associated with long term wheelchair use and multiple clinical and psychological benefits when standing features are added to wheelchairs. Registration link: https://atfmedical.zoom.us/webinar/register/4517049083588/WN_kyIvArIyTheXuaqy-HILHA

 

Introduction to Home Modifications / March 27 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT

Providing safety, accessibility and mobility to the injured worker after discharge. Adaptive housing products, methods, common pitfalls, ways to avoid unnecessary costs. Registration link: https://atfmedical.zoom.us/webinar/register/1417049084472/WN_CGCKZPQ3QsWtlClyDsVyEQ

Plans call for holding free educational webinars each month. Open to all workers’ comp professionals, each course makes a one-hour continuing education credit available for Certified Case Managers and State Nursing licenses in all 50 states. ATF Medical partnered with the CEU Institute to provide the CEUs. For more information on the courses, credits or registration, please contact Abbi Akstulewicz at aakstulewicz@atfmedical.com

 About ATF Medical  ATF Medical (After the Fall, Inc.) the premiere workers’ comp complex equipment and adaptive housing provider, supplies fully integrated mobility and accessibility solutions for workers’ compensation payers and injured workers nationally. The company specializes in complex cases and coordinates all rehabilitation and accessibility needs, including home modifications and vehicle modifications. Based in Newnan, Georgia, ATF Medical can be reached via www.atfmedical.com or by calling 877-880-4283.

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Media Contact: Helen King Patterson, APR, King Knight Communications, 813-690-4787, helen@kingknight.com

 

Veterans Day Salute

Friday, November 10th, 2023

This Veterans Day, we honor one of our own: Mike Bales, ATP, CRTS.

Between 1984 and 1988, Mike served as a U.S. Marine in Field Artillery, completing several tours of duty in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and the Far East. A month after his honorable discharge, he entered the medical equipment field and moved into rehabilitation in 1998.

Now with ATF Medical, Mike works directly and indirectly with injured workers, mostly in the Appalachian coal mining regions of Virginia, near West Virginia. He provides invaluable mobility solutions for older coal miners and other workers.

Mike, we deeply appreciate your service, both as a Marine and as a Rehab Specialist. Thank you for your unwavering commitment and contributions.

Full-Scale Kitchen Modification on Display at Shepherd Center’s Annual Vendor/Partnership Fair

Friday, October 13th, 2023

From the left: ATF Medical’s President and CEO Sid Glover, Territory Manager Curt Moreen, ATP, CRTS, Karissa Watson, CAPS, CEAC, our Manager of the Adaptive Housing Solutions team, and Rick Wyche, ATP, CEAC, our Executive Director of Business Development.

ATF Medical has partnered with the amazing team at Atlanta’s Shepherd Center for over 15 years.  So when Shepherd invited us to participate in its annual Vendor/Partner fair, we wanted to do something special to showcase our adaptive housing services.

two men building the frame for a kitchen dispaly

Our President & CEO Sid Glover, ATP, CRTS, CAPS, ECHM took charge of the project.  He considered and decided against several options before deciding to replicate a real kitchen mod. He sourced, purchased, and even helped assemble a full-scale home modification display.

 

The kitchen cabinets and appliances are positioned for an injured worker who uses complex mobility equipment. This life-sized exhibit allows our clinical partners, clients, and injured workers to truly experience how a kitchen modification can positively impact patient outcomes!

To receive maximum value from our services, client partners collaborate with our adaptive housing AND complex rehab teams.  This way, injured workers obtain the equipment and the modifications that set them up to achieve the highest levels of independence and functionality.  And payers receive cost-effective solutions.

Continue reading Full-Scale Kitchen Modification on Display at Shepherd Center’s Annual Vendor/Partnership Fair

Appreciating Case Managers

Monday, October 9th, 2023

Oct. 8-14 is National Case Management Week and ATF Medical celebrates ALL case managers –and especially those who work on catastrophic workers’ compensation files.

Catastrophic case managers have demanding and multifaceted roles. Their injured workers have experienced life-changing injuries and need complex care, sophisticated medical equipment and a guide through the maze of treatments and services.

Not only do case managers help injured workers navigate a bewildering healthcare system they help them navigate an equally confusing workers’ comp system. Because case managers also provide emotional support and education, their workers’ comp patients come to rely on them, and often build close friendships with them.

When handling catastrophic claims, case managers form collaborative relationships with treating physicians and other medical service providers focused on a shared goal of bringing injured individuals into as much independence and functionality as possible.

Case managers take a proactive approach to the workers’ care, helping avoid unnecessary procedures, hospital visits, and medications. They evaluate treatment plans and advocate for appropriate cost-effective solutions, without compromising quality.

When their workers’ comp patients need complex rehab technology and/or home modifications, many case managers choose to work with ATF Medical.

Here’s what Catastrophic Nurse Case Manager Jeanine Zukerman, RN, CCM has to say:

“The assistive technology professionals at ATF Medical collaborate with case managers to ensure delivery of optimal product solutions for individuals with complex health care needs. Trained specialists with product knowledge and experience explain the benefits of adaptive medical equipment and provide service that specifically meets the individual’s needs.”

Jeanine Zukerman, RN, BSN, CCM
Network Advisor
Rehabilitation Advisors

We appreciate Jeanine and the other strong and supportive case managers active in workers’ compensation. Thank you!

Understanding Spinal Cord Injuries During SCI Awareness Month

Tuesday, September 5th, 2023

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the US Senate’s resolution designating September as National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month. In the spirit of increasing awareness, here are some facts from the United Spinal Association

About Spinal Cord Injuries

After a spinal cord injury (SCI), the nerves above the level of the injury continue working as they always did.  Below the level of injury, though, messages from the brain to the body may become fully or partially blocked.

The higher the level of the SCI, the greater the impairment.  People with thoracic injuries and lower may retain full use of their arms and hands. However, injuries to the upper cervical region can result in respiratory issues and the loss of limb, bowel, bladder, and sexual function. Not surprisingly, approximately 37% of people who have incurred an SCI report depression.

Facts and Figures

  • Approximately 17,700 Americans acquire a spinal cord injury (SCI) each year.
  • 78% are men
  • The average age is 43

Common Causes:

  • Vehicle accidents – nearly 40%
  • Falls – 31.8%
  • Violence – 13.2%
  • Sports – 8%
  • Medical/Surgery – 4.3%

Workers’ Comp Stat

The frequency of large (over $1 million) workers’ comp claims involving SCIs (and traumatic brain injuries and burns) has grown by nearly 7% per year since 2012, according to NCCI.

Types of Wheelchairs Used 

Spinalcord.com reports that the types of wheelchairs used most often by people who have an SCI are:

  • 39% – manual wheelchairs
  • 27% – power wheelchairs
  • 2% – other types (power-assist wheelchairs, scooters and Hover rounds)

For more information on SCIs, check out these links:

https://www.christopherreeve.org/https://asia-spinalinjury.org/

https://www.spinalinjury101.org/details/resources

https://www.sci-info-pages.com/spinal-cord-injury-organizations/

 

ATF Medical’s Sept. 13 on the Benefits of Standing for Wheelchair Users

Thursday, August 24th, 2023

Photo Credit: Permobil

Unless you sit in a wheelchair 14 hours a day or care for someone who does, you probably don’t realize the impacts that prolonged sitting has on the body. Health risks for workers’ compensation patients who use wheelchairs run the gamut from serious renal, circulatory and digestive issues to painful pressure injuries.

The multiple clinical and psychological benefits of adding standing features to wheelchairs will be covered during ATF Medical’s “Benefits of Standing for Wheelchair Users” webinar. For workers’ comp case managers, adjusters, and other claims representatives, the free, hour-long session starts at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT on Wednesday, September 13.

The session makes a one-hour CEU available for certified case managers (CCM). To register for the free webinar, please visit https://tinyurl.com/CEUStandingChairs.

 

 

ATF Medical’s “Intro to CRT” Webinar Coming on Aug. 16

Monday, July 31st, 2023

Complex rehab technology is, well, complex. With technology advancing at a startling rate, new mobility equipment and features come to market practically every day. How do you determine which one is the best fit for a specific injured worker and justify its cost?

To help case managers better understand CRT, ATF Medical will present a one-hour webinar, “Intro to Complex Rehab Technology (CRT),” starting at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT on August 16. Register here: https://tinyurl.com/y6r4vzmr

Rick Wyche, ATP, C.E.A.C., ATF Medical’s Executive Director of Payer Partnerships will cover the key categories of custom mobility equipment along with their functions and uses. The clinical and cost benefits of ultra-lightweight manual wheelchairs, power assist devices, power wheelchairs, and power seating will be discussed.

A one-hour continuing education credit for Certified Case Managers is available.

To register for the free webinar, go to https://tinyurl.com/y6r4vzmr.

ATF Medical Recognizes Wound Healing Awareness Month

Tuesday, June 6th, 2023

The American Board of Wound Management (ABWM) designated June as Wound Healing Awareness Month (WHAM!) and June 12-16 as Certified Wound Care Specialists Week. The organization wants to raise awareness of wounds (aka pressure injuries), including challenges patients and practitioners face, and to promote certification for these healthcare providers.

A Few Not Fun Facts:

More than 7 million Americans live with chronic pressure injuries. There are no stats on how many of these are injured workers, but you can bet there are a lot.

Pressure injuries are dangerous. Without prompt and proper treatment, there’s a high chance of infection, hospitalization, and even amputation.

Complications can kill. People can develop infections, including sepsis, which ultimately took the life of “Superman” star Christopher Reeves. Approximately 60,000 people in the US die annually from pressure injury complications.

Wounds are hard to heal. Recovery is difficult even in a hospital setting. It’s especially hard in the uncontrolled environment of an injured worker’s home. The environment must be extremely clean and the injured worker needs proper hygiene and to eat a nutritious diet, plus they need to follow a pressure relieving program.

The Treatment Team

Treatment calls for a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach. There are physicians, surgeons, wound care nurses, wound care centers, wound care consultants, manufacturers, physical therapists, and occupational therapists, along with medical equipment and supply companies–to name a few. And these specialists need to talk to each other, sharing treatment plans and progress, so you also need care coordinators.

ABWM and other organizations provide wound care certification for some of these professions providers as well. You can compare the offerings here.

What Can You Do?

If you manage claims, take time to review those of injured workers who receive home health care, use wheelchairs extensively, are bedridden, or have other risk factors. Talk to case managers to see if patient-education reminders about nutrition or pressure relief techniques are in order. Should elevated seats or standing chairs be considered? If they have serious wounds, what can be done to improve hygiene and home cleanliness?

ATF Medical will help you find the right rehab technology for your particular injured worker. If you have a case that needs attention, please contact us at referrals@atfmedical.com.

Taking steps to foster healing or better–prevent–pressure injuries will save our injured workers from experiencing delayed recovery, tremendous pain, and dangerous complications – and save payers considerable time, worry, and money.

Also, whether you manage claims or not, please take time this month to thank the many providers involved in your patients’ wound care for their hard work.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

Tuesday, March 14th, 2023

March is the month the Brain Injury Association of America has selected to bring awareness to brain injuries. The organization’s tagline #MoreThanMyBrainInjury reminds us that someone with a brain injury is a person first. This message aligns perfectly with ATF Medical’s consistent patient-centric approach. We wrap ourselves and resources around all our injured employees, including those who have suffered a brain injury.

What are brain injuries?

There are two overarching types of brain injuries: traumatic and acquired. Acquired or non-traumatic brain injuries occur when the brain is altered by internal factors. A lack of oxygen, exposure to toxins, pressure from tumors, and strokes are a few examples of the acquired types.

If an external force, such as being hit in the head, a fall, explosion, a gunshot wound, or vehicular accident causes the brain injury, it’s a traumatic brain injury (TBI). These impact injuries can be open (penetrating) or closed.

About brain injuries in workers’ comp

Approximately 20% of work-related injuries of work-related injuries involve a TBI, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Severity ranges from mild concussion to severe brain injury, and TBIs are typically associated with high medical costs and long-term disability.

The industries most likely to incur brain injury claims are construction, transportation, and agriculture. And the claims tend to be expensive. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) put the average cost of a claim involving a TBI at $84,000 in 2017. Medical inflation has pushed that number higher in the past five years.

About the impact on the injured worker

A brain injury cuts to the core of a person. It affects who the injured worker is—how they think, act, and feel. Symptoms vary greatly from person to person, and no two brain injuries are exactly alike.

Patients with brain damage can have functional issues, such as physical weakness and a lack of coordination in the limbs. Visual impairment can be a symptom, and a brain injury can affect mobility and limit a person’s independence.

Cognitive effects, including confusion, memory loss, poor organizational skills, and poor reasoning skills can affect these injured workers. They tend to have trouble sleeping and suffer from fatigue.

They can be emotional, given to tears, and unable to control their anger. There can be a lack of impulse control. Many patients are depressed, anxious, and feel vulnerable and isolated. (Feelings of isolation are likely more prevalent with injured workers than other patients because they suddenly lose contact with most of their colleagues along with the sense of purpose working provides.)

When patients with brain injuries head home

Injured workers with serious TBIs spend time in a hospital and a post-acute care rehab center. These facilities are highly structured and keep patients busy most of the time. Returning home after living in such a regimented environment can be disconcerting. Suddenly, the injured person has to figure out how to live,  while dealing with the loss of some routine capabilities.

Naturally, the home must be adapted to provide a safe and accessible environment. Ramps, roll-in showers, and door widening are typical home modifications. At the same time, rehab equipment is placed. These could include ceiling lifts, hospital beds, special mattresses, door openers, and wheelchairs.

Payers need to determine what modifications and rehab technology a particular worker needs and not let the contractor or equipment providers go on autopilot. Clinically focused specialists, like occupational therapists, Certified Environmental Access Consultants, Assistive Technology Professionals, and those holding the Executive Certificate in Home Modification should collaborate with contractors to design an appropriate plan.

The end product needs to accommodate the size and weight of equipment while fostering mobility, independence, and functionality for a specific injured employee with specific symptoms and needs.

Communication among specialists, with the payer’s claim representatives, and especially the injured employee and their family are essential ingredients to delivering clinically appropriate solutions. The injured employee’s journey to recovery – or acceptance of their condition – is arduous enough. They and their families do not need the stress and frustration that comes with receiving equipment they can’t use or not knowing when the construction crew will come or the powerchair will arrive.

Paying attention to the family

Family dynamics is a major psychosocial barrier to recovery. And adjusting to a new reality, and in some cases, a new personality, is hard on everyone, especially family members living in the home.

Dealing with the patient’s mood swings, depression, and anger drain reserves, The day-to-day duties and constant vigilance wear down the most diligent caregivers. And divorce rates among seriously injured employees are high.

Families often benefit from professional psychological services and support groups. The BIA provides a list of virtual support groups, organized by states.

Returning to work

The severity of the injury and the status of recovery dictate when and if an employee can return to work after a brain injury. Some workers return to their previous positions with no problem and others can resume their roles with help from assistive technology and ergonomic adaptions and/or reduced responsibilities.

In other cases, flexible, hybrid, work-from-home, or part-time schedules are appropriate. Transferring to a different position in the organization or receiving vocational rehabilitation and seeking a different job are other routes to explore.
Employers and employees should have frank, empathetic, and open discussions about the person’s abilities and stamina and the workplace environment as they select the best option.

Summary

Living with a brain injury calls for a wide range of resources and strategies. The people who manage their claims and providers who care for them need to be empathetic. And they need to advocate for the best home and work environment possible.

ATF Medical’s specialists and other staff members do just that as they simultaneously contain costs by avoiding unnecessary expenses and waste.

 

Getting to Know Brendan Swift, ATF Medical’s New Vice President, Payer Partnerships & Marketing

Tuesday, February 7th, 2023

We are absolutely delighted to welcome Brendan Swift into the ATF Medical family. With more than 22 years’ experience in workers’ compensation, mobility and accessibility services along with payer and provider operations, he’ll be hitting the ground running starting February 13th. Many of you already know him and can reconnect with him at the Property & Casualty Complex Claims & Litigation Forum later this month in Las Vegas (Feb. 27-March 1). He and our Executive Director of Business Development, Rick Wyche, will be there so visit our Booth #303 and find out how we can help you and your injured workers. Meanwhile, here is an introduction to Brendan and some of his ideas on our industry and company.

What drew you into the workers’ comp industry, and then eventually into rehab technology?
I started my career in group health operations, working for Oxford Health Plans and then UnitedHealthcare after the acquisition. After that, I went to work for Coventry and became interested in the workers’ comp side of the business. In 2011, I moved over to Coventry DMEplus, leading their national provider relations team. Later, I served as National Vice President of Payer Relations and Strategic/Key Account Management for a national complex rehab technology (CRT) company and led the implementation of its national workers’ compensation service program.

What do you enjoy about the workers’ compensation industry?
I’m consistently amazed by the passion and heart that the entire workers’ compensation community has for the injured workers they serve – especially those with complex injuries. It’s a very special space. It’s meaningful and people feel fulfilled when they help a seriously injured worker regain their independence.

What appeals to you about the accessibility/mobility aspects?
I truly love the superior levels of collaboration across all partners to ultimately get injured workers what they need for the highest levels of independence possible. Payers, clinicians, technicians, manufacturers, ancillary providers, contractors–all these special people–wrap themselves around the injured worker to do the right thing. I have a deep passion for partnering to ensure that our injured workers receive the most clinically appropriate mobility devices, accessibility technologies, and home modifications–all these critical and required services.

What attracted you to ATF Medical?
The company is laser-focused on workers’ compensation and on delivering a high-quality clinical solution to injured workers and partners. I’ve always heard how great ATF Medical is, about the level of dedication and heart its people bring to injured workers and their caretakers. In addition, ATF Medical promotes a people-first culture, which is directly in line with my leadership style. Our people and our injured workers should always come first. Excited to get started working with and for a true people-focused organization.

Why is having a close focus on workers’ comp so important?
Most rehab technology providers don’t focus solely on work comp; they’re used to the group health and the CMS space. Our injured workers and our work comp payer partners require a more detailed level of proactive service. There’s also more need for speed and continual, clear communication among numerous stakeholders. ATF Medical built its service model around injured workers and the work comp payer requirements and has honed this concept over 20+ years. Our team of clinical specialists and dedicated care coordinators understand the communication standards along with the wide variety and ever-growing market of mobility and accessibility products and services. We know how all the pieces work together so our recommendations are clinically sound and cost effective. ATF Medical gives partners the ability to work with a single-source provider that helps manage an integrated approach to mobility and accessibility. The company works hard to remove the fragmentation and eliminate re-work.

What do you feel are the main challenges when it comes to mobility and accessibility in workers’ comp?
Cost, quality, communication, and unnecessary delays on these very complex cases. For the most part, as I mentioned, the CRT and accessibility industry is fragmented. For example, on a large file, one company generally handles the mobility, another may handle other rehab technologies, another may handle the home mod/construction or ramping, and possibly another provider is brought in for DME or vehicle needs. Throughout the life of the file, these vendors don’t necessarily know each other, they don’t communicate with each other, and do not have channels set up for collaboration. As a result, many times the equipment doesn’t fit or work right for the injured worker, the powerchairs are too heavy for the lift, etc. This causes re-work and quality issues which ultimately delay the injured worker’s discharge and the number one goal of getting them home and on quick path to independence. Now, there’s expensive re-work and the injured worker may have to spend extra days in a hospital or post-acute care center because the home isn’t ready. The family and injured workers are frustrated and unnecessary costs are added to the claim. The best way to control costs is doing things right the first time and doing them quickly. You need an integrated, clinically driven approach where everyone is collaborating on an integrated solution that will help the injured worker recover and achieve as much independence as possible.

What are your goals as you begin your new position?
My first priority will be to increase the awareness of ATF Medical as a one-stop-shop, single-source partner for all things mobility and accessibility and articulate the deep value and partnership that we can bring to our payer partners, nationally. That is, providing fully integrated, cost-effective mobility and accessibility solutions. Our clinical specialists collaborate, and we communicate file updates proactively and consistently with the goal of delivering rehab equipment and home mods with appropriate speed allowing our injured workers to get home without delays. From there, it’s about securing long-lasting trusted relationships with our payer partners, nationally.

Tell us a little about your personal life.
Well, I’ve been married for 22 years to Katie, my high school sweetheart. And this was the smartest decision I have ever made in my life. Katie and I were both born and raised on Long Island, NY and recently moved to Tampa, FL from Franklin, TN. We have three amazing kids, two girls who are 21 and 16, and an 11-year-old boy. We’re very involved in our son’s travel soccer team and our middle daughter’s competitive cheer. Our oldest daughter is very focused on finishing up her Physician’s Assistant degree and graduating this May up in New York. My kids inspire me and motivate me daily. As a family, we love anything outdoorsy, especially hiking, spending time at the beach and traveling.

What’s your favorite TV series and what is the last one you binged?
I am a huge Sopranos fan. In my opinion, it really was the dramatic series that helped pave the way for such an enormous takeover of powerful new series and shows coming out over the last 25 years. How did that first air 25 years ago?! I also have to mention Breaking Bad, as it was an incredibly well-done show. Also love good documentaries … recently watched a few on climbing, Free Solo and The Dawn Wall. If you want to sit on the edge of your seat, give those a watch. I had to pause them and walk out of the room several times.

What was the most influential business book you’ve read?
I love a meaningful leadership book. One I always recommend and have read probably 20x over is titled “The Feiner Points of Leadership” by Michael Feiner. I have had the privilege of working with Mike one on one as an executive coach and have applied real-life situations I have gone through to the laws he writes about in his book. One of my favorites is THE LAW OF THE ONION. High performance leaders look beneath the surface and never assume anything. Peel back the layers … GET TO KNOW YOUR PEOPLE AND GET INTO THE DETAILS. It’s been very rewarding putting these laws into practice over the years. They have become “core principles” for me to apply every single day.

Did you have a mentor?
I’ve been very lucky to have a few, two specifically in the workers’ comp space. They all exposed me to the meaning of true leadership and to leading with purpose. Leading with your heart and caring about the people you serve is what counts. As a leader, I’m here to serve them by putting their needs first. This also rings true in building relationships internally and externally with our partners.

If you’d like to connect (or reconnect) with Brendan, email him at bswift@atfmedical.com.