Category: Events

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.

Assistive Technology Facilitates Independence for Injured Workers

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2022

November is National Assistive Technology Month, the perfect time to highlight the ways assistive technology changes the lives of our injured workers.

First, what does the term “assistive technology” mean? The Assistive Technology Industry Association defines it as “any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities.”

In workers’ comp, powerchairs, Hoyer lifts, sip-and-puff controls, computer accessibility systems, and vehicle mods come to mind. But it goes way beyond equipment and computers. Adapting a bathroom so an injured worker can shower alone is a form of assistive technology. As is installing a ramp to enable an injured employee to engage in the community more easily and even return to work.

Assistive technology changes lives.

A stairlift lets an injured worker see what’s upstairs in their home. Equipping wheelchairs with outdoor tires helps them check out their property or take their kids fishing. A vehicle lift means patients can travel.

In one case, a spinal cord injury left an injured worker bedridden and unable to do much of anything by himself. An environmental control unit empowered him to turn lights on and off, change TV channels, play games, and raise and lower his bed. The unit restored some control over his life.

Assistive Technology Reduces Claims Costs

Savings often come from avoiding costs. Installing a transfer unit that eliminates the need for a caregiver can save $50,000 a year. A tilt function on a powerchair helps patients with spinal cord injuries shift positions to prevent pressure injuries.

Critical to cost containment, though, are planning and implementation. Complex claims call for a team of experts in diverse specialties who collaborate on a solution for a particular injured worker. The team may be comprised of an Assistive Technology Professional (ATP), Certified Disability Management Specialist (CDMS), Occupational Therapist (OT), Certified Environmental Access Consultant (CEAC), Certified Assessment and Modification Professional (CHAMP), or a professional holding the Executive Certificate in Home Modification (ECHM) certification–among others.

The team needs to carefully consider the person’s clinical and functional condition, challenges, home, and goals. Then, they need to identify the best combination of medical equipment, accessibility technologies, and home modifications. The design needs to be outcomes-oriented. The solution should foster the injured employee’s recovery, mobility, and independence in the most cost-effective manner.

Too often this doesn’t happen because the team members don’t talk to each other. Medical equipment providers don’t collaborate with the occupational therapists (OTs) or the Assistive Technology Professionals (ATPs) or the home modification experts. Working in silos, they remodel a house without realizing its ceiling can’t support the lift or the floors can’t bear the weight of a 300-pound patient in a 450-pound power chair. So, the contractor widens doorways but not wide enough to accommodate a chair’s turning radius. Or the equipment doesn’t fit in the space.

Countless claims have been billed for expensive remodels or overly complicated equipment that the injured employee did not need or could not use. One company even received a home mod referral for a room addition to store durable medical equipment that wasn’t being used!

These errors drive claim costs, frustrate injured workers, and create problems for the adjusters. Lack of communication and coordination among providers account for these mistakes. Using an all-inclusive provider like ATF Medical eliminates potential competition and friction among the different entities.

ATF Medical’s Model

ATF Medical starts with a thorough assessment of the person’s physical, functional, and clinical condition and of their home. Then we assemble a team of credentialled experts to produce a solution that combines the most medically appropriate and cost-effective balance of equipment and technologies with adaptive housing changes.

Our service is comprehensive. We can just install a ramp if that’s all you need. But by partnering with leading manufacturers and contractors, ATF Medical delivers all the complex rehab technology a claim requires. Whether it’s sophisticated rehab chairs, custom manual chairs, specialty mattresses, vehicle lifts, home accessibility systems, and/or adaptive housing solutions … we do it all.

We plan and manage everything for you, too – all the ordering, delivery, and fitting. We educate the injured worker and their family on the use and maintenance of their assistive technology. We check on them after they’ve had a chance to use it to see how they’re doing and answer any questions. And we stay involved for the life of the claim, maintaining and repairing equipment and monitoring patients’ progress.

We also select and collaborate with contractors and manage the project scope, construction costs, and deadlines for adaptive housing projects. We make sure everything works and works together. And we communicate with claims reps every step of the way.

During Assistive Technology month, we’ll recognize some of our credentialled pros who help change the lives of injured workers. Be sure to give them a shout-out.

 

Get Ready to Roll! The MWCEA Annual Conference Starts Sept. 18.

Wednesday, September 14th, 2022

MWCEA Annual Conference — Sept. 18-21

Pack those bags and head to Ocean City, Maryland for the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Education Association’s Annual Conference.

Be sure to visit ATF Medical’s Booth #82 and chat with Rick Wyche.  He’ll tell you about the latest in rehab technology and how we can customize solutions for your injured worker.

 

Coming Soon: Maryland Workers’ Comp Conference

Thursday, September 1st, 2022

The 2022 MWCEA Conference

September 18 – 21, 2022

Make plans to attend the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Education Annual Conference (MWCEA).

ATF Medical’s Rick Wyche will be there, ready to tell you about the latest in rehab technology. There are more amazing accessibility and mobility products available now than ever.  Find out how we can customize a solution for your injured worker.

The 2022 MWCEA Conference will be held September 18-21 at the Ocean City Fontainebleau Resort in Ocean City, MD.

Visit ATF Medical at the GA Workers’ Comp Conference!

Monday, August 29th, 2022

From left: ATF Medical’s Rick Wyche, Erin Zablocki & Curt Moreen

Come by Booth 13 and say hello if you’re at The Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation Annual Educational Conference (Aug 29-31). We’d love to meet you…or see you again.

ATF Medical is sponsoring the conference’s Kid’s Chance Masquerade Extravaganza. Please join us in supporting this life-changing charity. There will be music, dancing, casino tables, and a silent auction and the fun starts at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 30.

Georgia is on Our Minds

Thursday, August 25th, 2022

The Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation Annual Educational Conference, that is.

Being held August 29-31 in Atlanta, the conference theme is “Return of the Champions” so visit ATF Medical’s Champions Erin Zablocki and Rick Wyche at Booth 13.

They’ll tell you all about our patient-protecting, cost-saving Pressure Injury Prevention & Intervention program and the latest in rehab technology.

ATF Medical is sponsoring the conference’s Kid’s Chance Masquerade Extravaganza. Please join us in supporting this life-changing charity. There will be music, dancing, casino tables, and a silent auction and the fun starts at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 30.

The gala and the conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hotel.  For more information and registration details, please click this link.

 

Visit ATF Medical at the Georgia Workers’ Comp Conference!

Thursday, August 4th, 2022

The Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation Annual Educational Conference will be held August 29-31.  In person!

The theme is Return of the Champions. And ATF Medical’s Champions Erin Zablocki and Rick Wyche will be there, exhibiting and talking about new rehab technologies and our Pressure Injury Prevention & Intervention program.  Visit our booth and spend some time with these experts to learn how you can avoid unnecessary costs with the right equipment and prevention techniques.

We are also sponsoring the conference’s Kid’s Chance Masquerade Extravaganza with music, dancing, casino tables, and a silent auction. Please join us in supporting this life-changing charity. The fun starts around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 30.

The gala and the conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hotel.  For more information and registration details, please click this link.

ATF Medical Response to COVID-19

Tuesday, March 17th, 2020

Considering the unprecedented pandemic, we wanted to update you all on some changes we are implementing at ATF Medical. Our priority is safeguarding the health and well being of our employees and the patients we serve. As such, the following changes are in effect immediately:

1) ATF Medical has cancelled all non-essential travel and most of our staff are
working remotely to help stop the spread.
2) We will be utilizing our tele-health video conferencing system whenever
appropriate to diagnose and repair equipment as quickly and efficiently as
possible.
3) When necessary, a technician may be deployed to assist patients in person. It is highly likely that we will experience service delays as many of our long-term network partners are sheltering in place and not available to complete site visits.
Whenever possible, equipment will be assessed outside of the home, in a garage or front porch to avoid contact as much as possible.

As is the case everywhere, we are continually monitoring the situation and will provide updates regarding changes in our procedures as needed.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Visit ATF Medical at the Georgia Work Comp Show

Wednesday, August 7th, 2019

ATF Medical will be exhibiting at the State Board of Workers’ Compensation Educational conference (aka the Georgia Work Comp Show) and we’d love to meet you there! The conference will be held August 25-28 at the Hotel at Avalon & Alpharetta Conference Center in Atlanta Georgia.

Visit Booth E-125 to find out how we “own” the whole durable medical equipment piece of your workers’ comp claim. We do it all – evaluate housing and DME needs, select and order the right equipment, educate and work with your injured worker and caregivers, and provide efficient adaptive housing solutions.

We specialize in catastrophic claims and our service will knock your socks off! Drop by our booth and we’ll give you a new pair.