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A compendium of the latest
about care for injured workers
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.
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.
Photo courtesy of Accessibility Services, Inc.
A spinal cord injury left an injured worker paralyzed in both legs and one arm. While recovering in a rehabilitation center, he learned to use an environmental control unit—aptly named autonoME (pronounced autonomy).
With this sophisticated system he could raise and lower his bed, turn lights on and off, shift positions to prevent pressure injuries, watch TV and even change the channels. autonoME frees up aides and other caregivers, but more importantly, it gives the patient more control over his life.
So impressed with the patient’s ability to use the system, the treating physician prescribed this brand of ECU when the worker transferred to a long-term care residential facility. ATF Medical filled the prescription through . (lAccessibility Services, Inc. (ASI), a Florida-based company that produces customized ECUs and assistive speech technologies for hospital and residential use.
autonoME units are found in many VA hospitals and in the homes of veterans who have had spinal cord injuries. Also used by ALS patients, the units can be adapted to accommodate disease progression.
These units have a vast array of accessories and are highly customizable. Our patient’s unit was programmed so he can open and close doors, make phone or Zoom calls, watch Netflix, read books on Kindle, play games, and go on You Tube. And ASI continues to add apps.
autonoME Residential enables patients to control their thermostats and fans and open, close, and lock doors. If using wheelchairs, injured workers can let themselves in and out of the house and lock the door behind them.
The software easily integrates with mobile phones, automatic doors openers and RING-type consumer products so injured workers at home alone can see the person at the door before opening it. The system has chimes to alert caregivers in the home, and it can send SMS text messages to family members who aren’t at home when the patient needs them.
The software runs on a light-weight Microsoft Surface Pro tablet. Our patient operates his through voice activation. Touch (the tablet weighs only two and one-half pounds), head tracking, eye movement, and sip-and-puff technologies are also available.
Many workers who suffer traumatic accidents lose the ability to do the little things most people take for granted. Being totally dependent on caregivers for something as small as turning off a light is debilitating. Regaining function gives people more control over their activities, vastly improving the quality of their lives.
If you have an injured employee who could benefit from a system like this, please contact Rick Wyche, rwyche@atfmedical.com.
Photo courtesy of Permobil
August 15-19 is National CRT Awareness Week, a good time to talk about CRT and CRTS.
CRT is a popular term that stands for all kinds of things, including cognitive rehabilitation therapy, critical race theory, and Certified Respiratory Therapist. But in our space, CRT refers to complex rehabilitation technology, which is medical equipment that is configured for a specific injured worker.
The need for customization distinguishes CRT from out-of-the-box durable medical equipment like walkers. CRT equipment and devices are adapted and configured to meet the functional, medical, social and physical needs of a specific person.
Many CRT devices deploy advanced electronics and controls to provide individual seating, positioning, and mobility. Some can be programmed to move patients who are unable to move or shift their weight at regular intervals, pressure relief techniques that prevent pressure injuries.
CRT equipment you’re likely to see on complex claims are:
• Sophisticated power chair systems
• Rehab exercise systems
• Vehicle lifts
• Customized manual wheelchairs
• Alternative seating & positioning products
• Gait trainers
• Standing devices
There is also a professional designation, CRTS, which stands for Certified Rehabilitation Technology Supplier. These professionals undergo a certification process, which includes courses on seating, mobility, and skin integrity. The National Registry of Rehabilitation Suppliers administers the certification.
A CRTS, Occupational Therapist (OT), Physical Therapist (PT) or an Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) performs a thorough evaluation of the injured worker, their environment and physical limitations. The specialist then researches options and recommends the rehab technology products. They also conduct the fittings and manage the programming while educating the injured worker on the equipment’s use and care.
ATF Medical works with state-of-the-art CRT manufacturers and our experts stay on top of the latest product releases and upgrades to ensure injured workers receive the most appropriate equipment for their conditions.
We manage the entire process—from referral through the lifetime of the claim, including maintenance and repairs.
Claims reps shouldn’t have to learn everything about the vast array of equipment and features. Nor should they have to deal with day-to-day ordering and scheduling issues.
If you’d like to know more about our CRT solutions, please contact Rick Wyche, rwyche@atfmedical.com
Related:
http://What is Complex Rehabilitation Technology (CRT) equipment? (permobil.com)
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.
Pressure injuries are painful and difficult & expensive to treat…and most are avoidable.
An injured worker with a catastrophic injury has enough on their plate. The last thing they need is a painful pressure injury, also known as a wound, pressure ulcer or bedsore. Especially one that didn’t have to develop. And most pressure injuries are avoidable. ATF Medical’s Edwina Murphy discusses this in this WorkCompWire Leaders Speak article.
ATF Medical offers a comprehensive, cost-effective Pressure Injury Prevention & Intervention (PIPI) program. For more information on the PIPI, please email referrals@atfmedical.com.
Related Link:
Prevent Pressure Injuries with ATF Medical’s new PIPI Solution – ATFMedical
ATF Medical’s Executive Director of Sales, Marketing & Business Development Rick Wyche discusses new technologies for wheelchairs in WorkCompWire’s Leaders Speak. Learn how to harness technology to reduce the time it takes to repair wheelchairs. Other technologies help prevent pressure injuries and avoid crashing into walls and tipping over. Read the article now!
Standing for Certified Environmental Access Consultant, CEAC is a certification held by many professionals who develop adaptive housing solutions. Environmental access refers to the process of physically changing a home, in our case, to foster independence and functionality for an injured worker.
The concept for this accreditation arose because the market was full of remodeling contractors, interior designers, and rehab professionals–all with varying levels of understanding about home modifications. The CEAC program was created to reduce the disparity in their training and practices.
VGM Live at Home administers the CEAC credentialling program. It involves a six-part, self-study educational program, unit reviews, and a comprehensive final exam. The course prepares rehab and construction professionals to take an overall look at the injured worker and their abilities along with safety hazards, and the home environment, and recommend appropriate changes. A variety of professionals, including physical and occupational therapists, assistive technology professionals, remodeling contractors and builders, and interior designers, can take the course to qualify for the certification.
The CEAC certificate symbolizes competence that separates environmental access professionals from a para-professional trade. In addition to our CEAC-certified partners in the field, ATF Medical has three CEACs on staff.
One is our Supervisor of Adaptive Housing Karissa Peffer. Karissa coordinates adaptive housing solutions, collaborating closely with contractors and professionals to make sure home modifications are appropriate for the injured individual’s physical condition and lifestyle.
Rachel Amentt, who is a Coordinator II in Adaptive Housing, recently received her CEAC certification. And our Executive Director of Rehab Technology, Erin Zablocki, was one of the first five people in the nation to earn the Master CEAC designation. Already a CEAC for several years, Erin took additional training in core product categories for the field to earn the Master accreditation.
ATF Medical’s professionals continue to learn and grow in their fields, and the company covers the cost of their continuing education. We do this to ensure that our adaptive housing solutions are clinically driven and outcome centric. You can spend all the money in the world on a home mod, but if it doesn’t work for the specific injured worker, it’s all for naught.
A team of specialists collaborate on each of ATF Medical’s adaptive housing projects. Assistive Technology Professionals, Occupational Therapists, and—yes—CEACs work together. We look at every angle and consider the medical equipment, assistive technologies, the home’s construction, and the person’s lifestyle before recommending an adaptive housing solution.
We’re constantly looking at new technologies and new construction methods. And we’re constantly educating ourselves so that we can equip every seriously injured worker to live their best life.
For information on our adaptive housing solutions, contact Erin Zablocki, ezablocki@atfmedical.com.
ATF Medical proudly announces that Rachel Amentt has received the CEAC certification. CEAC stands for Certified Environmental Access Consultant.
Rachel coordinates adaptive housing solutions for injured employees. Maybe you’ve talked to her — she works with representatives at insurance carriers and third-party administrators to coordinate home modifications.
Depending on the patient’s condition, these range from ramps and grab bars to stair lifts to complete kitchen remodels. Rachel expedites the home assessments so hospitalized patients can return home and be able to move around as quickly, safely and independently as possible.
Why did she go through the rigorous CEAC process? After all, she’s working full time and raising two children, ages two and four. And CEAC certification means taking an intense six-unit, self-study educational program with unit reviews, and a comprehensive exam.
“We do a lot of hands-on assessments to make sure a contractor’s scope and quote are appropriate,” Rachel said. She said that the CEAC courses emphasized the importance of what ATF Medical does.
“Our recommendations affect people’s lives,” she said. “We want to make sure they’re right for the patient while also doing what’s right for the payer.”
Rachel gives occupational therapists video tours of the home to make sure suggested changes are clinically sound. “Sometimes medical equipment can replace part of the remodeling and give the injured person more flexibility,” she said. “I have my eyes on the construction side and the OTs watch the medical.”
A few years ago, Rachel worked for a workers’ compensation ancillary provider that used ATF Medical’s services. Like so many at ATF Medical, she loves helping people, especially during traumatic times in their lives.
Please join us in congratulating Rachel on earning the CEAC certification by emailing her at ramentt@atfmedical.com.
In case you missed it, Apple is adding accessibility features to iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches. These can make big differences in the lives of injured workers.
The company is rolling out Live Captions on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac to help people with hearing impairments more easily follow audio content while streaming, using a phone or FaceTime, or video conferencing.
Apple is also introducing Door Detection to help people who are blind or have poor vision navigate new environments.
And its Apple Watch Mirroring empowers people with upper body limb challenges to use iPhone assistive features like Voice Control and Switch Control from their Apple Watches. Hand gestures can answer or end a call or pause media without the person having to tap the display. Available later this year, these features and more are described in this article from Rehab Management.
