Benefits

The parallels between the industrial world and the professional sports world with regard to the health and safety of the athletes and employees are so similar that the word “athlete” could be used interchangeably with the word “employee.” The Industrial Athlete simply treats your employees like professional athletes.

The Sports Medicine Model uses the athletic trainer as the primary therapy provider for your “athlete.” This is the same model that is used by professional sports teams because they know it is the best way to keep their multi-million dollar “employees” healthy and at their peak performance. And, when injuries do occur, the Sports Medicine Model returns their athletes to the field of play quicker and with less chance of re-injury.

Two Key Differences between the Sports Medicine Model and the Traditional Healthcare Model

First, the Sports Medicine Model places greater emphasis on prevention. The athletic trainer works with the athlete to prevent injuries from occurring.

The second difference is how the Sports Medicine Model responds when an injury does occur. The athletic trainer quickly evaluates the severity of the injury as well as how the injury occurred. Assessing the root cause is integral to the prevention plan. In addition to any first aide that might be required, the athletic trainer assesses the scope of the injury. If the injury falls within the scope of practice, the athletic trainer plans and implements a rapid rehabilitation program. The rehabilitation is done onsite, often several times a day, with no billing against your insurance. This multi-session therapy process has shown increased recovery speeds as well as lower rates of injury reoccurrence.

The Traditional Healthcare Model will often refer the employee to an offsite healthcare facility. The employer loses control of the employee in the offsite facility. The injured employee may be required to wait several days before starting the rehabilitation process. This valuable time lost can set the recovery time back by weeks! In the offsite facility, the injured employee may only receive therapy a few times a week, and they may also keep the employee off work or may require that their work be limited. Can you imagine a professional sports team treating their key athletes in this way?

The SMART System^SM
While other companies may deploy a Sports Medicine Model, The Industrial Athlete’s SMART System^SM is unique in several ways, including cost-saving measures and additional benefits, such as:

• Positive ROI
  A study by the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) found that (1) 100% of companies employing an athletic trainer had a positive return on investment; with 83% reporting an ROI of more than $3 for every $1 invested; (2) 94% of companies reported a decrease in the severity of injuries; and (3) 88% of companies noted a decreased number of injuries.
  
• Cost Containment
  Having The Industrial Athlete on board will allow you to control the injury and health process. Instead of using expensive third-party resources and billing your insurance plan, we do immediate triage to determine if any outside assistance is actually needed. Most often we will administer an in-house treatment and therapy program.
  
• DART Rate Reduction
  The Industrial Athlete has a history of lowering OSHA’s DART rate (“Days Away, Restricted duty and Transfers”). Reductions of 50% and more are common, depending upon the type of industry.
  
• Improved OSHA Compliance
  The Industrial Athlete Athletic Trainer is an independent healthcare professional that can help determine if injuries were caused at the workplace or off the job.
  
• Worker’s Compensation Advantages
  Fewer claims means lower company Worker’s Compensation expenses.
  
• Injury Prevention
  Athletic trainers are proactive in injury prevention and intervention.
  
• Wellness Programs
  Employees that are physically fit and feeling well will consistently perform better on the job. Wellness Programs from The Industrial Athlete can help.
  
• Ergonomic Evaluation
  Athletic trainers are also competent in ergonomic assessment.
  
• Increased Productivity
  Workers learn how to perform their jobs better with on-location athletic trainers to coach them.
  
• Quicker Return to Productivity
  Injured workers return to work sooner.
  
• Reduced HR Costs
  The human resources cost to replace a single worker can be thousands of dollars in recruiting and interviewing expenses.
  
• Fewer Replacement Workers
  Replacement workers seldom can perform as well as experienced personnel, thus lowering productivity. Often, this has a cumulative effect, where their lower productivity will negatively affect other employee’s work. The solution is simply keeping your regular workers healthy and on the job.
  
• Training for Emergencies
  Since our ATCs are certified CPR / AED instructors, we will train the company’s emergency response team at no additional cost.
  
• Teamwork
  A team attitude is developed with The Industrial Athlete on premise, resulting in improved worker performance.

Can your organization benefit from the Sports Medicine Model by The Industrial Athlete? Contact us to explore opportunities to not only better your workforce, but improve your bottom line too. Contact us today.

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