Lost work days among staff costs business owners in many ways
Like all of us, employees of businesses get sick from time to time. Even before the coronavirus the average number of days lost to employee illness in the US was high. According to one source, employees covered for sick time, workers’ compensation, disability, and family and medical leave benefits are absent about 893 million days due to illness, and incur an estimated 527 million lost work days due to impaired performance.
Sometimes there is little we can do to avoid illness. But there is plenty we can do to prepare to be a patient whether it’s because of illness or injury.
Lost work days among staff costs business owners in many ways.
If the employee stays home, there’s lost productivity, directly and indirectly as it ripples through the workflow.
People entering the healthcare system often expect the healthcare professionals to “get it right” 100% of the time, even though medical errors kill more than 200 thousand people each year.Medical errors recently cost the United States $19.5 billion/year. About 87 percent or $17 billion was directly associated with additional medical cost, including ancillary services, prescription drug services, and inpatient and outpatient care. Additional costs of $1.4 billion were attributed to increased mortality rates, with $1.1 billion or 10 million days of lost productivity from missed work based on short-term disability claims.
People must start taking more responsibility for their safety as they use the healthcare system and start planning better to help avoid in these errors.
How does one “prepare” to be a patient? That’s where the TakeCHARGE Campaign (https://www.takecharge.care) comes in. It is a public awareness program that can very easily be implemented within the workplace by HR or employees supporting each other or their families. It has condensed proven actions and techniques into five basic steps, and suggests that people to do one of them each month until they are completed.
Businesses that participate in The TakeCHARGE Campaign as a sponsor can be listed on the TakeCHARGE social media platforms and website, where they can share their stories: how they care enough about their employees to help them through the journey of medical care and treatment, and potentially save time, save money and save lives. And, use TakeCHARGE as a way to reach more community about your products and services.
To learn more visit www.TakeCHARGE.care and see if you want the people who work with you or for you to have the best possible outcomes in their medical care and treatment. Check out the website or give us a call.
Contact: Pulse Center for Patient Safety Education & Advocacy to host a webinar/discussion for your employees and the community you serve, or for more information, contact (516) 579-4711 or e-mail [email protected]
