Page 11 - SF HOSPITAL NEWS NOVEMBER 2020

While Workers’ Compensation Rates Decrease,

Questions Remain about Effect of COVID

BY VANESSA ORR is a dramatic decrease.” enough to handle these cases, and it was ers—will be filing claims for contracting
Murphy says that this is overturned by the Florida Supreme Court. COVID, as will some private employees.
There is some good news especially surprising, con- Due to this decision, it was expected that “Gov. DeSantis has already said that if
in the insurance world; for sidering that a number of rates would skyrocket within a couple of these front line workers contract COVID,
the fifth year in a row, work- legal decisions from years—up to 20 percent.” they are going to be compensated because
ers’ compensation rates are Florida’s Supreme Court in The fact that this hasn’t happened has it will be assumed it was a result of their
going down. What still 2016 had insurers believing been a surprise, though it has been credit- work,” he added. “But what about private
remains to be seen, however, that the rates would soon ed to a number of factors including the fact entities, such as physician practices that
is how COVID-19, and the increase. that technology is making workplaces don’t deal with COVID patients, who have
commensurate claims that “The most prominent of much safer, and that employers are mak- employees who contract the virus? I
come from healthcare work- these was the Castellanos ing risk management a priority. expect that a lot of these claims in the pri-
ers, first responders and oth- decision in which the plain- “For the past 5 to 10 years, we’ve seen a vate world will be denied unless the per-
ers will affect those rates in Tom Murphy tiff’s attorney filed a suit lot more hospitals and medical practices, son can show that they contracted it in the
the long term. against the workers’ com- along with other businesses, hire people workplace.”
“Over the past four years, workers’ pensation system and its fee schedule for specifically to do risk management, look- While the future is uncertain, in the
compensation rates have decreased 25 to lawyers,” Murphy explained. “The work- ing at what their facilities can do to keep meantime, medical practices can celebrate
30 percent overall, and they are expected ers’ comp system is a no-fault system in staff and employers safer,” said Murphy. the fact that they won’t be paying more this
to go down by at least another 6 percent Florida, and it was never designed to have The big unknown in this equation is year for workers’ comp. “All of the other
in 2021, which is good news for medical attorneys; it was designed so injured work- what, if any, effect COVID will have on the forms of insurance—such as employer lia-
practices and every other business in ers could be compensated for medical care workers’ compensation system. “The med- bility, property and casualty, malpractice,
Florida,” said Medical Malpractice and and lost time when an on-the-job injury or ical world was ahead of the curve with and cyber—are going up because they’re
Workers’ Compensation Specialist Tom illness occurred. being prepared and protecting employees seeing loss ratios of over 100 percent,”
Murphy at Danna-Gracey, the largest “In addition to paying benefits for and staff with regards to the pandemic, Murphy added. “At least this one will not
independent medical malpractice insur- injured workers, insurance companies and we’ve started seeing these same pre- be increasing in the near future.”
ance agency in Florida. “When I first were having to pay attorneys’ fees, and cautions permeate the rest of the business
started doing workers’ comp plans for these increased costs dramatically for world,” said Murphy. “Experts are urging For more information, contact Tom Murphy
medical practices 20 years ago, the rate many years,” he added. “The plaintiff bar caution, however, because front line work- or Matt Gracey at 800-966-2120 or visit
was about $1.05 for every $100 of pay- said that the fee schedule was unfair and ers – such as emergency responders, www.dannagracey.com.
roll; now that’s down to 34 cents, which that attorneys were not getting paid healthcare workers and government work-

Cover Story: Navigating the Pandemic: ImageFIRST 'Passes the Test'

Continued from page 1 that's been our bread and butter – outpa- vious clients pleased, but new customers possible, from the most accurate sources.
our associates, and we've managed to keep tient surgery centers. So we knew revenues have been coming on board as well, with "We're still in the middle of a pandemic,
everybody safe in the process. Knowledge would be down, but we still wanted to Juffre saying the company has had its best but more and more people are educated
was key, but communicating the plan and keep everybody employed." year ever in terms of growth. "We picked with what's happening. It continues to be
making sure everybody was aligned was To meet and maintain those goals, Juffre up a lot of new clients, as they were looking fast-paced, but not compared with the six
also key. That's how we approached it and admitted ImageFIRST had to constantly for a reliable partner – where they don't or eight weeks when this first broke."
it is working out well." evolve in certain areas. For example, he have to worry about medical linens, and However, Juffre believes ImageFIRST
ImageFIRST is the country's largest said before the virus, if you saw someone their staffs can focus on patients and not on has at least part of the answer: "I can't say
linen rental and laundry-service provider in a grocery store wearing scrubs, you whether their scrubs are showing up or if enough about our team's response. You
focusing on the medical market. Juffre said wouldn't think twice. Since then, however, they will have enough sheets. We went into can come up with a plan, but you need
during those first weeks, the team came up "that became very taboo; our customers this with three goals, and the by-product people to execute it. We had the best of
with three goals: (1) keep everyone safe – were using more scrubs, so we had to meet has been a record year of growth. I'm really both worlds: we had the plan and we had
the associates who work with ImageFIRST, that demand. We started manufacturing proud of that." the people." And that was how
their customers, their staff, and their our own line of isolation gowns, and that Despite the favorable response from the ImageFIRST passed the test.
patients; (2) take care of customers' needs was something new for us." He said market, Juffre knows the apprehension
by providing uninterrupted service; and ImageFIRST's order and fulfillment isn't over. He agreed that it's still hectic, For more information,
(3) keep everybody employed. He expand- department had to nearly double the staff but said it's not even close to what it was call 800-932-7472
ed by saying, "Safety is a value of ours, but because of the demand for scrubs and like at the beginning. The team continues or visit www.imagefirst.com.
when something like this happens, it gets things of that nature, with some plants to try to acquire as much information as
taken to another level, in terms of our going from four or five days a week to six
readiness and making sure we're doing the or seven to meet clients' needs.
best to educate our team and our clients as The clients were grateful for the effort.
we work through this together. No matter "Our customer retention has stayed at an
what, we had to stay on the forefront to all-time high. I think they appreciate our
keep everybody safe. Second, we wanted willingness to work with them. They
to take great care of our customers. That's always knew they could count on us, but a
always been a priority for us. And third global pandemic puts any customer/ven-
was to keep everybody employed. Many dor partnership to the test. They're happy
states canceled elective surgeries, and we've passed the test." Not only were pre-

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