Workers' compensation: case management strategies.

1. Comprehensive workers' compensation case management involves goals at all levels of prevention. The goal for primary prevention is decreasing the risk of job injury; for secondary prevention, preparing for early intervention in injury events; and for tertiary prevention, assisting injured employees to regain maximum health. 2. The major roles of the occupational health nurse in implementing a case management program are: assessing workplace safety and health, establishing treatment networks, assisting employees with choices from among treatment options, and creating a continuous communication feedback loop among all parties involved. 3. Case management systems may be evaluated from four perspectives: consumer satisfaction, process, outcome, and cost effectiveness. A combination of the four methods will yield a strong indication of program value and highlight areas in need of improvement.