Everything You Need to Know About EMC's 24/7 Work-Injury Nurse Hotline (updated September 2021)

Workplace accidents happen. And it's important to know what to do when they occur. It's often up to the injured worker or their supervisor to make quick medical decisions they may not be qualified to make. EMC offers a safer, more streamlined way to respond. With the EMC OnCall Nurse program you'll have access to a registered nurse 24/7.

EMC OnCall Nurse takes the guesswork out of workplace injuries by immediately connecting the injured worker and their supervisor (if available) to a registered nurse to receive guidance on the appropriate level of medical care. Watch the video below to learn more about our work-injury nurse hotline and keep reading for answers to commonly asked questions about the program.

EMC OnCall Nurse from EMC Insurance Companies on Vimeo.

Q: What is the EMC OnCall Nurse program?
A: The EMC OnCall Nurse program is a 24/7 work-injury, nurse hotline that allows injured workers and their supervisors to immediately speak with a registered nurse following a workplace injury. EMC has partnered with Medcor to offer this 24/7 work injury triage service.

Q: How does the work-injury nurse hotline work?
A: When a work injury or accident occurs, the supervisor (if available) and the injured should call the EMC OnCall Nurse. The nurse will speak with the supervisor to collect basic account details, and then talk with the injured worker. The nurse assesses the injury, using evidence- based algorithms, and provides a recommendation on the level of care. Recommendations can include self-care, with instructions provided by the nurse, or a referral for medical care. Your company can also establish preferred clinics, allowing the nurse to alert them via fax so the clinic knows an injured employee is on the way.

Following each call, the nurse generates a confidential incident report, along with your state’s required first report of injury. These reports are sent via secure email to your company’s appointed workers’ compensation contact and to EMC’s claims team. This saves your company the hassle of reporting the injury, while allowing for a faster claim setup (if needed) and greater communication among all parties.

Q: How does my company enroll in the EMC OnCall Nurse program?
A: There are several ways to get started!.

• Contact your independent insurance agent
• Contact your EMC underwriting or territory management team member
• Email EMC's medical management staff at claims.oncallnurse@emcins.com

To start the enrollment process, you’ll need to provide your account name and contact information (including name, phone number and email address).You can also provide information about your company’s preferred medical providers when completing the enrollment process. Please note that enrollment is required before you can use the EMC OnCall Nurse program. An EMC workers’ compensation team member will assist with your enrollment and confirm once you are enrolled in the program.

Q: Is there a fee associated with the EMC OnCall Nurse program?
A:EMC is paying for this premium service for our standard/guaranteed cost workers' compensation policyholders because we feel strongly that the benefits, for all involved, outweigh the costs. This program is beneficial, to any/all premium size workers’ compensation accounts!

Q: What are some of the benefits of the EMC OnCall Nurse program?
A: There are a wide variety of program benefits! We outline a few of the key benefits below:

• Claims Cost Savings:

  EMC OnCall Nurse claims experience an average cost savings of nearly $1,200 per claim. And 40% of injuries reported through EMC OnCall Nurse result in the injured worker returning to work without initial, formal medical treatment. Injuries that result in self-care, with no medical costs and no lost time, are documented as incident only and do not impact the policyholder’s claim experience or mod factor.

• Saved Time:

  Through EMC OnCall Nurse, the injury is reported to EMC on a policyholder’s behalf. Meaning there is no need to report the injury to EMC via other reporting methods.

• Improved Reporting Times:

  Nearly 90% of the work injuries reported to EMC OnCall Nurse are reported within three days, with 75% reported within 24 hours. The average reporting time for EMC workers’ compensation claims not using EMC OnCall Nurse is 22 days.

• 24/7 Access:

  Policyholders enrolled in EMC OnCall nurse can contact a registered nurse any time, day or night for immediate triage and guidance, relieving injured workers and their supervisor from making medical decisions.

• Available Translators:

  Translators are available for more than 200 languages and dialects.

• Additional Assistance:

  An injured worker or supervisor can make follow-up calls to EMC OnCall Nurse for additional assistance at any time when using a reference number (provided at the time of the initial call). For example, if the initial recommendation involves self-care and the injured worker’s symptoms change or do not improve, a follow-up call can be made for guidance on next steps.

• Streamlined Process:

  The program provides a simplified and streamlined work-injury process that’s easy to follow and ensures the injured worker receives the care they need so they can return to work safely and in a timely manner.

Resources

• OnCall Nurse Brochure