Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health recently updated the organizational structure of its Occupational Medicine, Workers’ Compensation and Employee Health services to an integrated model that aligns with other Penn Medicine entities. The integration involved changes in leadership roles and reporting, adding new positions, and converting software tools for systemwide data collection.
The teams also streamlined how LG Health employees access services in order to improve safety, efficiency and communication.
In May, LG Health transitioned reporting of all workplace injuries and exposures from the StarNet portal to the Employee Health Call Center. Employees also have a choice of locations now for receiving health services like injury care or vaccines.
“The operational improvements we are continuing to make will allow Employee Health and Occupational Medicine to respond to injuries and exposures with more timely, coordinated care. Employees are going to receive personalized guidance and follow-up through every step of treatment and recovery,” said Wendy Fitts, director, Quality.
Communication will be enhanced under the integrated structure as well. Workers’ Compensation will keep managers informed of any workplace injuries and employees requiring modified duties or time off. Staff safety committees have been reestablished to help identify areas of risk or barriers to reporting incidents.
“We hired a safety and environmental health specialist who will focus on injury prevention. By taking proactive measures, we can help avoid accidents rather than react to them,” said Angela Mackley, CSP, director, Safety and Emergency Management.
“The triage and coordination we’ve put in place behind the scenes will make our services more convenient and seamless for employees, and allow for better handoffs and follow-up care,” Mackley said.