Executive Summary

Introduction

The Health Bridge, Inc. was founded in 1992 and is a privately held professional service company headquartered in West Point, Georgia. Health Bridge provides medical management and loss control services to employers throughout North America. The company’s position is unique in its “performance guarantee”, offering a definable, high rate of financial return to employers who use their services.

Service

The Health Bridge provides an outsourcing opportunity for employers to gain control of costs related to medical issues which impact profitability and insurance claims experience.  In this outsourcing arrangement, a client company enjoys the benefits of having a medically trained “partner” who is charged with the responsibility of both controlling medical cost and ensuring high quality care from medical providers. The foundation of this partnering relationship is The Health Bridge’s Corporate Nurse® program. This professional staff becomes the primary employer and employee interface for ensuring value and quality in health management. Corporate Nurse® responsibilities can include managing a wide variety of employment related medical issues ranging from 24-hour nurse on call, pre-employment physical coordination, substance abuse management and fit for duty evaluations. Within the range of available service functions there are three major focus areas:

In today’s business environment, employee injuries can have a dramatic negative impact on the success of a company.  The direct medical and indemnity costs are only a part of the total.  There are other important considerations such as lost productivity, the impact on frequency and severity measurements, as well as maintaining employer/employee relationships. Because every business attaches differing levels of importance to each of these issues, the Corporate Nurse® program first assists its Client in defining its desired goals for occupational health.   The Health Bridge adopts our clients’ management philosophies and manages treatment plans for injured employees in order to achieve the results our client’s desire. 

Typically, our clients are looking for results in three key areas:

The cost of workers' compensation claims can have an enormous impact on the profitability of many companies.  Ever increasing medical and indemnity expenses must be managed effectively or the upward spiral of these costs can create a financial disaster.  Corporate Nurse®   has a proven history of managing these expenses for many Client companies. In demonstrating it’s commitment to each Client, The Health Bridge “GUARANATEE” is that each Client will realize at least 150% return on their investment with the Corporate Nurse® program, or owe nothing for the service.

 Integrated Disability Management

Assisting employees who suffer sudden disabilities, or who become incapacitated due to health reasons, often involves complex and potentially devastating considerations. (not to mention the company's financial burden of losing a good employee) The Health Bridge staff maintains a constant state of readiness to engage all involved in minimizing the loss of health to an employee client. In each case, all considerations and priorities will center on restoring the employee to good health as quickly as possible. Occasionally, such restoration will develop into a more lengthy process. As this occurs, the company and employee will be kept appraised of recovery issues, comprehensively documented by a specifically assigned personal health consultant. This consultant will always be available to the employee for treatment planning assistance.

 Executive Health Management

An investment in your health is an investment in your company. As an executive, your health is a matter of more than personal importance.

Your company relies on you for leadership and direction, your fitness for this task is vital to its success.

The 24 hour toll free Bridgeline© gives immediate access to your personal Executive Health Consultant who will provide support and guidance to ensure the best individualized care available for you and your family. These services are available both at home in the U.S. and while traveling abroad.

Don't make important Medical decisions alone! Call your personal Executive Health Consultant anytime.

Your time is valuable. Executive Health Systems streamlines executive health services to maintain the highest level of professional efficiency.

The Executive Health System is provided by your company to help you use all available healthcare alternatives effectively and avoid the inconvenience and personal loss associated with illness or injury. In the event of  debilitating injury or illness, our staff will assist in managing your disability to get you back on the job as soon as possible. In each case, the employer and employee alike are realistically advised regarding timely returns to work so that all concerned may plan accordingly.

How We Do It

First of all, we recruit only Bachelors and Masters prepared nurses to work with our firm. Many of these nurses have advanced business degrees as well. Specialist physicians, practicing in recognized, medical “centers of excellence” or elite academic settings are retained as consulting partners and are only a phone call away when needed. All of our Corporate Nurse® staff and associates understand complex medical issues and manage treatment plans with the objective of returning the employee to good health as well as making sure that the employer’s bottom line remains healthy.

Next, we develop strong relationships within local medical communities, selecting physicians who share our interest in treating employees in a manner consistent with our client’s management objectives.  In many communities, these relationships have already been developed. There are never conflicts of interest with these providers as there are no “back room” business relationships. They are accountable and engaged as a medical treatment resource only due to the “outcomes” they produce.   We are in close contact with the doctors from the time an employee becomes injured or ill to make sure that the employee is getting high quality medical treatment, and also that all the treatments are necessary.  We have found that the most expensive piece of equipment used by a doctor is his ordering/referral pen.

Finally, we manage the case to medical closure, ensuring that closure is timely.  We have found that much of the cost associated with illness and injury occurs when the claim drags on unnecessarily.  Many times this is because a physician is taking an overly conservative approach.  We make sure that employees are returned to productive work as soon as they are medically fit to do so.

Our Performance Guarantee

•   We will always put the employer/employee relationship first.  Without employers and their employees, there would be no Health Bridge.

•   We will listen.

•   We will discuss the cost effectiveness of our services at any time and never argue about a bill.  If the value is not apparent, don’t pay the bill.  The Health Bridge guarantees 150% return on the managed care investment.

•   We will consistently bond employees and employers together as we work to ensure the highest quality, cost effective care for patients.