Claims Pharmacy helps to speed up worker recovery processes

We understand that injured workers have plenty to deal with when trying to get back to full health. So, a program that can streamline access to necessary medication and remove out-of-pocket expenses is going to offer advantages.

Our Personal Injury teams are striving to help injured workers get back to health and return to work as soon as they’re able. That’s why we've partnered with medication management service Claims Pharmacy to make sure injured workers are given all the support they need for a faster recovery.

The service works by using data to monitor an injured worker’s medication use. It also helps to simplify their recovery journey by making it easy for them to access prescribed medication without being out of pocket. Once a script is received, Claims Pharmacy will dispense and deliver medication directly to the worker’s home, then submit an invoice to Allianz.

At its simplest level, the Claims Pharmacy program streamlines how injured workers can access the medication they need. It does this in a time-efficient manner to support them in their recovery journey, as well as making sure their consumption is safe.  But it plays another essential role by removing the need to ask for payment of out-of-pocket expenses.

Nadine Sivyer, Allianz Return to Work Manager, leads a team of return-to-work specialists who support the claims team to achieve best-practice return-to-work outcomes for customers. She says, “Claims Pharmacy makes it easier for workers to access their treatment needs with a no-fuss approach so they can focus on their recovery.”

“Lodging a workers' compensation claim is difficult enough as it is,” Nadine says. “Making medication more convenient to access is one less thing an injured worker has to think about.”

With misuse of prescription medication a common cause of hospital admissions in Australia, Claims Pharmacy has a prescription monitoring system. It helps identify patients who are on high doses of high-risk medication or at risk of combining dangerous doses of medication prescribed by multiple providers.

Given there’s an ever-present danger of prescription medication being misused, Claims Pharmacy’s ability to monitor medication use is a benefit that can’t be overlooked.

Nadine says that the Claims Pharmacy program offers Allianz a holistic view of a worker’s medication use and can identify possible drug dependency issues. “If detected, we can initiate an independent medical review of the worker’s treatment program through Claims Pharmacy.”

This involves Claims Pharmacy engaging with the parties involved in the worker’s recovery journey – such as their general practitioner and pharmacist – to discuss recommendations on medication type, dosage, and duration.

“The medication is there to help the worker, but if it’s being used in an incorrect way, it’s going to impact negatively on their return-to-work journey,” Nadine explains.

Providing better and safer access to prescription medication is just one element of a comprehensive worker recovery program that takes in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, counselling, and other assistance measures.

But Allianz’s partnership with Claims Pharmacy is fast becoming an essential part of our treatment program for injured workers.

“We want to utilise the program as much as we can because we can really see the benefits,” Nadine says. “An initiative like this that supports workers in their recovery journey is one we’re really going to get behind.”