System and method for managing employee absences

• US 7,184,962 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: KCRS, Inc.
• Inventors: Kalnas, Patrick J., Scherm, Steven A.
• Primary Examiner(s): OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P
• Application Number:
  US10/365,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20030154098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/3, 705/8, 705/9
• US Class Current: 705/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1057 Benefits or employee welfare, e.g. insurance, holiday or retirement packages
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising

Abstract

A method for managing the absence of an employee is disclosed. The method includes generating an incident case related to the absence, defining portions of the incident case, and integrating the portions such that the incident case is accessible by one or more entities involved with managing the absence.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing an absence of an employee, the method comprising:

generating an incident case related to the absence;

defining portions of the incident case with a safety module, a medical module, a physical therapy module, a work related module, a non-work related module, a job analysis module, a scheduler module, a legal module, a cost module, and a financial module;

integrating the portions such that all of the portions of the incident case are accessible by one or more entities involved with managing the absence; and

determining a total cost associated with the absence.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the incident case related to the absence includes generating the incident case for an employee injury.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the incident case related to the absence includes generating the incident case for an employee illness.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein defining portions with the safety module includes defining one or more of an accident, an injury type, an accident date, an accident location, an accident time, an accident witness and a treatment received.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein defining portions with the medical module includes defining one or more of an attending physician, a treatment date, an injury diagnosis and a treatment plan.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein defining portions with the physical therapy module includes defining one or more of a primary therapist, an attending therapist, a therapy type, a therapy date and a physical therapy plan.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein defining portions with the work related module includes defining one or more of a work-related claim, a claim date, a benefit amount, an employee contact date, a supervisor contact date and a physician contact date.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein defining portions with the non-work related module includes defining one or more of a non-work related claim, a claim date, a benefit amount, an employee contact date, a supervisor contact date and a physician contact date.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein defining portions with the job analysis module includes defining one or more of a job title, a job function, a list of equipment used and a list of materials used.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein defining portions with the scheduler module includes defining one or more of a provider, a physician, a physical therapist, an appointment date, an appointment time and en appointment location.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein defining portions with the legal module includes defining an attorney name, an attorney phone number, a meeting date and a hearing date.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein defining portions with the cost module includes defining one or more of an employee salary, an insurance premium and a replacement worker expense.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein defining portions with the financial module includes defining a bank name, an account number, an initial indemnity reserve amount, an initial legal reserve amount, an initial medical reserve amount, a transaction date and a transaction amount.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein integrating the portions of the incident case includes organizing the portions within a relational database.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

populating a relational database with a plurality of parent files associated with one or more of the entities; and

generating a report related to the absence.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein populating the relational database with the plurality of parent files includes populating the relational database with one or more of company information, employee information, medical provider information, insurance information, benefit information and union information.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein generating the report includes generating the report with one or more of the safety module, the medical module, the physical therapy module, the work related module, the non-work related module, the job analysis module, the scheduler module, the legal module, the cost module, and the financial module.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the incident case for the employee injury includes generating the incident case for a non-work related injury.

19. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the incident case for the employee illness includes generating the incident case for a non-work related illness.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the total cost associated with the absence includes determining direct and indirect costs associated with the absence.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining the total cost associated with the absence includes determining fixed and variable costs associated with the absence.

22. A system for managing an absence of an employee, the system comprising:

means for generating an incident case related to the absence;

means for defining portions of the incident case, wherein the means for defining portions of the incident case include a client system and a host system in communication with the client system, the host system comprising a database server and an application server in communication with the database server, the application server including a safety module, a medical module, a physical therapy module, a work related module, a non-work related module, a job analysis module, a scheduler module, a legal module, a cost module arid a financial module;

means for integrating the portions such that all of the portions of the incident case are accessible by one or more entities involved with managing the absence; and

means for determining a total cost associated with the incident case.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the means for generating the incident case related to the absence include the client system and the host system in communication with the client system.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the means for integrating the portions include the host system.

25. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

means for populating a relational database with a plurality of parent files associated with one or more of the entities; and

means for generating a report related to the absence.

26. The system of claim 22, further comprising means for determining direct and indirect costs associated with the incident case.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising means for determining fixed and variable costs associated with the incident case.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein the safety module records information including one or more of an accident, an injury type, an accident date, an accident location, an accident time, an accident witness and a treatment received.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the medical module records information including one or more of an attending physician, a treatment date, an injury diagnosis and a treatment plan.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein the physical therapy module records information including one or more of a primary therapist, an attending therapist, a therapy type, a therapy date and a physical therapy plan.

31. The system of claim 22, wherein the work related module records information including one or more of a work-related claim, a claim date, a benefit amount, an employee contact date, a supervisor contact date and a physician contact date.

32. The system of claim 22, wherein the non-work related module records information including one or more of a non-work related claim, a claim date, a benefit amount, an employee contact date, a supervisor contact date and a physician contact date.

33. The system of claim 22, wherein the job analysis module records information including one or more of a job title, a job function, a list of equipment used and a list of materials used.

34. The system of claim 22, wherein the scheduler module records information including one or more of a provider, a physician, a physical therapist, an appointment date, an appointment time and an appointment location.

35. The system of claim 22, wherein the legal module records information including one or more of an attorney name, an attorney phone number, a meeting date and a hearing date.

36. The system of claim 22, wherein the cost module records information including one or more of an employee salary, an insurance premium and a replacement worker expense.

37. The system of claim 22, wherein the financial module records information including one or more of a bank name, an account number, an initial indemnity reserve amount, an initial legal reserve amount, an initial medical reserve amount, a transaction date and a transaction amount.