Medical Management Services

Welcome to AIG Medical Management Services (Ireland). Playing a vital role in looking after ill, injured or disabled individuals and employees:

• Co-ordinating medical and vocational services post injury, illness or accident
• Organising successful return to work programmes  
• Beneficial to both the employer and the employee   

Founded in 1999, AIG Ireland Medical Management Services (Ireland) (formerly Medical & Rehabilitation Ireland) is the longest-established and largest case management company in Ireland.

AIG Medical Management Services (Ireland) provides a full range of attendance and absence management services. Our hugely successful medical and vocational rehabilitation case management service serves both the private and the public sector. Our portfolio of services is available to a wide range of organisations including employers, insurance companies, solicitors and third party administrators.

Our case managers all hold a medical qualification and are vigilant about adhering to the requirements associated with medical confidentiality and codes of professional conduct. As advocates for employees and injured parties, we categorically do not play any part in the litigation process associated with ill health and absence from work.

Market
In Ireland our market leading services have managed over 5,000 individuals suffering from illness, accident or injury back to health, in addition to assisting them to return to productive employment.

Our professional employee base of registered rehabilitation nurses, physiotherapists, nurses and vocational consultants are based in Dublin.  We also have an association with AIG Medical Management Services (UK) (Ltd) which offers similar services across the UK.  We provide a firm and co-ordinated approach to assisting people to achieve recovery and return to work, which is based on an appreciation of the needs and objectives of all parties associated with the absence management and rehabilitation process.

Case Studies
The following case studies outline the benefit and effectiveness of early MMS intervention to co-ordinate an individual’s medical treatment and return to work in a variety of differing scenarios

1. Serious Leg Fracture
2. Intermittent Absence Due to Depression and Alcoholism
3. Back Injury at Work - Requiring Vocational Consultancy
4. Injuries sustained in a Road Traffic Accident
   

AIG Medical Management Services is Ireland’s premier medical case management company specialising in rehabilitation and return to work planning for injured or ill employees. Since 1999, MR has successfully medically and vocationally rehabilitated over five thousand employees across various industries.

This pro-active approach to managing employee absence is known as medical case management and its aim is to restore the employee to their pre-injury/illness health and employment status as efficiently as possible.

This process helps to contain many of the costs associated with ongoing absence from work.

Why case management?

Studies have shown that 75% of persons absent from work for 1 year and 90% for 2 years or more, do not return to productive employment. There are many reasons why a person may remain absent from work following illness or injury however the following contributory factors are present in many cases:

Long waiting lists in public healthcare system resulting in a lack of timely medical intervention.

• Inability of the ill or injured person to afford the costs associated with private medical care.
• Lack of knowledge on the part of the ill/injured person of the medical care system thereby precluding access to the most appropriate interventions.
• Lack of formalised procedures to monitor and support individuals while absent.

All of these factors can contribute to delayed recovery / increase the likelihood that someone will fail to return to work.

Employee absence comes at a significant cost to the employer. This may include the need to recruit or retrain staff, the possiblity of reduced production quality or even lost production and consequent loss of orders and the significant management hours spent dealing with the situation.

What can AIG Medical Management Services do?

The AIG Medical Management Services case management services allows employers to offer independent co-ordination of medical assistance to injured or ill employees at a time when they need it most, immediately.

It is widely recognised that a person’s medical situation and long term prognosis can be improved if the appropriate medical treatment is given at the earliest opportunity. It is also clear that there may be concerns around the ill/injured party’s fitness to return to work which need to be addressed during the rehabilitation process to enable them to safely return to their original job or find alternative employment.

MMS’s case managers are fully qualified medical professionals familiar with the Irish healthcare system and experienced in navigating the many obstacles which may impede an individual’s ability to access appropriate timely care and subsequent return to work.

How does it work?

Once a referral is made to MMS, the case manager contacts the ill/injured person to gain their written consent. This consent allows us to pro-actively solicit and co-ordinate treatment as recommended by the person’s medical doctor / team. This may involve arranging accelerated diagnostics, second opinions or specialist treatments. Some of the most common interventions we co-ordinate are physiotherapy, consultant appointments, x-rays, scans and counselling.

Treatment recommendations are received in writing by the case manager who agrees these costs with the employer and ensures that the employee is attending and benefiting from treatment. Throughout the process, the MMS case manager is a central point of contact liaising with all relevant parties: ie employee, medical practitioners and employer, thus providing continuing clarity as to the ill/injured party’s recovery and potential return to work status.

While regular updates are provided to the employer, MMS medical case managers are bound by their codes of professional conduct. Treatment reports received during the course of case management are only shared with the employee’s medical team as part of the case management process.

What are the outcomes?

MMS’s service delivers benefits to both the injured or ill employee and the employer. A partnership approach to employee care ensures maximum recovery, early return to work and all round cost savings.

The primary benefits to the employer include the retention of valuable human resources, improved employee relations, reduced litigation and adversity. There are also significant cost benefits to the employer with a reduction of both direct and indirect costs.

The primary benefit for the employee is the opportunity to avail of optimum medical care as directed by their own medical team without the financial overhead. The vocational aspect is also critical in facilitating return to work; all evidence indicates that the longer an individual is out of work, the less likely they are to get back to work. MMS’s specialised intervention with relevant stakeholders can successfully overcome these barriers.

Contact Us:

Please contact AIG Medical Management Services (Ireland) to find out more about how our specialist medical case management service can positively contribute to managing absence in the workplace.

Contact:
AIG Medical Management Services (Ireland)
30 North Wall Quay
International Financial Services Centre
Dublin 1
Ireland

Tel: +353 1 208 1468
Email: MMS.ie@aig.com

The principles of rehabilitation extend far beyond the remit of simply assisting individuals to return to their pre-injury level of health. In many cases, consideration must be given to employment matters too.

Why Vocational Consultancy?

AIG Medical Management Services Vocational Consultancy is available for people whose residual health status after injury or illness means that they are unable to return to their original job.

At MMS, we work with a team of Vocational Consultants to assist people to return to suitable employment, mindful of any medical recommendations or physical and psychological limitations.

Through a comprehensive process of vocational assessment and job analysis, our team assists individuals who may have difficulty retaining employment, or who may need assistance to find a new career entirely, due to their changing health.

When is Vocational Consultancy required?

In the majority of cases, the objective of ensuring a return to work in the original job is achieved. In some cases, the employee may return to their original job immediately. In other cases, the employee returns to their original job on a graded return to work basis. Further to this, an employee may return to their original job with certain required adaptations. For example, ergonomic assistance and modifications.

However, should it appear that an employee will never return to his or her original job, a Vocational Consultant is required. The aim of the Vocational Consultant is to find a medically suitable job within the company for the employee which is also meaningful for both the employee and the employer.

If there is no suitable alternative job within the company, the Vocational Consultant then works with the individual to find a different job which is matched to their skills, medical status, experience and qualifications.

The Benefits

AIG Medical Management Services assists both employee and their employer with its vocational programme.

• The vocational consultant advises an employer on reasonable adjustment and re-deployment options and also on grants that may be available.
• For the employees, the vocational consultant assesses an individual and helps to navigate them through the transition back to alternative medically suitable employment.