Abstract
When absenteeism threatened to raise health care costs and affect the quality of care at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital, a multidisciplinary team came together to develop a strategic response. The hospital seized the opportunity to initiate the “Partners in Health” program, an innovative and collaborative disability management program designed to improve its response to the health issues of all its staff. This paper describes how the program was developed and outlines its comprehensive approach. Partners in Health has proven to be extremely successful at increasing attendance awareness, improving work accommodation and/or rehabilitation after illness or injury, and reducing costs associated with health and lost-time claims. Partners in Health was recognized with the 1995 Health Care Quality Team Award sponsored by the Canadian College of Health Service Executives and 3M.
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