Daniel S. Heit, President, and CEO“Our first aim is to provide a route back to productivity for injured individuals”
A hiatus from work due to debilitating physical injuries isn't limited to the world of sports. However, not everyone has the mental fortitude of Niki Lauda to overcome their challenges and seek out new opportunities in life. Serious injuries can crush an average employee's spirit when they are forced to stay home over extended periods to recuperate. Demoralized and jaded, these professionals often find it daunting to return to work after a long break. Employers, too, face the cost of reimbursing their injured workers and shoulder the burden of lost productivity. As a result, Return to Work (RTW) programs were initiated by several organizations to help workers in their transition back to employment. Catalyst RTW was founded on this very premise, to serve customers that are grappling with escalating workers' compensation and long-term disability costs, and in turn, offering genuine second chances to injured and disabled beneficiaries. The company aims to allow workers to have a sense of purpose once again and feel valued as productive employees.
The Cogs That Run Catalyst
Catalyst is internally-driven to find new ways that reduce the duration of work-related absence and facilitate an early return to work—a key metric for the impact an injury has on both workers and employers. Leading the company is President and CEO, Daniel S. Heit, who has nearly 20 years of experience running his previous organization that helped teenagers surmount drug abuse and mental health problems. Heit steers Catalyst ahead to achieve two concurrent goals. "Our first aim is to provide a route back to productivity for injured individuals," he says. "Our second goal is to add value to the other firms who also work in resolving the clients' issues." Working with insurance companies, legal firms, healthcare practitioners, and third-party administrators (TPAs) mean that Catalyst ensures that all involved parties benefit from finding employment opportunities for the customer. The company also collaborates with local and national vocational companies for on-site services that help clients save a considerable amount of money searching for employment.
Typical customer engagements for Catalyst begin with receiving a referral from a claims adjuster or a TPA administrator. Upon reviewing the file, Catalyst's team verifies the client's previous return-to-work efforts, while also scrutinizing their education, work experience, and the nature and extent of their injuries.
The company then consults the client's treating physician to discuss how the job can be altered to fit the worker's limited mobility. For example, if the path to recovery requires the client to keep their feet elevated for a few hours a day, Catalyst will work with the employer to ensure that they can do so. Depending on the claimant's legal posture, Catalyst also works with their attorneys and insurance providers for a medical release that permits the client to attend the job interview. "Our process from receiving the file to obtaining the medical release happens over the course of a few weeks," says Heit.
Our company makes certain that workers have flexible work schedules with allotted periods of rest to wear out the possible side effects of pain medication
In the vocational services world, companies are often perceived as being on the employer's side or the disabled worker. Catalyst's distinction is finding real RTW solutions that help disabled workers overcome their emotional and physical barriers. As an alternative RTW solution for employers who cannot provide a modified workplace for claimants, Catalyst provides the TransitionALL service. It is a home-based, subsidized training program for individuals with severe disabling conditions who have a history of unsuccessful return to work efforts due to weak labor markets or motivational concerns. TransitionALL provides sedentary telephone survey work to people who may have driving restrictions due to physical limitations or prescribed medications' side effects. "Such light-duty programs help keep workers continually engaged, which in turn, reduces their anxiety and promotes a sense of restoration," adds Heit.
"Catalyst's RTW services have become ever more essential to injured workers with the COVID crisis forcing businesses to operate at lower capacities or adopt work from home modalities. Additionally, with the current situation restricting travel, prospective employees can attend interviews from their homes' comfort. Catalyst arranges telework or telecommuting, which allows individuals to work for a given company regardless of where they stay, eliminating the need for daily commuting or contact with the general public.
Prioritizing Vocational Rehabilitation
Recent changes in the employment market, and the economy as a whole, will lead to a dearth of job opportunities for individuals preparing to return to the workforce after an extended break.
With ample experience dealing with hundreds of job aspirants, Heit states that he has seen multiple cases where employees were out of work for nearly 20 years due to severe injuries. In such cases, Catalyst assesses their education and skillset and provides work from home opportunities along with suitable accommodation. "Our company makes certain that workers have flexible work schedules with allotted periods of rest to wear out the possible side effects of pain medication," he continues. And since most employees do not possess a strong background or have ambivalent motivations, their wages are subsidized for the first 750 hours of work to protect the hiring company financially.
Heit cites a case where Catalyst helped a trucker, who was out of work for nearly four years due to a neck injury, earn a market research associate's job. He completed the subsidized program in less than 750 hours and quickly reached a proficiency level where the company could hire him with a full-benefits package.
Another success story highlights how Catalyst goes above and beyond to help their claimants land a gratifying job. The client was a former administrative assistant who left his job due to an injury and moved to a remote, forested area in Michigan's upper peninsula. It was an area with no cell phone service, and the individual did not have access to a landline in his cabin either. Catalyst's vocational experts consulted with the client's attorney and insurance provider to deliver a satellite phone to his location. The insurance carrier agreed to pay the $3,000 for the phone, and the customer could finally focus on his remote work instead.
Where Positivity Leads the Way
The company's goal of 'helping clients stand firm on their feet' is thoroughly reflected in its operations. Catalyst is a customer-centric organization that prioritizes well-being over financial gain. "A majority of TPAs and vocational service providers tend to focus on maximizing profits using time-dependent services," says Heit. "Claimants are discouraged from approaching such companies because they spend more money the longer their case persists." On the other hand, Catalyst flips the customer-company relationship entirely and only charges a one-time, flat fee for a particular case. This methodology assures the client that the company centers itself on creating a genuine RTW opportunity for the worker.
Catalyst's team first presumes a positive outcome for the customer and then works backward from that point. This outcome-first approach is especially vital for claimants who have almost lost hope on securing a job and are on the verge of despair. The company's progressive work culture also gives clients the freedom to unreservedly interact with attorneys, insurance providers, and TPAs.
By providing bona fide RTW solutions through light-duty work or a modified workplace, Catalyst leads the vocational landscape with services that combine cost-effectiveness with its holistic 'can-do' ideology. With significant benefits to both employers and workers, the organization has been acknowledged in saving its customers millions of dollars by resolving even the most challenging cases.
