The Center of Occupational Health & Education (COHE)
Community of Eastern Washington is a public-private partnership between the
Washington State Department of Labor & Industries and St. Luke's
Rehabilitation Institute in Spokane, WA. COHE is a joint venture unlike
any in the nation and the results are impressive, far exceeding expectations
for patient outcomes - including cost savings and satisfaction by providers,
patients, and employers.
How COHE Works:
Community health care providers participating in COHE receive
education on occupational health best practices and incentive pay for following
best practices. Health Services Coordinators (HSCs) work directly with
the injured worker, employer, health care provider, L&I, and others to
coordinate the care and return-to-work activities for injured workers.
Program Goals:
- Reduce disability and help injured workers return to work when
medically appropriate;
- Early identification of high-risk claims and improved
coordination of care;
- Foster adoption of occupational health best practices among
providers, particularly with conditions contributing to higher rates of time
loss compensation;
- Increase employer, worker and provider satisfaction with the
workers’ compensation system; and
- Sustain and enhance quality outcomes for injured workers.
Outcomes:
- Injured Workers are more likely to receive benefits more quickly
& experience a lower incidence of disability.
- Employers experience less lost time from valuable workers and receive support in return-to-work activities.
- Medical providers receive incentive pay and valuable
occupational health education.
COHE saves our Eastern Washington communities approximately $62 million in medical & disability costs every year.
Review Code of Conduct.