PORTLAND, ME, November 21, 2007 – For nearly 15 years, MEMIC has been in the business of reducing injuries to improve the economy. Less people getting injured on the job means lower workers’ compensation costs, and MEMIC knows that. This is precisely why it has used years of research and injury data to develop industry standard certification programs that show employers the safest ways to work in their particular field.

Past programs include the Construction Certification Program (CCP) for home builders, which cut the lost time claims rate in the industry by over 30 percent in the last three years and the Certified Logging Program (CLP) for loggers, which cut the lost time claims rate by over 80 percent and developed a sustainable culture shift within this industry over the last 12 years. Now it is time to look ahead and Dan Cote, MEMIC’s Senior Vice President of Safety, believes home care nursing will be the next field in need of a strong injury prevention program.

“We have a huge crisis looming on the horizon and we have to stop it before it comes to head,” said Cote. “It’s time to become proactive instead of reactive.”

Cote found no viable best practice guide for home care nursing that pulled together all the elements in a comprehensive way, so he and Tracy Schliep, R.N., a medical instructor for the Business Institute of Pennsylvania, set out to develop just that. Fast forward one year and we now have an "Industry Best Practice" guide for the home care nursing industry being nationally published in The Journal of Workers Compensation.

Their research indicates that the general population is getting older and as they age, they prefer to stay in their own homes rather than move to a nursing home or hospital. By 2040, U.S. residents over the age of 85 will account for four percent, or 15 million, of the U.S. population. Their influx into the market will represent at 361 percent increase in home health care consumers. Not only are the senior consumers getting older, but the average age of the home care nurse is also increasing, which will eventually lead to a depletion of nurses.

Why doesn’t this affect all nurses? Generally speaking, a hospital is a controlled environment. There is overhead lighting, cleanly swept floors, clear walkways, security guards, etc. Once you change the environment to a personal home, it becomes uncontrolled. Stairs could be icy, lighting could be dim, and trip hazards could be sitting on the floor. Each new home and each separate visit pose a safety hazard to nurses entering throughout all hours of the day and night.

Cote and Schliep conclude that, in order to assure a capable workforce and a strong bottom line, employers and managers need to adopt standards of practice that will optimize safety, limit risk, and cultivate wellness. Nurses need to be well trained for entering a foreign environment and will have to wear proper clothing including boots for winter.

“The goal with the Home Care project is to create an Industry Best Practice before the explosion of loss occurs within this industry by raising awareness to the problem and setting an Industry Best Practice for our customers to follow,” said Cote. Since its formation in 1993, MEMIC has been Maine’s largest workers’ compensation insurer. Its focus on workplace safety and injury prevention has given rise to its growing reputation as a leader in the insurance industry in the Northeast. In 2000, the company developed MEMIC Indemnity, which has grown steadily as a leading regional specialist in workers’ compensation.

For more information about MEMIC or MEMIC Indemnity Company, please visit www.memic.com.

About MEMIC

A super-regional workers’ compensation specialty insurer rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best, The MEMIC Group insures more than 20,000 employers and their estimated 300,000 employees. Licensed across the country with more than $1.2 billion in assets, The MEMIC Group is a leading carrier in the Northeast with a growing profile across the Eastern Seaboard. Offices are located in New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida, in addition to the headquarters in Portland, Maine.