Insourced Leave Management: Challenges, Advantages, and Unexpected Outcomes

By Lisa Deeves, RN, COHN-S

Disability Case Manager
Hackensack Meridian Health

Fourteen years ago, the precursor to Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey began discussing whether we should bring medical leave management program inhouse.

Workers’ compensation (WC) claims were managed inhouse by registered nurses (RNs) supporting early return to work (RTW) using modified duty or reduced scheduling. This approach significantly decreased lost time and improved outcomes.

But our medical leave of absence program was not thriving after a few years with an outsourced provider located in the Midwest due to the provider’s lack of familiarity with New Jersey’s temporary disability insurance and the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJ FLA). Managers from the WC claims program and human resources (HR) benefits wondered what might happen if we applied the same on-site case management approach to our medical leaves as we were using for our WC claims. They decided to give this idea a try, and our fledgling in-house medical leaves program was born.

We reached out to other HR managers and occupational health professionals to hear their experience but couldn’t find anyone to guide us. After many discussions, one incredibly informative FMLA class, and several conversations with our WC counsel, some key features of our program began to take shape. To deliver the best absence management for our employees, we would have to focus on policy, compliance, consistency, and, perhaps most importantly, connection. We envisioned a department that would act as the epicenter of communication for all stakeholders, so we named our department Meridian Connect.

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