Slip/Fall Prevention Reduces Annual STF Claim Cost by 86% – Health Care

February 5, 2016

During 2014, Jefferson County Nursing Home, a long-term care facility in eastern Tennessee had experienced five claims related to slips, trips and falls costing nearly $37,000. United Heartland Loss Control evaluated the root causes and identified three possible areas of risk exposure:

• Wet surfaces and mats in the kitchen area
• Wet surfaces in the laundry area
• Cords on floors in patient rooms and in general areas

In addition to providing needed training on safe patient transfers, United Heartland offered presentations and resources on slips/trips/falls (STF) prevention to the facility with the goal of reducing STF claims and related costs by 10%. Because of Jefferson County Nursing Home’s commitment to implementing safe practices and prevention training in 2015, the facility had experienced no claims related to STFs last year. In fact, they only experienced two claims, costing about $5,000 – an excellent example of how STF prevention and education can have a significant impact on an organization’s bottom line.