The Company
Bloomin’ Brands is one of the world’s largest casual dining companies with approximately 94,000 team members and close to 1,500 restaurants throughout 48 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and 19 countries. In 1988, the company opened the first Outback Steakhouse restaurant in Tampa, Florida. Since then, the family of brands expanded to include Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, and Aussie Grill by Outback. Bloomin’ Brands is a 2018 Fortune World’s Most Admired Company, and was proud to be named to Forbes’ list of the America’s Best Employers for Diversity in 2019 & 2020, and America’s Best Employers for Women in 2019.
The Partnership
Bloomin’ Brands partnered with CorVel in 2019 to provide a medically-driven and integrated workers’ compensation and liability program for its employees and customers. Providing immediate access to care, through Advocacy 24/7, aligned with Bloomin’ Brands’ program objective of taking care of their injured workers as soon as possible.
A Smooth Transition
During the implementation process, CorVel and Bloomin’ Brands worked closely to create a tailored program that focused on managing care and return to work. The program included telephonic case management and field case management services, as well as a centralized medical-only team for Bloomin’ Brands’ workers’ compensation program that’s located in close proximity to company headquarters in Tampa, Florida.
Bloomin’ Brands appreciates the value of nurse case management and embraced implementing a dedicated clinical team to serve as medical experts and a resource for the adjusting team. Immediate results were seen in their outcomes and employee satisfaction.
Quick to the Table: Case Management Savings
Within the first year, CorVel’s case management services achieved a direct impact of over $4.8 million of medical, indemnity and utilization savings.
Having a dedicated nurse as a resource not only for workers’ compensation but also for liability had a major impact on the Bloomin’ Brands program.
Utilization Review Savings
CorVel’s clinical services for workers’ compensation includes prospective, retrospective and concurrent drug utilization review, second opinions, peer reviews, precertification and independent medical evaluations. Through improved utilization management and clinical oversight, Bloomin’ Brands achieved more than $320,000 in total savings (FY20). In addition, the company achieved a powerful 13:1 savings ratio and utilization review savings significant return on investment.
How was this savings achieved? CorVel’s experienced staff of Registered Nurses, Medical Directors and panels of Board Certified Physicians helped avoid unnecessary treatments and associated costs by reviewing proposed care to determine appropriateness, frequency, duration and care setting.
Advocacy 24/7 Savings
Through CorVel’s Advocacy 24/7 program, more calls are able to be directed to self-care, when appropriate, delivering huge saving benefits. Many calls come in after hours; and without 24/7 coverage, patients would need to go to an emergency room, a much costlier option.
Through this approach, CorVel’s clinical team was able to manage 48% of claims through self-care and first-aid instruction. By immediately providing injured workers the care they needed, Advocacy 24/7 helped avoid drawn-out, expensive medical claims and keep employees at the job site. This helped Bloomin’ Brands realize more than $600,000 overall savings in a one-year period (FY20).
