The most serious workplace injuries, including multiple trauma, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, severe burns, and limb loss, are rare occurrences in most industries—but their human and financial impacts can be enormous. And if you are an employer who is self-insured or carries a high deductible, these risks are only amplified, and the decision of the best path forward becomes even more challenging.

While the majority of employers fortunately don’t encounter these injuries regularly, Paradigm sees them every day. For more than 30 years and across more than 20,000 catastrophic cases, Paradigm has established a proven track record of expert-driven, data-guided care management. If the worst happens to one of your employees, we have the experience, resources, and expertise to deliver superior and predictable outcomes—taking care of your people, including working with their families, and ensuring they receive the support and care they need and deserve during this most trying period in their lives.

Injury-specific experience to provide the best care management for injured workers in any line of work
Catastrophic workplace injuries can happen to employers in all industries, but some sectors experience much higher rates of injuries due to the nature of their work. During the past five years alone, Paradigm has provided expert catastrophic care management for nearly 1,000 construction injuries, 550 manufacturing injuries, and 500 injuries in the transportation industry with HERO Catastrophic^SM and HERO Severe^SM Outcome Plans.

Paradigm Catastrophic and Severe Case Information for High-risk Industries Since 2018:

But the fact is that every industry and employer is exposed to the risk of the most serious, life-altering injuries, even if the job tasks do not appear especially dangerous. If you have employees who drive while on the job, they can experience a catastrophic injury—as evidenced by the 850-plus catastrophic motor vehicle accidents Paradigm has managed since 2018 across all industries.

Integrated, expert-led medical and behavioral support produces superior outcomes
Catastrophically injured patients need whole-person care that places them in the center of a dedicated clinical management team focused on optimal recovery. And as these cases are so devastating, the family must also receive support and care as they work to establish a new “normal,” given the complexity of these injuries. Every catastrophically injured worker we serve receives the full support of a Paradigm Management Team, a hand-selected group of leading medical and behavioral experts with injury-specific experience and comprehensive training who stay on the case until the outcome is achieved.

Our teams leverage an unparalleled library of catastrophic injury data, combined with extensive injury- and industry-specific experience and clinical expertise. Here are just a few examples of the long list of clinical and behavioral experts working to collaborate on recovery plans and consult with treating physicians to ensure the best possible outcomes:

	Expertise: Brain injury medicine Sunil Kothari, MD; Paradigm Medical Director Director of the Disorders of Consciousness program at TIRR-Memorial Hermann and an assistant professor in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine. Awarded Texas Brain Injury Association Professional of the Year and Texas Rehabilitation Association Professional of the Year.
	Expertise: Spinal cord injury Kenneth Parsons, MD; Paradigm Medical Director Career Physiatrist and an American Spinal Injury Association Lifetime Achievement Award Winner and Past President.
	Expertise: Amputations, limb salvage, and orthopedic trauma Danielle Melton, MD; Paradigm Medical Director Director of the Limb Loss Program at The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, Memorial Hermann and physician at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.
	Expertise: Burn and trauma injuries Robert Sheridan, MD; Paradigm Medical Director Burn Service Medical Director at Shriners Children’s Boston and a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School.
	Expertise: Behavioral health, clinical neuropsychology​, neurorehabilitation, rehabilitation psychology Deborah Benson, PhD; VP of Clinical Solutions Leading Paradigm’s integrated medical and behavioral health approach for over 15 years, awarded the Ted Weiss Consumer Advocacy, Champion of Hope, and Founders Awards from Brain Injury Association of New York State and served on the board for 9 years.

As leaders in their respective fields, Paradigm clinicians have firm knowledge and relationships with nationally renowned rehabilitation facilities, Centers of Excellence, and physician specialists in treating the most challenging injuries, including JMS Burn Center, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Craig (Rehabilitation) Hospital, and Shepherd Center. These close partnerships help employers, injured workers, and families choose the best providers and secure the best outcomes.

Our clinicians are also regular contributors to the leading clinical institutions in catastrophic injury care, supporting ongoing advancements in knowledge, treatment, and rehabilitation. This includes Paradigm Chief Medical Officer, Workers’ Compensation, Michael Choo, MD, and his work with American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) to develop clinical guidelines.

Limiting the financial risk and uncertainty of high-volatility cases
Serious workplace injuries come with significant uncertainty with regard to medical cost, managing dynamic clinical demands, and ultimately projecting a realistic outcome. These uncertainties introduce major and lasting financial and business implications for employers, particularly when self-insured. Stockholders, boards, and other stakeholders reward certainty, and one tremendous value of the Paradigm relationship is the certainty we provide in these areas.

Multimillion-dollar cases are becoming more common—in the last three years, there has been a 30% increase in catastrophic claims exceeding $10 million.¹ Unplanned medical developments, complications from comorbidities, behavioral and psychological instability that can become barriers to recovery, and potential substance misuse disorders are just some of the risks that can cause the costs of catastrophic cases to balloon unexpectedly. And the cost of mismanaged care isn’t just a one-time expense; it’s a compounding cost that can exponentially increase medical reserves.

Paradigm allows you to move forward with greater certainty and provides an experienced partner that can control your costs, while offering the greatest opportunity to restore the best possible life to your injured worker and their family.

When the worst injuries happen, Paradigm offers employers:

• Guaranteed functional outcomes: Paradigm is the only accountable catastrophic care management organization in the industry that can guarantee outcomes. We stay on the case until there is mutual agreement between our clients and the injured worker’s treating physician that all targeted recovery outcomes have been met. This is why 40% of catastrophically injured workers managed by Paradigm return to gainful employment, compared to an industry benchmark of only 7%.²
• Medical risk transfer: Paradigm is also the only true medical risk transfer organization in workers’ compensation. While we work toward functional recovery milestones and respond to unforeseen care developments, Paradigm assumes full responsibility as payer and takes on the risk of medical cost overruns until Outcome Plan completion.
• A fixed pricing model: Competitive, fixed pricing means employers are able to accurately estimate medical reserves early in the process for greater financial certainty. This is why, in a 2020 independent study by a leading actuarial firm, Paradigm cases had 32% lower lifetime medical costs.²

Unparalleled results and life-changing outcomes for any industry and every business
No matter the situation, Paradigm has the expertise and experience to help your organization navigate catastrophic and severe injuries. Our proven approach delivers life-changing outcomes for injured workers and families, while protecting companies from the financial risks and uncertainties that come with these cases.

Learn more about our HERO Catastrophic and HERO Severe Outcome Plans and how to refer a case to Paradigm.

1. Safety National claims data 3 years prior to 2023
2. Milliman Complex and Catastrophic Workers’ Compensation Claims Cost Analysis for Paradigm—October 2020