Fast Track has over 50 years of cumulative experience in home and vehicle modifications, and has worked with hundreds of disabled and critically injured workers.

Through this legacy, the company has come to understand that home and vehicle modifications are a critical component to maintaining a disabled worker’s quality of life and sense of independence. In addition, these modifications help to lower the cost of care, as many patients do not require an expensive institutional setting.

Based on the company’s experience, homes frequently require modifications to doorways, hallways, bathrooms, (e.g. roll-in showers), and exterior access points, such as ramps and elevators.

Vehicle conversions are also important to enabling patients to get around town with greater ease and comfort. Modifications can be made to existing vehicles—by adding hand controls or lifts—or Fast Track can also help to locate used or new vehicles, and even offers leasing options for vehicles that already offer necessary features.
 
Mistakes to Avoid in Modifications

What are the risks in making a home or vehicle modification? Here’s a list of things to be wary of, as they could possibly sabotage a modification project:

• A contractor who isn’t licensed or trained to do home/vehicle modifications.
• Lack of communication with the contractor regarding modifications that are acceptable.
• Lack of oversight over the work—from start to completion.
• Poor quality of work by a contractor and his/her team.
• Unsafe installations that could cause injury or even be fatal.
• Work that is not completed on time or to specification.
• Lack of insurance coverage for the contractor, workforce, or work itself.
• Fragmentation from the use of multiple vendors that leads to added work for the claims adjuster, and increased potential for project cost overruns and modification errors.
• Losing the perspective of the injured worker as the job progresses.
• The inability to find the right product, leading to compromises that don’t work.

The risk of a poorly or incorrectly installed modification is not only inconvenient, but also unsafe. One injured worker—whose insurer used a non-certified contractor—reported suffering from severe headaches. Fast Track was brought onto the case, and conducted an investigation, in which it found the non-certified contractor had not properly sealed pipes to a propane tank, and fumes were escaping near the injured worker’s bed. Once the dangerous situation was corrected, the patient’s headaches went away.

Tips to Select the Right Contractor

Fast Track recommends claims adjusters and nurse case managers consider these important factors when trying to find the right contractor:

• Use a contractor who is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS). This certification—which all Fast Track employees possess—requires extensive training, which helps contractors understand the challenges and problems people face when they lack full mobility. In addition, contractors learn how modifications should be done in order to ensure the most safety and effectiveness.

This certification—which all Fast Track employees possess—requires extensive training, which helps contractors understand the challenges and problems people face when they lack full mobility. In addition, contractors learn how modifications should be done in order to ensure the most safety and effectiveness.

Finding these certified professionals in an area where an injured worker lives could be difficult. However, failing to find one leaves the adjuster or case manager open to the “unpleasant” situations any homeowner faces when dealing with a poor contractor, e.g. work isn’t completed; work is done incorrectly, or personnel may simply disappear after agreeing to do a project.

• Look for years of experience. Not only should a contractor be certified, but they should also demonstrate a long and successful history in modification projects. For example, Fast Track’s CAPS-certified project managers have years of proven experience, which ensures frustrating scenarios, like the ones outlined above, will not occur. Such expertise ensures that every Fast Track project meets state and federal requirements in regards to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and patient privacy as it relates to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Not only should a contractor be certified, but they should also demonstrate a long and successful history in modification projects. For example, Fast Track’s CAPS-certified project managers have years of proven experience, which ensures frustrating scenarios, like the ones outlined above, will not occur. Such expertise ensures that every Fast Track project meets state and federal requirements in regards to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and patient privacy as it relates to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

• Ensure adequate liability coverage. Liability insurance is crucial as it protects the payer as well as the injured worker from any additional injury or losses incurred due to the modification project. Fast Track offers significant coverage, and as an additional safeguard, it guarantees its work.

Liability insurance is crucial as it protects the payer as well as the injured worker from any additional injury or losses incurred due to the modification project. Fast Track offers significant coverage, and as an additional safeguard, it guarantees its work.

• Leverage the convenience of one-stop shopping. When an inexperienced contractor is faced with a complex modification project, they may require the expertise of other vendors or sub-contactors. This often leads to increased work for an adjuster or case manager. Fast Track, on the other hand, offers the added benefit of one-stop shopping. They have all the expertise to handle any modification process, so claims professionals only deal with one company.

When an inexperienced contractor is faced with a complex modification project, they may require the expertise of other vendors or sub-contactors. This often leads to increased work for an adjuster or case manager. Fast Track, on the other hand, offers the added benefit of one-stop shopping. They have all the expertise to handle any modification process, so claims professionals only deal with one company.

Fast Track is also a certified dealer and installer of many name brand access and adaptive mobility products, such as Braun, Ricon, Harmar, VMI, and Precision Lifts, ensuring that the right equipment, supplies and/or parts can be found among its broad range of partners and manufacturers. This ensures that disabled injured workers will have access to the right options that meet their needs.

• Benefit from perspective of someone who knows. Claims staff must keep the disabled injured workers’ perspective in mind, and look for a contractor who can be sympathetic to the fact that these employees now face a dramatically different lifestyle. This is an important perspective to keep in mind throughout the modification process.

Claims staff must keep the disabled injured workers’ perspective in mind, and look for a contractor who can be sympathetic to the fact that these employees now face a dramatically different lifestyle. This is an important perspective to keep in mind throughout the modification process.

To provide this viewpoint from someone who speaks from experience, Fast Track utilizes the consulting services of Ray Paprota, the only paraplegic driver to compete in a NASCAR Touring Series. Ray has been featured on the Discovery Channel TV show “Monster Garage” as a van conversion and fabrication specialist. Ray serves as a consultant to Fast Track and its clients, using his expertise to help select the right equipment that will meet the specific needs of each individual.

New Technologies Make Life Easier for Disabled Workers

New advances in technology offer more exciting options for disabled individuals, including those injured on the job. Here are some of the most promising new devices: 

• Prosthetic arms can be made to match the individual’s missing limb, down to the fingernails and the actual look and texture of the person’s skin. Sensors placed on the person’s chest can be used to direct movement in the fingers.

• Prosthetic legs can now smooth out a person’s gait, so there is no limping, and the individual may be able to walk fast and even run.

• Vans aren’t the only type of vehicles that can be modified. Injured workers can also drive their favorite trucks thanks to new lift mechanisms. The seat of the truck extends and lowers, allowing the individual to shift from wheelchair to lift—and into the vehicle.

• “Standing wheelchairs” have the capability of lifting the occupant into a standing position. For these individuals, this means looking people in the eye when they speak, instead of from a permanently seated position. From a medical perspective, getting up in a standing position relieves the pressure from constant sitting and reduces the likelihood of pressure sores.

• Remember Life Alerts? There’s a new iteration that is so efficient and thorough that it can actually reduce the need for in-home care. The latest versions: 

o Don’t require the individual to push a button; a motionless or fallen person will cause the alert to notify the monitoring company to send help.
o Schedule and automatically release medications
o Have a voice-activated telephone
o Detect carbon monoxide
o Have a two-way speaker
o Are water proof
o Fit on a wrist
o Sound a fire alarm 

• Stair chairs can be designed to take right-angle turns, enabling homes with curving or angled staircases to be modified.

• Wheelchairs can have a “second gear” that helps them to move across carpet and grass instead of slowing down or leaving an individual stranded and in need of assistance.

• Rollaway, portable showers can be used when a home is being modified, eliminating the need for residents to move out during construction.

Specialized in Workers’ Compensation

The devices above are just a few of the innovations that can improve “quality of life” for disabled claimants. Fast Track stays on the cutting edge of these advancements, making these technologies available to clients and claimants. As a specialist in workers’ compensation, Fast Track is an expert resource that can assist with these complex and sensitive cases. By working with Fast Track, claim professionals can rest assured that home and vehicle modifications are handled right.

For more information on the field of home and vehicle modification, please contact:

Bill Colacurcio
Phone: 973-316-3718
Email: bill_colacurcio@onecallmedical.com