EK Health Services Inc. has historically been viewed as a California company, a case management company, and a utilization review company. They are all of those things, and so much more. This year, EK Health hits the 25 year milestone. Reflecting on their journey in the workers’ compensation managed care industry, EK Health affectionately looks back at past successes and casts a vision to propel forward beyond the ‘next 25 years’.
FEBRUARY 27, 2023
The year was 1998. A strong, female entrepreneur was about to enter the scene of workers’ compensation with a goal to transform case management. Little did she know, she would soon want to impact the entire industry. “Upon diving into the world of workers’ compensation, I swiftly observed challenges regarding escalating costs that were not advancing the care of the injured worker,” described Eunhee Kim, EK Health Services CEO & Founder. “There was deep over-utilization or misuse of medical resources and improper treatments were being recommended by physicians. With very little medical data to utilize for establishing effective treatments, the decisions of medical necessity were often based solely on the individual doctor's opinion. I knew there had to be a better way.”
In order to create reform, prompt awareness and flexibility became critical to responding with streamlined, purposeful processes. Kim added, “The issues were complex, but the answers seemed simple. We expected more from the process. EK Health had to evolve and innovate in order to become a well-oiled, full-service organization that emphasized quality care with efficiency, and that’s exactly what we did.”
“We are still at the starting block and there is much to be done in the race to transform managed care. We continue to expect more from the industry we serve."
Changes and fluctuations across workers’ compensation have continued throughout the last 25 years. EK Health has adapted and helped pave the way through it all. Thought leaders have risen to provide powerful insights for industry change, collaboration has become normalized, medical data has continually expanded, and EK Health has tirelessly worked to make impactful improvements.
“As we now look to the future, the need for the injured worker to receive proper medical treatment must remain the foremost benefit and the ability for the employers to pay for treatment must be sustainable. Processes have to be improved to provide care efficiently in a cost-effective manner through technological advancement and automation,” said Kim. “We need to continue to adapt to remove the barriers the injured worker, provider, client, and adjuster experience. We need to work together across the industry to further develop programs and incentives for injured workers to return to meaningful and gainful vocation, as able.”
There is great reward to looking back at what has been accomplished in the first 25 years of EK Health’s journey, and even more exciting to consider the incredible potential of what can be accomplished in the next 25 years. “We are still at the starting block and there is much to be done in the race to transform managed care. We continue to expect more from the industry we serve. As we progress, the human element in the management of claims, supported by a heightened adaptability, need to remain the most important aspects for ensuring immediate, quality treatment today, while considering quality of life for the future.”
In workers’ compensation, where machine learning and artificial intelligence are current buzzwords, it is inspiring to vision forward knowing the core element in the mind of one entrepreneur rings true today, that the person still matters. Watch how EK Health continues to evolve by learning from the past, keeping the person at the center, and adapting toward the Next 25: https://ekhealth-20558879.hs-sites.com/ek-health-the-next-25
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About EK Health
EK Health Services Inc. is a leading national workers' compensation managed care organization. EK Health restores quality of life for injured workers through innovative, cost-effective solutions, while providing client services with high-touch experiences, customizable solutions, lower costs, and proven results. Our holistic approach integrates the best people, processes, and technology to facilitate the best medical treatment available for return-to-work possibilities.