Occupational Medicine
Common Myths
These are common myths related to occupational medicine services:
Myth: My organization has workers' compensation insurance. That's good enough.
Insurance is a good start, but the process also must be managed. Many small to mid-sized companies lack a program to return employees to work — even in a limited but productive role. And returning too early risks reinjury and delayed recovery. We actively manage recovery using proven protocols.
Myth: The employer can choose a health care provider for the injured employee.
Yes and no. While an employer may recommend a health care provider for injured employees, employees legally get the final choice. Both employer and employee have a shared interest in a managed, confident return to work. It's helpful to have a conversation with employees about the benefits of seeing a workers' compensation care specialist. Employees should know they are not limited to their health plan network for workers' compensation injury.
Myth: Injured employees don't want to go back to work.
With rare exceptions, employees want to return as soon as possible. We create a treatment plan and timeline that gets employees back sooner, reducing their anxiety about job security and changes in the work environment while they are away.
Myth: The workers' compensation process affects only the injured employee.
An entire organization's productivity can suffer if temporary staffing assignments or workload shifts can't be made with confidence. Effective management of a work-related case is essential to assist an employee to safely return to work. Our detailed return-to-work timelines provide predictability — benefiting the employer, employee and co-workers. This not only benefits the employee, but also assists with cost containment for the employer.
Myth: Injury risks are easy to prioritize.
It's often difficult for organizations to prioritize injury risks. Sometimes an outside perspective can offer more objective input. While the occupational medicine team will provide effective post-injury care, the team collaborates with your organization to be proactive and preventive by providing onsite ergonomic initiatives that address problems before they become an injury. The team can develop thorough workplace risk assessments and smart mitigation plans so you can identify and avoid costly safety issues.
These proactive onsite services have helped save employers hundreds of thousands in workers' compensation costs.