Work. That word alone invokes many different emotions in all of us.
For some, it is something to be persevered just to get through daily life. For others, it is the joy and meaning of our existence.
At OMP, we have the privilege of seeing your employees in often difficult circumstances. A work-related injury creates pressure for every stakeholder. First, the injured employee must deal with the injury itself and the fear that comes with that: concerns with recovery, loss of income, peer pressure from employers and coworkers. Employers have concerns: another OSHA recordable injury, loss of productivity, and worker replacement. Worker’s compensation carriers have concerns: establishing causation, compensable injury, and when to deny. Finally, there can be stress on medical providers to satisfy everyone’s concerns in this entangled loop.
I have been treating injured workers for over 30 years. One trend I have noticed is that while many injuries have the same pathophysiology, almost all are unique in their sociopsychology. In my opinion, to be a successful Worker’s Comp provider we must understand that if you have seen one rotator cuff injury, you have seen one rotator cuff injury. In other words, as providers we must understand every aspect of the case from the point of view of the injured worker, the employer, and the work comp carrier.
When we see an injured worker for an initial visit our first task is to establish causation when possible. Once we have determined that this is a legitimate work-related injury, a proper diagnosis is essential to forming a treatment plan. Obviously, we try to avoid creating an OSHA recordable injury whenever possible. However, we will not deny care when it is necessary. Our goal is to treat an injury as expeditiously as possible and return everyone to work, even if it is a modified duty position. Adjuvant treatment such as medications, physical therapy, and advanced imaging are judiciously ordered. The finish line is maximum medical improvement, and we try to get there as fast as possible with the least expense.
So, what about the difficult cases that do not seem to improve? I will discuss our approach to that problem in the next issue.