One Thing Employers Forget To Ask When Selecting Clinics to Treat Their Injured Workers

Amaxx: What is the one thing employers forget to ask for when they visit a clinic they are considering for treating their injured employees? Dr. Dubin: I would get the CVs (curriculum vitae) of the MDs. The best doctors, in general, are occupational doctors, emergency room (ER) doctors and family practitioners–all 3 have experience treating injuries. Unfortunately, many of the people staffing occupational clinics are internists, and they have the least experience with injuries. This is especially true if the doctor is a part timer. You sometimes see this when a physician is working just part-time because they of raising small children or is starting a practice that is not yet busy enough. Ideally, you want full-time doctors also because of continuity of care. When you have a lot of doctors working part time, a different doctor will see the same patient in every follow-up and that is not the optimal way to take care of an injured worker. David Dubin, MD. is an emergency room physician who serves as a medical advisor for several companies. Formerly president of Aon Medical Consultants, he has been helping employers and insurance companies develop innovative cost containment programs and reduce workers comp costs for over 20 years. He can be reached at: MD@WorkersCompKit.com or 860-553-6604. WC Calculator www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/calculator.php TD Calculator www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/transitional-duty-cost-calculator.php WC 101 www.ReduceYourWorkersComp.com/workers_comp.php Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws are different. Consult with your corporate legal counsel or other professionals before implementing any cost containment program. ©2009 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@WorkersCompKit.com