9 Questions to Ask Injured Worker’s Treating Physician

Leaving no stone unturned is critical to managing your workers’ compensation costs. With the number of steps from injury to resolution, the number of people involved, from physicians to adjusters, and the number of possible outcomes from a band-aid to a large insurance settlement, you cannot leave any single step to memory.

Create a System to Ask All the Right Questions

Certain questions must be asked, forms must be filled out, and precautions should be taken. Your injury management system should ensure all the questions one should ask the physician on the telephone to be sure every “i” is dotted and ever “t” is crossed.

Formalize your questions in a checklist so they are asked uniformly; this is not something that should be done ad hoc.

9 Questions to Ask Injured Worker’s Treating Physician

1. 1. Introduce yourself and give the injured employee’s name, mentioning the employee has authorized you to speak with the doctor
   2. Get and give all contact information.
   3. Offer to email authorization so the doctor may discuss the employee’s condition.
   4. Ask for a diagnosis and whether it is work-related.
   5. Ask how the employee is responding to treatment.
   6. Ask if prescribed medications could interfere with the employee’s job.
   7. Does the physician recommend any significant limitations?
   8. Can the employee perform a transitional duty job? If yes, obtain the employee’s work restrictions.
   9. Is there anything else that I should know that would help our employee recover more quickly?

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This open-ended question gives the doctor an opportunity to provide information that is additional and helpful to the employer or the employee.

Keeping up with all these details assists your company in getting your employee healthy and back to work.

Michael Stack, CEO of Amaxx LLC, is an expert in workers’ compensation cost containment systems and provides education, training, and consulting to help employers reduce their workers’ compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is co-author of the #1 selling comprehensive training guide “Your Ultimate Guide to Mastering Workers’ Comp Costs: Reduce Costs 20% to 50%.” Stack is the creator of Injury Management Results (IMR) software and founder of Amaxx Workers’ Comp Training Center. WC Mastery Training teaching injury management best practices such as return to work, communication, claims best practices, medical management, and working with vendors. IMR software simplifies the implementation of these best practices for employers and ties results to a Critical Metrics Dashboard.

Contact: mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.

Workers’ Comp Roundup Blog: http://blog.reduceyourworkerscomp.com/

Injury Management Results (IMR) Software: https://imrsoftware.com/

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Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker, attorney, or qualified professional.