A work injury is NO vacation! Most of us would agree with that statement. It's never fun to get hurt, yet it doesn't stop an injured worker from trying to turn recovery time into paid time off. It is very common to have clients make requests to postpone procedures, therapy and return to work for personal reasons. If this request is made to a physician under their group health insurance, it is not really an issue. However when such a request is made during healing timeframe from a work injury, this is not an appropriate or reasonable request.
As Case Managers, we must remind both the injured worker and providers that during recovery and rehabilitation time the injured worker's "job" is to heal and comply with appropriate treatment and work status.
Just this week, Deana Scott, RN had a client to request postponing her light duty return to work until she could finish outpatient therapy. What Deana reminded her of, was that the activity of going to work and working within restrictions was part of her rehabilitative process. When properly administrated and observed, light duty work in itself is "therapy." This client's treating physician agreed and issued a light duty return to work release for the following day, but what would have happened had a case manager NOT interjected to avoid delayed return to work? Most likely it would have slipped under the radar and this injured worker would have gotten her "Patient Preferred Results."
What Patient Preferred Results are slipping under your radar without a Case Manager?
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