Slipping Under the Radar

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?

Comments

Case Management GPS

W The next time I purchase a new vehicle there are several features I have on my wish list. For as much as we case managers travel, Navigation is high on the priority scale to make life easier. Under the pressure of arriving at a physician appointment on time, it's never a good feeling to take a wrong turn or get lost. There are times our role as a case manager is much like a navigator. Deana Scott, RN had that experience just yesterday while attending a physician visit. After three years of treatment for a work injury, the physician had nothing further to offer, and there appeared to be issues of malingering and symptom magnification. There was a point at which the physician actually had a look in his eye of being lost as far as how to bring the treatment course to an end. Confusion centered around the injured worker's return to work goals. It's at times like this, a Case Manager is able to maintain focus and much like a navigato...

A Brilliant Mind

Visit Our Website Connect with me on LinkedIn It’s kind of an inside joke around our office that I’ve been called “brilliant” by a physician for my interpretation of a lumbar MRI. This story happened several years ago when Stacy Mathis, RN working with me in training, and was my witness! This physician is known for his eccentric personality, and he went all out to make me feel as though my critical thinking skills really were brilliant! I was attending a clinic visit for MMI and PPI assignment of a shoulder and lumbar injury. The shoulder had been complicated by a postoperative infection, and was now healed. The lumbar injury had been diagnosed as a strain, although an MRI had been obtained to rule out a disc herniation. I was expecting a high ra...

Pills, Pills, Pills - What's in a Name?

Yes, I know medical terms sound like another language to lay persons. Sometimes we medical people get a good laugh out of patient's pronunciations. My mother always called the "pharmist" to refill her meds. My friend's mother said she needed "cadillac" (cataract) surgery. One injured worker told me he was x-rated and sent home from the ER. But the funniest was a lady talking about her "rotisserie cup" surgery - translated "rotator cuff". Medication names - particularly generic names, can be very confusing. That's why I always recommend carrying a written list of medications in your wallet. It's great to have in an emergency, or when you are filling out clinic history forms. While we can laugh off some mispronunciations, medication names are very important NOT to get confused. Stacy Mathis, RN had a patient this week that is a perfect example. An injured worker had been recommended to return to his psychologi...

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