Cheryl's Blogspot

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...

Whether you know the song from the Madagascar movie or Apollo and Julianne's performance on Dancing with the Stars, this is such a catchy tune! And it came to mind when I read an email update from Stacy Mathis, RN just now.   Stacy's client just completed a progress evaluation with her surgeon, and is doing well, but additional healing and therapy time are needed before medical release.   One principle we adhere to at JMS is regular and timely intervals for physician follow up. Providers that don't understand WComp may suggest a 6 or 8 week follow up appointment.  Our CMs request monthly return visits, as too much can change for the better or worse during that time frame in the recovery process.  In this case, Stacy assured the return appointment was scheduled appropriately. Additional healing time may still be indicated, but work restrictions could likely be relaxed, helping out the employer, and actually contribute to the client's strengthening in prep...