Top Reasons Physicians Keep Injured Workers Out of Work

In a 2000 survey of occupational health physicians, the folllowing list of reasons why physicians keep injured workers (IWs) out of work was provided:

• Physician does not want to force an unwilling patient back to work (most often cited reason)
• Solution:  If able to direct care, refer to objective physician
• Unequipped to determine the apporpriate restrictions on work activity
• Solution:  Ensure the IW is seen by the appropriate specialist for the injury (ex: orthopedic physician or podiatrist)
• Employer has a policy that prohibits light duty work
• Solution:  Employer should remove this policy and implement an ecovery Return to Wellness program
• No light duty available
• Solution:  Utlilze your Eastern Alliance Insurance service team to assist with developing modified duty and notify the treating physician that you offer light duty!
• Different versions of events (between employer and injured worker)
• Solution:  Have a Nurse Case Manager clarify that the RTW issue is what the IW can do as opposed to "he said" "she said" issues.
• There is too little information about what the pre-injury job to provide a release
• Solution:  Provide a pre-injury job analysis and/or a modified duty job analysis
• Conflicts of opinions between two physicians
• Solution:  The physician should take all medical records and objective medical evidence into consideration when determining an IW's ability to work.  Their opinion regarding work ability should be well-founded and objective!

Sources:

Article:  Christian, J. (2000) Reducing disability days:  healing more than the injury. Journal of Workers Compensation 9(30), 30-55.

Cited in:  Talmage, J. B., & Melhorn, J. M. (2005).  How to negotiate return to work in Talmage, J. B., & Melhorn, J. M. (Eds.),  A Physician's Guide to Return to Work (pp. 19-38). Chicago, IL:  American Medical Association