Loading

REWARD Report Physicians and the tale of two ankles.

Physician Communication: In the Middle

First impressions often make or break how later interactions are viewed by all the people in a workers' compensation claim. Overcoming a bad start is hard and may never happen. A good start makes everyone's job easier and the injured worker's road to recovery much smoother. The goal of the REWARD Program is to return injured workers to work and to health as soon as possible and to reduce the number of injured workers who do not return to work. Proper communication from the beginning is the key. The physician is an integral part of proper communications and their help from the beginning makes everyone’s job easier.

Proper communication from the beginning is the key.

The treating physician is in the middle of the communications in a REWARD Program. Their role includes not only treating the patient but often interpreting all the other information and communications that the injured worker receives.

Same Injury, Different Outcomes

If individuals get hurt in a way that is not related to work and are covered under commercial health insurance, they can usually negotiate with their employers about whether they are able to work light duty or need other accommodations while they recover. The guidance of the physician starts the process of communicating with the insurance company, but the injured worker most often does the rest. Consider the following example of two patients with the same ankle injury. One patient’s ankle injury was covered under commercial health insurance. The other patient sustained the same ankle injury, but it was a work injury and covered under workers’ compensation insurance. The employee who had the ankle injury that was not related to work was able to return to limited duty within two weeks.

When the same injury occurred in the workplace, suddenly, both the injured worker and the employer change their behavior. The injured worker becomes a passive recipient, and the employer becomes defensive. It takes the injured worker 6 weeks or longer to get the same communications accomplished as it took the worker whose injury was not related to the job. It is the aim of the REWARD Program to reduce this difference so both sides are working toward recovery as soon as possible. The employer can set the groundwork for better communications before injuries occur by establishing a process for getting the right treatment at the right time for the right condition for all injured workers and communicating the importance of returning injured workers to the workplace as soon as it is safe even if it is in a limited capacity.

Physician Education

One part of the REWARD Program is the Certified Physician Program (CPP) that will teach physicians how to have positive communications through techniques such as "foreshadowing," a communications tool that sets and documents the expectation at each office visit for the anticipated improvement to be accomplished by the next visit. Another part of the Certified Physician Program will instruct providers on communicating appropriate work restrictions that take into account risk, capacity, and tolerance which will give the employer the opportunity to meet those restrictions—just as they would with a patient who was not injured at work.

Physician education has been part of the Bureau's efforts for years and will be expanded in the Certified Physician Program. Effective communications among the injured worker, physician, employer, insurance company, and all others involved in a workers’ compensation injury are vital for successful recovery, but especially the injured worker whose best interest is served by returning to meaningful work.

Learn more about the Certified Physician Program available in 2022.

Robert B. Snyder, MD, BWC Medial Director, Nashville TN

Purpose of the REWARD Program

Employers interested in developing an effective return to work program or improving an existing return to work program will benefit from the R.E.W.A.R.D. Program, Return Employees to Work and Reduce Disabilities. The purpose of the REWARD Program is to shift the mindset about workers’ compensation by using work as a tool to speed recovery and to encourage employers to identify transitional job tasks they can offer injured employees during their recovery period. Following this program can help many injured workers return to their regular wages and pre-injury standard of living sooner and employers can save money on workers’ compensation claims.

To get started, download the toolkit.

Meet with like-minded employers

Part of the REWARD Program is the new REWARD Employer Group. The REWARD Employer Group Meetings provide employers the opportunity to learn from one another by sharing experiences and successes. A guest speaker will address a topic of interest at each meeting.

The second REWARD Employer Group Meeting is scheduled for November the 1st. This meeting will be in-person in Murfreesboro. Seating is limited, so reserve your seat as soon as possible. Employers may register here.

Created By
Robert B. Snyder, MD
Appreciate