Nonclinical Careers for Occupational Health Physicians

Nonclinical careers for Occupational health Physicians:

 

WORKERS COMP SYSTEM addresses work related injuries and illnesses

 

It is a No fault system, kind of a deal between the employer and employee that resulted because prior law was not effective and efficient in resolving the conflict.

 

There are certain provisions of this deal that comprise the workers comp law

 

1. Employee gives up their right to sue the employer
2. Employee will accept an amount per week work related injuries
3. Employer will assume will not defend contributory negligence and agreed to pay regardless of fault
4. If there are disputes they will be dealt with by adm instead of legal authority

 

No monetary allowance for pain and suffering, only for disability

No punitive damages towards the employer

No federal regulations oversee state workers comp laws

 

These are basic principles that the states take and put together state workers comp laws which then vary from state to state

 

What is a compensable injury?

 

Physiological or psychological harm in the context of Employment relationship arising out of employment and occurring during the course of employment

 

The burden to prove causation is on the injured worker and there has to be greater than 50 percent likelihood that the event caused harm

 

Unique transferable skills

 

Business knowledge

Advocacy for injured persons safety

Protection of health information

Familiarity with workers comp state laws

Familiarity with workers comp insurance providers

 

Administrative experience

Excellent Communication and conflict resolution skills

Interest in Legal process

Knowledge if Physiology of work activities

Mechanism of injury and the industrial process around it

Knowledge of Physical demands of job

Knowledge of Musculoskeletal challenges of work

Interest in Toxic exposures and mental stresses related to occ health

 

Comfortable Engaging multiple parties at the same time

Well versed in state workers comp laws

Comfortable evaluating workers referred by employer

Understanding  of industrial process

Knowledge of Toxicology

Experience of Fit for duty exams

Experience of Pre Placement and exit physicals

Experience with Clearing employees

 

Experience with recommending accommodations

Knowledge of Recordability of injury

Familiarity with workers comp exposures

 

Occupational health overlaps several other specialties like

Ortho

Surgery

IM

Toxicology

 

Occupational health Physicians are experts in

 

Mechanism of injury and the industrial process around it

Physical demands

Musculoskeletal challenges

Toxic exposures and mental stresses

 

Ultimate corporate goals where Physicians can lend a helping hand are:

 

To Minimize loss time injuries

To Minimize recordable events

To Eliminate catastrophic events

To Prevent injuries

To Educate workers

To Manage in house health enhancing programs

To oversee occ health clinics

To Formulate protocols and procedures

To Draft exec health objectives

To Formulate exercise and stretching programs

To Define ergonomics

To help manage stress and to reduce health care cost and workforce lost productivity

To design exercise and stretching programs

To refine ergonomics

To safeguard protected health info

To recommend disability accommodations

To manage onsite clinics

Run Occ injury preventable programs,  perform pre placement and  return to work exams

 

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PHYSICIANS CAN SERVE IN FOLLOWING ROLES

 

1. Hospital administration
2. Corporate directorship and Medical Directorship-Local and Regional
3. Industrial clinic Medical directorship
4. Perform IME exams

 

Physicians can build a practice performing IME examinations.

An independent medical examination is usually a one time exam

Pt is referred by an insurance company or a third party

The goal is to determine cause and evaluate for permanent impairment, recommend needed work accommodations, determine if worker is fit for duty or not, recommend rReturn to work clearance and deal with short and long term disability

 

1. Pharma
2. UM
3. Chart review

Experience as a panel physician will help you gain insight into the client portfolio, state and local guidelines and customer expectations. Workers compensation chart review is a great way to gain entry into this industry as a 1099 contractor

1. Consulting medicine and industry
2. Advocacy for injured workers rights
3. Education-teachers writers mentors
4. Government-ph adv health dept, public health hospitals, research and regulatory areas, Aerospace military etc pretty much  every branch of government
5. Expert witnesses