Sometimes on-the-job injuries happen, no matter how careful you are or the safety precautions your employer has in place. If you suffer a workplace injury, you should take several steps immediately, including seeking prompt medical attention and taking care of workers’ compensation reporting.
Our skilled team at Cascade Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Center, P.C., specializes in work-related injuries. We provide immediate medical care and develop a customized treatment plan that gets you back to work quickly.
You can schedule a same-day appointment with us for musculoskeletal injuries that don’t require emergency room (ER) care. Our orthopedic experts provide the care you need so you can avoid the cost and time of an ER visit.
Here’s a rundown of the six steps you should take after suffering an injury or illness while working.
Tell your employer as soon as possible, preferably right after the injury occurs or once you’re diagnosed with an illness caused by your work environment. Your employer gives you a form to fill out and then sends it to their workers’ compensation insurer.
The top priority for your on-the-job injury is protecting your health with an examination and treatment that eases your pain and puts you on the road to healing.
Under Oregon’s workers’ compensation laws, you can choose your own health care provider. However, it’s essential to be sure your medical team accepts workers’ comp cases and that they’re familiar with the state requirements.
Choosing our team means you receive personalized care from health care professionals with extensive workers’ compensation experience. We also offer comprehensive medical care, including advanced diagnostic imaging on-site, such as digital X-rays and ultrasounds.
We explore your medical history and ask what caused your injuries. We should know all the details about your work-related injury to accurately complete the required workers’ compensation forms.
As participating orthopedic specialists with Oregon and Washington workers’ compensation programs, we have years of experience completing workers’ compensation paperwork.
Most importantly, we understand how critical it is to submit the appropriate information within the required time limit.
The medical information we provide establishes the nature and severity of your injury, outlines the care you need, and authorizes your absence from work. You can depend on us to take care of your insurance needs.
You already know the value of keeping your orthopedic appointments when healing from an injury. These appointments allow us to monitor your progress, adjust your treatment when needed, and create a rehabilitation program best for you.
However, there’s another reason to keep appointments. The workers’ compensation insurer may ask us to send progress reports. We can only do that if you keep your scheduled appointments.
Your recovery proceeds at its own pace; however, the workers’ compensation process has deadlines. As your medical provider, we diligently meet the deadlines for submitting your initial health claim, progress reports, and return-to-work authorization.
You may also have deadlines to meet, and missing them could put your benefits at risk. For example, the insurer may send you letters requesting information or ask you to see an independent medical examiner (IME).
The requests you receive have deadlines, and the insurer may deny your workers’ compensation claim if you miss them.
Your health care provider determines when you’re healthy enough to return to work. We also determine if your injury prevents you from returning to the same job. You should tell your employer about these changes right away while we send the report to the workers’ compensation insurer.
Call Cascade Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Center, P.C. to schedule a same-day workers’ compensation evaluation at our office in Hood River or The Dalles, Oregon. You can also connect online to request an appointment if you need help or have questions about a work-related injury.
