Articles

Last year I was invited to chair the National Workers Compensation Summit 2009. During day two of the conference, Dr Ian Low impressed upon me the need for action in the area of diagnosing what we often describe as “gut intuition”. Dr Low encouraged us to sharpen our instincts by exploring the evidence that presented itself at the time of the claim and injury report.

Day one of the claim is when employers can begin identifying factors that are likely to influence long-term loss time. Dr Low likes to describe these influences as “poor prognostic indicators”.  Dr Low presented his Pathways system at the Summit which takes into account poor prognostic indicators including a worker’s self-perceived social, emotional and physical limitations and their likely impact on return to work. Dr Low argued that these issues can be mitigated by addressing them at the very beginning of the claim process.

Moreover, Dr Low suggested that “claims exceeding the six week post-injury period were no longer related to the initial diagnosis on the WorkCover Medical Certificate, instead, the claims management strategy should involve rigorous medical assessment to ascertain the true diagnosis”.

Dr Low suggested that the medical practitioner should be focused on exploring the psychosocial aspects of injury and the worker’s self perceived disability. “By concentrating on these elements of the diagnosis, a more appropriate treatment plan can take place”, he said.

To learn more about the Injury Management Pathways system you can contact Anna Mangold on 1300 669 552.