Medical providers: Your role when treating work injuries

As an injured worker’s doctor, you play an important role in the claims process and, more importantly, the worker’s recovery. When treating an injured employee, you need to do the following three things:

Determine the cause of injury

It’s important to determine the mechanism of injury. For example, you might note “The employee was lifting a 50-pound box at work and felt pain in his lower back.” Also note any pre-existing conditions that might be related to the injury or delay healing.

Determine maximum medical improvement (MMI) and permanent disability

A patient reaches maximum medical improvement when no further significant or lasting improvement from the injury is reasonably anticipated, regardless of subjective complaints. You may be asked to determine when the injured worker has reached maximum medical improvement and whether there is any permanent disability from the work injury.

Communicate with the claims representative

Promptly fax any requests for procedures with supporting documentation to SFM. Our fax number is (800) 944-1169.