Why Access to the Right Physician Matters
When an injured worker needs medical care, choosing the right physician matters. Credentials, specialty, experience, location, and the specific needs of the injured worker should all be considered. But there is another factor that can be equally valuable to the professionals involved in their care: access.
For more than 22 years, OM has worked closely with physicians and the workers’ compensation community, creating relationships that bring employers, TPAs, adjusters, nurse case managers, carriers, networks, and medical practices together around one common priority: helping injured workers receive the best possible care.
That relationship often begins well before a referral is needed.
Through OM, employers and workers’ compensation professionals have opportunities to meet physicians, visit their practices, tour facilities, learn about their specialties and capabilities, and meet the teams responsible for supporting the care of injured workers. Knowing where a physician practices, understanding their areas of expertise, and having familiarity with the medical team provides a level of insight that cannot always be gained from a physician listing alone.
The quality of the physician remains the most important consideration. OM works with highly qualified physicians across a wide range of specialties, with careful attention to credentials, expertise, and experience. Finding the appropriate physician is not simply about matching an injury to a specialty. Within medicine, subspecialty training and areas of expertise can be important considerations when identifying the physician best suited for an individual injured worker.
The practice surrounding that physician matters as well.
Caring for injured workers requires medical practices to understand responsibilities that extend beyond the examination room. Communication with authorized professionals, timely documentation, clear work-status information, and coordination with nurse case managers are all part of working effectively within this environment.
This is why OM developed WorkCompReady™, our educational program for physicians and their teams. WorkCompReady™ focuses on the administrative and communication standards associated with caring for injured workers, including documentation, coordination, work-status reporting, and understanding the roles of the professionals involved.
Clinical decisions remain entirely with the treating physician. WorkCompReady™ is designed to ensure that physicians and their teams are prepared for the responsibilities that accompany caring for injured workers. It represents the standard OM expects from the practices we work with and the level of education we believe this area of healthcare deserves.
Access continues after the physician has been selected.
Through OM Docs, employers, TPAs, adjusters, and nurse case managers have direct access to workers’ compensation coordinators at participating practices. Authorized professionals can submit requests for appointments, medical documentation, work status, and nurse case manager visits directly through the secure portal.
We refer to this access as the OM Fast Pass. Behind it are real relationships with the physicians, coordinators, and medical practices our community works with every day.
There is also value in being able to reach OM directly. When a professional needs assistance identifying an appropriate physician, locating a specialist in a particular area, connecting with a practice, or navigating a request with one of our physicians, our team is accessible.
For employers, that resource can extend across the entire team. Their TPA, adjusters, nurse case managers, and other authorized professionals can work directly with OM and use OM Docs as part of the resources available to them when coordinating care for an injured worker.
Over more than two decades, we have learned that the strongest physician relationships are built through familiarity, education, accessibility, and trust. Employers and workers’ compensation professionals should have opportunities to know the physicians caring for their injured workers, understand their expertise, meet their teams, and know how to reach them when needed.
A physician directory can provide a name.
The real value comes from knowing that behind that name is a highly qualified physician, an educated practice team, and direct access when it matters.
That is what OM has spent more than 22 years building.
Helping Doctors Grow. Helping Employers Find the Best Care for Their Injured Workers.
