COE Application

For Practices Specializing in the Care of Injured Workers

The OM Center of Excellence (COE) Designation recognizes medical practices that consistently meet the highest national standards in the care of injured workers. This designation represents excellence in clinical quality, administrative performance, compliance, communication, and measurable patient outcomes, which are the key elements that define best practices in workers’ compensation healthcare. The COE Designation is not a membership or an award. It is a formal, evidence-based credential grounded in verified data, documentation, and proven results.

All applications are reviewed by the Independent COE Oversight Committee, which includes physicians, employers, adjusters, case managers, and industry experts. This committee ensures that every evaluation is objective, consistent, and aligned with national standards. Practices that achieve the COE Designation are recognized nationally as leaders in workers’ compensation, setting the standard for excellence in the coordinated care and recovery of injured workers.

Instructions for Completing the Application

The OM Center of Excellence (COE) Designation application evaluates a practice’s commitment to excellence in the care and recovery of injured workers. Each section focuses on one of the six key areas that define best practices in workers’ compensation healthcare: administrative performance, communication and coordination, clinical quality and patient care, compliance and ethical practice, ancillary and integrated services, and outcome-based performance.

Before beginning, please review the following instructions carefully.

Actively treat injured workers within the workers’ compensation system
Maintain a structured workers’ compensation program or defined process within the practice
Have a dedicated team responsible for coordination, communication, and administrative oversight
Demonstrate clear procedures that support timely documentation, follow-up, and compliance

When completing the application, please include documentation that supports and verifies your responses. These materials help demonstrate how your practice meets the standards required for the COE Designation.

Recommended attachments include:

Current workers’ compensation policies and procedures
Sample reports or documentation with all patient information removed
Credentialing and licensure verification
Staff training materials or compliance summaries
Communication workflows or operational process outlines

Each section of the application provides specific guidance on what to include. All documentation should accurately reflect your current operations and best practices.

Include measurable information and performance data to support your application. Quantifiable results help demonstrate your practice’s commitment to timely care, effective communication, and successful recovery outcomes for injured workers.

Examples of useful data include:

Average turnaround time for clinical and administrative reports
Average response time for calls, emails, or portal communications
Timeframes for authorization, scheduling, and initial appointments
Return-to-work outcomes and recovery benchmarks
Rate and timeliness of achieving Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)

Providing clear and verifiable data allows the review committee to accurately evaluate your practice’s performance and consistency in delivering high-quality workers’ compensation care.