Medical Care Team
The WAO provides workers, their dependants and other stakeholders with independent advice, assistance, representation, training and mentoring with respect to workers' compensation issues.
6 Things You Can Do to Help a Patient Who Suffers a Workplace Accident
- Record in your chart notes a clear, legible, accurate and complete description of the worker’s injuries and symptoms for each clinical visit. Remember: When symptoms or conditions are not mentioned in your reports they will often be assumed to have resolved.
- File a Physician’s Report (F11) with complete clinical information (including symptoms and any needs for diagnostic assessment, treatment and medication) to WorkSafeBC for every clinical visit while in recovery.
- If you become concerned about decisions the Board is making about your patient’s health care, say so in your Physician’s Report (F11) and indicate that you wish to speak to the WorkSafeBC Medical Adviser
- Schedule regular follow up appointments with your patient so you can report on your patient’s progress and any needs they may have for further for diagnostic assessment, treatment and medication
- If WorkSafeBC refuses your patient some form of diagnostic assessment, treatment or medication (e.g. referrals for medical imaging, physiotherapy etc.) that decision may be appealed, but it takes time and the outcome is never certain. In the meantime, you can still proceed to complete the referral through the usual BC-MSP system or your patient’s private health insurance carrier
- If your patient suffers a significant deterioration or recurrence of a previously accepted work injury (physical and/or psychological, promptly report it to WorkSafeBC so that they can make new decisions on their entitlement to health care and other benefits.
