Providence’s Occupational Medicine Clinic helps local employees get back to work

When a Snohomish County resident had a 10-year workplace injury claim that was “in limbo,” Providence’s Occupational Medicine teams implemented a plan to get the patient back to work.

EVERETT — A 2020 report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics of workplace injuries and illnesses in Washington reports 78,200 workplace injuries reported by private industry employers, with approximately 50,000 of those injuries resulting in employees missing days at work. Missing work due to a work-related injury can result in reduced earnings, which can lead to financial stress. If you need your job, then you also need an occupational medicine team focused on getting you back to work safely and quickly in the event of a workplace injury.

Providence Regional Medical Center Everett’s Occupational Medicine clinic in Mill Creek provides prompt, comprehensive health services. The team serves patients in Snohomish County and beyond by also participating in the “Stay at Work” program to encourage modified duty to help return patients to work, which minimizes the need to submit “time loss” claims. The Occupational Medicine team coordinates care across medical specialties to help patients get well and return to work as soon as safely possible. The Providence Occupational Medicine clinic at Mill Creek offers the following medical services:

• Coordination of care with primary care doctors and timely referrals to specialists when needed
• Evaluation and treatment of injured employees
• Clear work restrictions provided at every visit (our form or yours)
• Provider visits and tours of your worksite

Providence’s Occupational Health Clinic Manager, Cathy Killpack, adds that their services include “regulatory exams, such as Department of Transportation physicals and Occupational Health Client Services.”

Even for patients who may feel their claim is too old, Providence is eager to evaluate the information and create a plan of action. One such patient success story is of a worker who had a 10-year-old claim that was “stuck in limbo.” Killpack says the worker was not eligible to claim “time loss” or able to return to their original job where they received the injury.

“After consulting with the injured worker, we were able to set up vocational counseling to assess the injured worker’s physical capacity and recommend the work hardening program, which would progressively return the injured worker to ‘pre-injury’ status without further injury,” says Killpack. She adds that, “the worker was referred for an Impairment Rating” which evaluates if there is/was permanent disability.

The Occupational Medicine team goes beyond therapy and rehabilitation. Killpack says, “the goal is to assist the injured worker through rehabilitation and by helping them navigate the claims process.”

The Occupational Medicine clinic also helps employers keep employees safe on the job. If illness or injuries happen, the team provides prompt medical care and assistance with claims management, health screenings, and regulatory compliance. Additionally, they offer medical evaluation services designed to help local companies maintain healthy and safe work environments and comply with OSHA standards and regulations.

Medical evaluations are provided by Providence’s highly skilled doctors and nurse practitioners. Health tests and screenings help employers create safe and productive work environments by offering the following services:

• Biologic monitoring
• Department of Transportation physicals
• Tuberculosis skin test (PPD)
• Needle stick/blood borne pathogen program
• Pulmonary lung function test
• Regulatory exams
• Respiratory fit testing
• Testing for infectious disease exposure

In addition to offering services for employers, Providence Medical Group can further reduce the duration of recovery and improve outcomes through integrated and coordinated multispecialty services. Learn more about how Providence’s Occupational Medicine Clinic in Mill Creek is helping local residents return to work at https://www.providence.org/locations/wa/mill-creek-occupational-medicine.