Stand-alone community-based physical therapy vs. Occupational health physical therapy
Overwhelmed by options when it comes to choosing an occupational health provider? Learn the benefits of selecting a work injury care clinic.
The one sound you don’t want to hear in the morning, unless it’s coming from your breakfast cereal bowl: “Snap! Crack! Pop!”
The pain you feel, accompanying the sound you just heard, tells you all you need to know – you just experienced an injury at your workplace. Whether the damage happened because a slip, trip, fall, or an awkward lift, the event (and the pain that follows) will leave with one immediate question: “Where should I go for help?”
How to Choose a Physical Therapy Clinic
Googling workers compensation physical therapy’ is of little assistance; in most metropolitan areas, the search will yield 20+ providers for treatment near you. The sheer number of PT clinics that care for workplace injuries can be bewildering, but there are also different types of clinics, which contributes to the confusion. Some clinics are small, privately owned practices where the physical therapists who treat the injured workers are disconnected from the medical providers sending you to therapy. Other physical therapy clinics are on the same site and in the same company as the urgent care providers who write the PT referral. If our choice is between the two, which is the better choice?
Below are three reasons highlighting why choosing an occupational health clinic where medical and therapy providers are onsite, in the same company, is the best choice for injury care.
Reasons to Select an Occupational Health Clinic
Seek the experts
It is undeniable that mastery requires time and focus. Isolated, private practice clinics add injured workers to their existing clientele in hopes of bolstering their business.
However, MBI achieves mastery in injury care by devoting their time and focus solely to injured workers, using objective data and a dedication to functional improvement to guide the return-to-work process, leading to uncommon results.
Research: 3rd party analysis* of MBI found that patients seen for low-back injuries at MBI in Colorado recover 41 days faster than the average competitor (as well as 68 days faster than the average for shoulder injuries, and 48 days faster than the average for the most complex injuries).
Response Time Matters
Patients receiving a script for PT from isolated, privately owned PT clinics often experience a 7-10 days wait between the time the PT script is written and the therapy evaluation. For obvious reasons, this delay in starting treatment results in a delay in discharge from PT.
Research: 3rd party research* found that MBI clinics in Colorado start AND finish therapy faster than the competition, in 34 out of 43 categories. When your body and livelihood are on the line, choosing a provider that has your medical providers and therapists under one roof results in the speed that you need.
Occupational Health Clinics and The Power of Communication
It’s a commonly heard aphorism, especially when it comes to patient health plans: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” When medical providers and therapists work for separate companies and separate facilities, faxes and emails strengthen the illusion that communication has taken place, leaving you wondering if anyone is doing anything for you. But when providers and therapists are a 30 second walk away, real ‘in-time’ communication happens, often making all the difference for your care and return to work.
Your Wellness Team Working Together
Speed, communication, and a shared understanding between team members is the root of every thriving business. The same principle applies to physical therapy and treatment clinics. Ensuring your team is connected to you and each other ensures that whatever injury you face, you’re on the road to recovery and returning to work as quickly and safely as possible.
When you are looking for the experts in injury care who are all under one roof, Medicine for Business and Industry can help get you organized. Call a clinic near you to set up an appointment.
Meet our expert: Dr Adrean Riba, Regional Medical Director, Colorado
* Data obtained from Pinnacol Assurance’s assessment of MBI outcomes compared to competitors
