Steering of Injured Workers

[Guest guest]

Dear colleagues,

As you are aware I've been researching the inappropriate steering of injured workers to particular providers, the Occ Med Centers/Clinics, or to the "Company doctor" etc., etc.

Injured workers even being told when they ask that they cannot see a chiropractor e.g.., they are not "authorized to see a chiropractor" etc. All of which are in violation of current law.

I wrote a survey that the CAO sent out to ever DC in the state which included questions relative to this issue and you dear colleagues stepped up for the profession yet again and responded with several hundred returned surveys. These surveys clearly validated that employers and workers' comp insurance claims reps were telling injured workers they must go to this Urgent Care Clinic, or this Occ Med Clinic, or to the "Company Doctor." I reported these findings in front of the Management-Labor Advisory Committee and for months I continuely and consistently referred to this issue over and over again always armed with a few e-mails you guys and gals sent me describing examples of this inappropriate activity by mostly employers.

Well this squeaky wheel has been getting some grease of late. I was placed on a task force to look at re-writing the Workers' Comp Division's literature to injured workers as per their rights under Oregon law.

At the first task force meeting with all of the key stakeholders I testified (audio tapes are available) that no where in the Division's literature describing the injured worker's medical treatment rights do the terms chiropractor, chiropractic physician, doctor of chiropractor, no DC appear? That the only terms to be found in all of these forms and booklets are the terms doctor, attending physician, medical treatment, and nurse practioner. That the reality is no injured worker reading this material would have any idea whatsoever that they could in fact see a chiropractor right out of the gate!

That this fact made the ability to steer injured workers to particular provider types all to easy.

Well colleagues I'm happy to inform you that are diligence is slowly paying off. Yesterday I receive the second draft of the new form 3283 this is the form the employer must give the injured worker along with the form 801 at the time the worker reports an injury.

The first draft included my suggestion of listing the provider types injured workers could treat with and we as "Chiropractors" are finally listed by name.

The new paragraph I suggested when I got this first draft has also now been added and it reads as follows:

"Get medical treatment from a health care provider of your choice and tell your provider that you were injured on the job. Your employer cannot choose your health care provider for you."

The Division is talking about sending these new forms out to all employers across the state with a cover letter as an educational tool to inform them they cannot force or even suggest injured workers go to a particular provider type......cool no!

Dear colleagues I just want to take moment to say working together we are making a real difference...for example I can tell you this our profession's steadfast legislative resolve over the last four to five years has caught the attention of the policy makers in Salem and it's making a huge difference..

From you 160+ colleagues giving monthly to our "ICE PAC," to you colleagues who had grass roots fund raiser events for your local legislators across the state, you colleagues who came to events when I ased or sent money when you could not come, to your e-mails when I asked, to your filing out surveys, you 80+ colleagues that donated their time for the chiropractic treatment room last session and you colleagues who traveled from all over the state to come to our Chiropractic Day at the Capitol....it's all making a difference and not a little difference but rather a HUGE difference.

Over these last few years more and more of you colleagues have been stepping up and putting your collective shoulders against that great big stone wheel slowly pushing it up and guys/gals I see us nearing the top of that big hill!

Thank you all and have a wonderful day!

Vern Saboe

[Guest guest]

Wow Vern. Great work!

Lindekugel, DC

Concordia Chiropractic Center

5425 NE 33rd Ave

Portland OR 97211

>From: " Vern Saboe " <vsaboe@...>

><Oregondcs >

>Subject: " Steering of Injured Workers "

>Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2006 06:11:26 -0800

>

>Dear colleagues,

>

>As you are aware I've been researching the inappropriate steering of

>injured workers to particular providers, the Occ Med Centers/Clinics, or to

>the " Company doctor " etc., etc.

>

>Injured workers even being told when they ask that they cannot see a

>chiropractor e.g.., they are not " authorized to see a chiropractor " etc.

>All of which are in violation of current law.

>

>I wrote a survey that the CAO sent out to ever DC in the state which

>included questions relative to this issue and you dear colleagues stepped

>up for the profession yet again and responded with several hundred returned

>surveys. These surveys clearly validated that employers and workers' comp

>insurance claims reps were telling injured workers they must go to this

>Urgent Care Clinic, or this Occ Med Clinic, or to the " Company Doctor. " I

>reported these findings in front of the Management-Labor Advisory Committee

>and for months I continuely and consistently referred to this issue over

>and over again always armed with a few e-mails you guys and gals sent me

>describing examples of this inappropriate activity by mostly employers.

>

>Well this squeaky wheel has been getting some grease of late. I was placed

>on a task force to look at re-writing the Workers' Comp Division's

>literature to injured workers as per their rights under Oregon law.

>

>At the first task force meeting with all of the key stakeholders I

>testified (audio tapes are available) that no where in the Division's

>literature describing the injured worker's medical treatment rights do the

>terms chiropractor, chiropractic physician, doctor of chiropractor, no DC

>appear? That the only terms to be found in all of these forms and booklets

>are the terms doctor, attending physician, medical treatment, and nurse

>practioner. That the reality is no injured worker reading this material

>would have any idea whatsoever that they could in fact see a chiropractor

>right out of the gate!

>

>That this fact made the ability to steer injured workers to particular

>provider types all to easy.

>

>Well colleagues I'm happy to inform you that are diligence is slowly paying

>off. Yesterday I receive the second draft of the new form 3283 this is the

>form the employer must give the injured worker along with the form 801 at

>the time the worker reports an injury.

>

>The first draft included my suggestion of listing the provider types

>injured workers could treat with and we as " Chiropractors " are finally

>listed by name.

>

>The new paragraph I suggested when I got this first draft has also now been

>added and it reads as follows:

>

> a.. " Get medical treatment from a health care provider of your choice

>and tell your provider that you were injured on the job. Your employer

>cannot choose your health care provider for you. "

>The Division is talking about sending these new forms out to all employers

>across the state with a cover letter as an educational tool to inform them

>they cannot force or even suggest injured workers go to a particular

>provider type......cool no!

>

>Dear colleagues I just want to take moment to say working together we are

>making a real difference...for example I can tell you this our profession's

>steadfast legislative resolve over the last four to five years has caught

>the attention of the policy makers in Salem and it's making a huge

>difference..

>

>From you 160+ colleagues giving monthly to our " ICE PAC, " to you colleagues

>who had grass roots fund raiser events for your local legislators across

>the state, you colleagues who came to events when I ased or sent money when

>you could not come, to your e-mails when I asked, to your filing out

>surveys, you 80+ colleagues that donated their time for the chiropractic

>treatment room last session and you colleagues who traveled from all over

>the state to come to our Chiropractic Day at the Capitol....it's all making

>a difference and not a little difference but rather a HUGE difference.

>

>Over these last few years more and more of you colleagues have been

>stepping up and putting your collective shoulders against that great big

>stone wheel slowly pushing it up and guys/gals I see us nearing the top of

>that big hill!

>

>Thank you all and have a wonderful day!

>

>Vern Saboe

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[Guest guest]

Great work Vern and all: I had another version of work comp disaster last week. The patient who overlifted at a small grocery and had a mild sprain was told, she thought by Saif, that she had to go to an MD and they set it up for her. Turns out they sent her to a clinic where she was seen by a nurse practitioner. Not good enough, the next week she was "required" to see the MD in that clinic. That guy tells all his low back patients that they have pain because they are OLD (doesn't matter if they are 40 or 50). That's when I hit the roof. I called the claims worker and demanded that she not be forced. He couldn't understand why I was upset. The pressure wasn't coming from them but from the employer. WE NEED THE NEW WORDING- but more than that because these clowns don't read. She didn't go to the MD appointment and I completed treatment. What a bunch of bs. Ann Goldeen, Astoria

"Steering of Injured Workers"

Dear colleagues,

As you are aware I've been researching the inappropriate steering of injured workers to particular providers, the Occ Med Centers/Clinics, or to the "Company doctor" etc., etc.

Injured workers even being told when they ask that they cannot see a chiropractor e.g.., they are not "authorized to see a chiropractor" etc. All of which are in violation of current law.

I wrote a survey that the CAO sent out to ever DC in the state which included questions relative to this issue and you dear colleagues stepped up for the profession yet again and responded with several hundred returned surveys. These surveys clearly validated that employers and workers' comp insurance claims reps were telling injured workers they must go to this Urgent Care Clinic, or this Occ Med Clinic, or to the "Company Doctor." I reported these findings in front of the Management-Labor Advisory Committee and for months I continuely and consistently referred to this issue over and over again always armed with a few e-mails you guys and gals sent me describing examples of this inappropriate activity by mostly employers.

Well this squeaky wheel has been getting some grease of late. I was placed on a task force to look at re-writing the Workers' Comp Division's literature to injured workers as per their rights under Oregon law.

At the first task force meeting with all of the key stakeholders I testified (audio tapes are available) that no where in the Division's literature describing the injured worker's medical treatment rights do the terms chiropractor, chiropractic physician, doctor of chiropractor, no DC appear? That the only terms to be found in all of these forms and booklets are the terms doctor, attending physician, medical treatment, and nurse practioner. That the reality is no injured worker reading this material would have any idea whatsoever that they could in fact see a chiropractor right out of the gate!

That this fact made the ability to steer injured workers to particular provider types all to easy.

Well colleagues I'm happy to inform you that are diligence is slowly paying off. Yesterday I receive the second draft of the new form 3283 this is the form the employer must give the injured worker along with the form 801 at the time the worker reports an injury.

The first draft included my suggestion of listing the provider types injured workers could treat with and we as "Chiropractors" are finally listed by name.

The new paragraph I suggested when I got this first draft has also now been added and it reads as follows:

"Get medical treatment from a health care provider of your choice and tell your provider that you were injured on the job. Your employer cannot choose your health care provider for you."

The Division is talking about sending these new forms out to all employers across the state with a cover letter as an educational tool to inform them they cannot force or even suggest injured workers go to a particular provider type......cool no!

Dear colleagues I just want to take moment to say working together we are making a real difference...for example I can tell you this our profession's steadfast legislative resolve over the last four to five years has caught the attention of the policy makers in Salem and it's making a huge difference..

From you 160+ colleagues giving monthly to our "ICE PAC," to you colleagues who had grass roots fund raiser events for your local legislators across the state, you colleagues who came to events when I ased or sent money when you could not come, to your e-mails when I asked, to your filing out surveys, you 80+ colleagues that donated their time for the chiropractic treatment room last session and you colleagues who traveled from all over the state to come to our Chiropractic Day at the Capitol....it's all making a difference and not a little difference but rather a HUGE difference.

Over these last few years more and more of you colleagues have been stepping up and putting your collective shoulders against that great big stone wheel slowly pushing it up and guys/gals I see us nearing the top of that big hill!

Thank you all and have a wonderful day!

Vern Saboe