The Importance of Occupational Medicine in Urgent Care
Occupational medicine is critical in urgent care settings, as it focuses on the health and safety of workers in various industries. With the increasing demand for acute care services, healthcare providers must prioritize the importance of occupational medicine to ensure that workers receive adequate medical attention for work-related injuries and illnesses. This field of treatment benefits the employee, the employer, and society by promoting a healthy and safe work environment.
In this article, we will explore the importance of occupational medicine in urgent care and how it benefits both employees and employers.
Combination of Occupational Medicine and Urgent Care
Urgent care and occupational medicine share several aspects of medical care and treatment. Most occupational injuries are minor traumas, with causes and treatments comparable to urgent care. In contrast, the differences in management make occupational medicine an ideal complement to urgent care.
Occupational medicine and urgent care can complement one another. Occ med physicals, re-checks, and drug testing can be scheduled during the sluggish afternoon hours to level patient flow and increase provider and staff productivity. Keeping providers and staff productive throughout all daily clinic hours is frequently a concern from a financial standpoint.
Throughout the day, occupational medicine is busiest when urgent care is quietest, and vice versa. This allows even the most active clinics to add occupational therapy to their menu of services without adding staff.
The Value of Occupational Medicine
Ensures Employee’s Health and Safety
It addresses workplace hazards and recognizes the signs of potential illnesses and injuries. Occupational medicine helps to identify any risks associated with a particular job, ensuring that the necessary preventive measures are taken to protect employees from developing hazardous medical conditions. Legal disputes can also be avoided when employers provide regular occupational health monitoring.
Helps Improve Employee Productivity
It provides the necessary treatment and guidance to employees suffering from workplace-related illnesses and injuries. This includes preventive measures such as ergonomic training and process changes to decrease physical stress. Moreover, occupational physicians provide counselling on stress management and the promotion of mental well-being to reduce burnout rates among employees.
Helps Financially
By creating a healthier work environment, employers can reduce costs associated with absenteeism and workers’ compensation claims due to illness or injury from work-related activities. By taking a proactive approach to occupational medicine, businesses can save money in the long run by preventing diseases and injuries before they occur and by addressing them promptly when they do occur. This can result in increased productivity and decreased healthcare costs and insurance premiums.
Aftercare of Occupational Medicine
When a patient in urgent care is registered, treated, and discharged, the experience is typically concluded. In contrast to urgent care, the discharge of an occupational medicine patient after their first work comp appointment initiates a cascade of follow-up treatment and case management, ancillary services (especially physical therapy), medication, and DME services. Each episode of care, including physical therapy follow-up and medications/DME, represents an opportunity for the clinic to generate additional revenue.
And, unlike workers’ compensation and urgent care visits, which are reimbursed by third parties (insurance or the government), occupational medicine services such as physicals and drug screens are paid directly by employers under NET/15 terms, allowing for quick and ready cash flow for a center in contrast to insurance accounts receivable, which can take 45 to 60 days or more to collect.
Conclusion
Overall, occupational medicine is an essential part of any urgent care center, providing employers with the necessary preventive procedures to identify and address potential health hazards in the workplace. It ensures that employees are safe and healthy, increases their productivity, and can help to save money in the long run. Ultimately, occupational medicine helps to maximize revenue for the clinic through direct payments from employers and increased follow-up services.
Looking for urgent care in Stafford, VA? Optimum Care is here to provide you with reasonable immediate care and comprehensive primary care services. But that’s not all – as a full-service urgent care center, we also understand the importance of occupational medicine in providing complete care to our patients. Contact us now!