The Importance of Quick Access to Physical Therapy in Workers’ Compensation

When a worker becomes injured on the job, time is crucial for ensuring the best course of healing, recovery, return to work, and cost containment. Quick access to care can mean the difference between a claim with a successful recovery and efficient return-to-work timelines versus a claim that achieves subpar outcomes and return-to-work timelines. At Athletico, our centers and the centralized scheduling team, WORK4U, have a goal of scheduling all injured workers requiring acute physical and occupational therapy within two business days, unless a request is made by the referral source to schedule outside of this time frame.

There are a number of reasons why employers, claims professionals, case managers, employers, and healthcare providers should prioritize quick access to care:

1. Improved Outcomes

• Can mitigate the chances of injuries becoming worse and/or requiring other costly interventions in the future, such as surgery.
• Can reduce the chances of an injury becoming worse and the likelihood of a prolonged recovery process.
• Can allow referral sources to gain valuable information early in the claims process regarding possible confounding factors that can help all key stakeholders ensure the injured worker gets the best possible interventions.

2. Faster Recovery Can Lead to Cost Containment

• More timely return to work can lead to fewer lost workdays, minimizing the need for wage replacement or disability payments.
• Reduced incidence of need for additional interventions such as opioids, advanced imaging, or surgery.

3. Improved Injured Worker Morale and Compliance

• Improves compliance and engagement with treatment plans.
• Can provide a sense of direction and support regarding care early in the process for the injured worker.

4. Early Communication Between Key Stakeholders

• Opens the channels of communication early in care between physical therapists, case managers, claims professionals, PT networks, and treating physicians for proactive sharing of information related to current status, confounding factors, injured worker needs, and any barriers to recovery.
• Allows for early communication to ensure everyone is aware of the care plan and treatment goals.

There are many benefits of quick access to physical therapy for injured workers. These benefits extend to the injured worker, the employer, and those involved in the medical care, clinical care, and the claims process. All of Athletico’s 900+ locations, as well as our centralized scheduling department, WORK4U, are focused on scheduling acute care workers’ compensation patients within two business days. Learn more about Athletico’s focus on quick scheduling access!

The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in blog posts represents the opinion of the individual author based on their expertise and experience. The content provided in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.