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IMPROVING ACCESS TO OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PHYSICAL THERAPY – EMPLOYMENT WITH A NATIONAL NURSE / VOCATIONAL CASE MANAGEMENT COMPANY. Edelson, J; Resource Opportunities, Inc. / Genex Services, Inc. Reston, VA. jedelsonptcie@aol.com. PURPOSE: The purpose of this platform is to share an employment option for occupational health physical therapists broadening, but within, their scope of practice. DESCRIPTION: Developing Occupational Health services within a new employment venue required risk, teamwork, schedule flexibility, the ability to slowly grow new relationships with insurance carriers, employers and colleagues, and a willingness to be creative with return to work solutions. OBSERVATIONS: Compared to employment within a medical/rehabilitation facility, employment within a national case management company improved access and the volume of requests for occupational health physical therapy services in conjunction with nurse and vocational case management cases. These services included job analyses, on-site prevention / training, accessibility and accommodations reviews and ergonomic workstation analyses. In addition, service requests as a stand-alone provider increased and included rehabilitation case management, ergonomic consulting for the development of injury management programs, development of individualized warm-up stretching programs and a variety of other creative occupational health services. The therapist provided services as an unbiased, third party, completed billing in a format already familiar to insurance companies, and was in greater contact with the physicians to develop successful return to work strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational Health Physical Therapists benefit from pursuing non-traditional employment venues to increase accessibility to their broad variety of services. FUNDING SOURCE: None.
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