Are employee health and on-the-job injuries a common concern for your business?
You’re not alone. In 2022, 4.5 million preventable injuries were reported at work with a cost of $167 billion, according to the National Safety Council. That could be anything from carpal tunnel syndrome to slipping at work or cutting your hand with a sawblade.
Workplace safety includes not only creating a safe work environment but making sure your employees are healthy to do so without injury.
That’s why companies look to occupational medicine clinics to manage workplace screenings and injuries. In past years, the field has evolved from treating occupational illnesses, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, to increased focus on total worker health and prevention.
“Our goals are keeping people well at work and getting people back to work from an injury as quickly and safely as possible,” said Rachel Thies, MD, with Avera Occupational Medicine. “We are always working hand in hand with patients, employers, and their health care team.”
Business for occupational medicine grew during the pandemic when businesses looked to these specialists to help with workplace protocols, exposure management, and testing and vaccination.
Meanwhile, the number of occupational medicine certifications per year has hovered steadily under 100 since 2005, according to the “The Future of Occupational and Environmental Medicine” published in the Journal of Environmental Medicine. The decrease is due in part to decreased funding in training programs and lack of awareness.
This makes Avera Occupational Medicine especially fortunate to have two board certified Occupational and Environmental Medicine physicians serving the Sioux Falls and regional community – Thies and Mary Murphy, DO. They total half the four board certified occupational medicine doctors in South Dakota.
The clinic works with more than 2,000 companies to ensure healthy employees and help manage injuries. Located at Avera Family Health Center on Marion Road, the team includes board certified occupational medicine providers, nationally certified medical federal examiners and an ergonomic analyst to work with employers. Avera Occupational Medicine clinics are also located across the region.
What Is Occupational Medicine?
Occupational medicine is focused on employee wellness, injury prevention and post-injury management. It includes elements of both public health and knowledge about workers compensation and other regulatory requirements. On any given day, Thies may be doing workplace screenings, seeing walk-in patients with injuries and managing ongoing injuries during the healing process.
Services include:
- Employee testing, physicals regulatory surveillance exams
- Employee wellness services
- Workplace safety and injury prevention expertise
Within those areas employer needs may include a number of things dependent on industry:
- Medical treatment management and follow-up for work-related injuries
- Physical exams including pre-employment, fit for duty and Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) medical exams
- Department of Transportation medical exams
- Respiratory fit testing
- Spirometry screening
- Back to work plans
- Drug and alcohol breath testing
- Immunizations
- Ergonomic screenings
Avera Occ Med frequently assists patients with navigating the healthcare system whether that means connecting to optometry or preventive medicine services. “We frequently will help patients establish a primary care physician, recommend seeing dermatology, GI for screening colonoscopies and other preventive services.
Although Thies and her team don’t fulfill the tasks of a primary care provider, the goal of overall health is the same. Her team works closely to help employees find the care they need whether it be a colonoscopy at age 45 or physical therapy for work-related back pain.
Helping Employees Get Back to Work
The Occupational Medicine clinic has walk-in services and appointments to see patients who are hurt on the job. Many additional services are nearby in the same building to fast-track care based on the patient’s needs. The clinic is connected to an Emergency Department, an independent optometrist, and Avera Physical Therapy with multiple specialists in the space above including family medicine, pediatrics, OBGYN, and dermatology.
With nearby accessibility Thies can consult with a patient and send them to physical therapy or an eye doctor down the hall so they can be treated immediately. This includes close consultation with orthopedics providers as well.
Managing Workplace Regulations for Employers
For companies, the benefit of working with an occupational medicine team goes beyond quality care for employees.
Thies will ensure her patients are following the required care plan to return to work safely and not before it’s recommended.
But many companies also need help managing federal laws and navigating the worker’s compensation system is also necessary. Through occupational medicine consultation the team will follow the process to help determine if it’s a workplace injury, said, Mindy VanLeur, RN, Program Coordinator for Occupational Medicine.
Having a team like Avera Occupational Medicine who’s knowledgeable about these requirements is invaluable to companies.
“It’s a huge service to the community and local businesses,” Thies said of occupational medicine. “When people get injured at work it’s not the same as getting injured at home. You need to understand how to get them back to doing the things they love but also to be able to do their job safely again.”
Learn more about occupational medicine services at Avera.
