Information for Doctors
Overview
Medical
practitioners play a key role in all Workers Compensation systems. In NSW every worker who
suffers a significant injury (i.e. an injury that prevents a worker from doing
their usual job for more than seven consecutive calendar days) must nominate a
treating doctor. He / she will liaise with the worker, employer, insurer and
other treatment providers to ensure a worker’s smooth transition back to
employment.
The worker’s general practitioner is usually nominated as the treating doctor
and is responsible for coordinating all aspects of injury treatment and
assisting in return to work management.
Responsibilities
of a nominated treating doctor
WorkCover identify 3 key responsibilities:
- The provision
of a Work Cover certificate of capacity
- Being the
point of communication for treatment and the injury management plan
- The point
of authorisation by the worker to provide relevant information to the
employer , and insurer.
The nominated treating doctor can provide information to the employer
and insurer relating to the:
- Nature of
the injury
- Capacity
for employment
- Treatment
required
- Prognosis
- Time
frames for safe and durable return to employment.
An insurer can request a WorkCover certificate of capacity if
they have commenced making weekly payments. Information within the medical certificate is used to provide
consent for medical information to be exchanged between relevant parties,
assisting the insurer to make decisions about liability and to develop an
injury management plan.
A thoroughly completed certificate of capacity minimises the likelihood that an
insurer will need to make contact with the nominated treating doctor to obtain
additional information / clarification.
