If you are unlucky enough to have a workplace injury it is helpful to know the steps you need to take in order to get treatment.
The first thing you should do as an employee hurt at work is report the incident to your employer. The employer should advise their insurance company of the incident within 48 hours.
You should then go to your General Practitioner and have them assess your injury. You will need to complete the necessary paperwork to lodge a workers compensation claim.
The appropriate tests should be organised and if there is nothing too serious physical therapy can be organised. If you have tried all of the conservative modalities of treatment and you are getting no relief it may be time to see a spinal surgeon. You will need to provide a copy of the referral to the insurance company in order for them to send through financial authorisation for the initial consultation with the surgeon.
For more information on the workers compensation process you can go to the official State Insurance Regulatory Authority website www.sira.nsw.gov.au
Since the most recent overhaul of the workers compensation system we have noticed that things are a lot smoother for patients in regard to obtaining timely treatment. The aim is to get people recovered and back to work within two years which means that insurance companies are a lot more effective with approving treatment.
The patients that return to work as quickly as possible tend to be the ones that recover the fastest. The longer the process is dragged out the less likely people are to go back to work.
Hopefully you will have a straight forward workers compensation experience and will be on the road to recovery and back to work in no time!
If you have any questions about the process Dr Moloney’s staff are always happy to answer any questions we can and advise you where to go for the answers we don’t have.
