Working Well goes the extra mile to raise the quality of its employee health programs in Northern Indiana and Illinois, said NAOHP Senior Principal Donna Lee Gardner, R.N., M.B.A. In a site survey of its clinics this spring, Working Well earned a 98 percent certification score in compliance with NAOHP standards, paving the way for a three-year NAOHP Quality Certification award.
The synergy between occupational medicine and population medicine is strong and getting stronger. Population health or medicine can be defined in various ways, including a group of people who are associated with a particular provider or healthcare organization, or employment site, or who are part of a health plan.
One of the most critical parts of running of an occupational medicine clinic is assembling a compassionate, qualified, and efficient staff that will deliver first-class patient care in a timely manner; to do this right requires thought, patience, due diligence, and particular attention to the bottom line.
Today I had a truck driver in for recertification. He had diplopia which was corrected by prescription glasses.
I just wanted to clarify what the terms certification and re-certification vs follow-up mean with regards to the following situations:
Can CMV drivers be qualified while being prescribed Provigil (Modafinil)?
Provigil (Modafinil) is a medication used to treat excessive sleepiness caused by certain sleep disorders. These sleep disorders are narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome and shift work sleep disorders.
1. If you disqualify a driver, and in 3-6 months they are able to return to work, present all documentation needed, and qualify. Do I date the card for the day they come back or retro it? (I dated it for the day they came back, was this correct?)
It is the medical examiner’s discretion as to whether or not to order pulmonary function testing in an asthmatic, depending on the degree of symptoms and control, but yes, generally you would order a pulmonary function test to check FEV1.
Cardiovascular questions that come up on DOT exams:
With history of unrepaired aortic aneurysm or thoracic aneurysm, am I to require ultrasound at the yearly recert? what about echocardiogram every 2-3 years with aortic valve replacement?
By Phyllis Hanlon
It is a familiar refrain. “Let’s be our own best client and only then can we justifiably offer services to outside companies.” Though it makes sense, too many occupational health and employee health programs remain rigidly separate, leaving opportunities for synergy and cost savings on the table. Common protocols and approaches to both internal employee health services and outside occupational health clients will allow cost-effective synergies.