[MCOH-EH] employee return to work

[Leibu, Rachel]

Are you doing a Fit for Duty evaluation on all new hires with physically demanding jobs?

Rachel Leibu, MD, MBA, MS
Medical Director Occupational Medicine Service
Atlantic Health System
973-971-5440

From: MCOH-EH [mailto:mcoh-eh-bounces at mylist.net] On Behalf Of Kim.Thompson at hcahealthcare.com
Sent: Friday, September 11, 2015 11:21 PM
To: mcoh-eh at mylist.net
Subject: Re: [MCOH-EH] employee return to work

We utilize a 3rd party vendor (TAFW or Sedgwick). They manage the FMLA / STD portion and do require a MD RTW note. However, we noted that, often, the MD would write 'RTW w/ no restrictions' and then the employee would be limping or have been told not to lift ?x#. All we could figure is that employees often talk their MD's into returning them to work and/or the MD's don't understand (or possibly don't care) about the individual employers' need to provide reasonable accommodations. Many employees tell their MD's that they can do 'light duty' when they return and they have never even discussed the issue w/ EH  or HR.

So, several years ago, we developed physical demands (weight lifted/carried, shoulder/waist, etc,; reaching/squatting/bending/rotating, etc) for every single job position in-house. They sign that they can do these things when they are hired and then we do a Fit for Duty based on these upon hire.

In addition, I send these physical demands along w/ a Medical Evaluation RTW form (has boxes for MD to check re: how much they can lift/sit/stand/bend/squat, etc) and a fax coversheet addressed to me. I tell the employee that I must receive and approve their RTW BEFORE they can return. Once I receive and clear them, I notify the TAFW, HR, and the manager that the employee has been cleared to RTW w/o restrictions. For clinical positions, we do not offer accommodations other than perhaps reduced hours. For other positions, if the MD writes restrictions, I speak w/ the manager and if they feel that they can accommodate the restrictions, I then take them to HR for approval. If approved, I mark up the Physical Demands to match the restrictions; the employee signs/dates/returns and this must be re-evaluated every 30 days until which time the employee is fully released and signs a new Physical Demands showing no restrictions.


Kim Thompson RN, BSN
Employee Health Nurse Manager
Medical Center of McKinney
4500 Medical Center Drive - MOB, Suite 105
McKinney, TX     75069

972- 540- 4218 (phone)
469 - 713- 8660 (fax)

[cid:image002.jpg at 01CF6390.32B81900]

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From: MCOH-EH [mailto:mcoh-eh-bounces+kim.thompson=hcahealthcare.com at mylist.net] On Behalf Of Denise Smith (Employee Health)
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2015 2:29 PM
To: mcoh-eh at mylist.net<mailto:mcoh-eh at mylist.net>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] [MCOH-EH] employee return to work

I am interested in knowing how others coordinate employee return to work, with or without restrictions.
Is anyone in Employee Health involved with the utilization of third party ( like The Hartford, etc.) Return to Work coordinators?
If so, what kind of successes/ problems have you experienced?

Denise Smith, RN, COHPM -
Human Resources, Asst. Director
Employee Health and Workers' Compensation
Employee Health Clinic
Lexington Medical Center
2720 Sunset Blvd.
West Columbia, S.C.  29169
803.791.2199 or 939.8734
Fax 803.936.8217
edsmith2 at lexhealth.org<mailto:edsmith2 at lexhealth.org>

Designated Parking spaces for clinic visits are available in the parking lot to the right of the Terrace Café outdoor dining.

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