WorkSafe Clinical Panel
The role of the clinical panel is to conduct clinical reviews, provide clinical support to WorkSafe Agent claims staff, and professional support and advice to treating medical and healthcare professionals providing services to injured workers.
The clinical panel consists of experienced medical practitioners and healthcare professionals, including
- Medical Advisors
- Physiotherapists
- Chiropractors
- Osteopaths
- Psychologists
- Audiologists and
- Pharmacists.
Medical Advisors
Clinical panel Medical Advisors work on-site at the Agent, assisting claims multidisciplinary teams, by providing medical and treatment advice.
Medical Advisors may need to contact the treating medical practitioner to discuss an injured worker’s condition, treatment or work capacity. Medical Advisors consider early and successful return to work or suitable employment; or, improving the worker's ability to undertake the necessary activities of daily living as measures of reasonable treatment. All reviews are conducted in accordance with the Accident Compensation Act 1985 (Vic) (‘the Act’).
Medical Advisor contact and discussion may include:
- return to work capacity and issues surrounding certification
- vocational rehabilitation options
- clarification of medical issues, injury and prognosis
- the effectiveness of treatment/medication
- new or ongoing treatment request
- surgical request, medical intervention or pharmacotherapy; or
- Independent Medical Examination findings and recommendations.
Medical Advisors can be contacted via the injured worker’s managing WorkSafe Agent.
The allied health clinical review process
Claims are selected for allied health clinical review on the basis of a range of indicators which may include the age of the claim and complexity of the injury. WorkSafe and its Agents advise the treating healthcare professional and the injured worker in writing prior to review.
Clinical reviews are focused on ensuring that treatment is clinically justified and aimed at improving return to work and health outcomes. All reviews are conducted in accordance with the Accident Compensation Act 1985 (Vic) (‘the Act’) and the principles of the Clinical Framework for the Delivery of Health (or Psychology) Services to Injured Workers (Clinical Framework).
Allied health clinical reviews involve phone discussions between the healthcare professional and a member of the clinical panel regarding the current and future treatment of an injured worker. Following a phone discussion, a fax is sent to the healthcare professional to sign as a written summary of the agreed treatment plan. If an agreement can not be reached, the injured worker is required to attend an independent medical exam.
Following the review, recommendations are provided to the Agent. The injured worker and treating healthcare professional are informed of the outcome in writing.
Providing information to the clinical panel
As part of the clinical review process, the clinical panel will ask healthcare professionals to provide information about a worker on behalf of WorkSafe and its Agents. When responding to such a request, the following information may be helpful:
- It is intended that the clinical review process be conducted in a cooperative and collaborative manner between the treating healthcare provider and the clinical panel.
- Workers with a WorkSafe Injury Insurance claim have been provided with a Privacy Collection Statement. This informs the worker that WorkSafe may collect information about them from healthcare professionals to assist claims management.
- Worksafe is permitted under privacy laws to collect information about injured workers from healthcare professionals.
- As a healthcare professional, you are not in breach of privacy laws if you provide health information about an injured worker to WorkSafe and its Agents for the purpose of the clinical review process.
More information:
VWA’s Privacy Policy
