| Responding
appropriately to workplace health concerns is an important factor
in maintaining productivity, controlling costs and reducing the
risk of litigation. Just as an attorney advises on legal issues,
many large organizations employ a medical director to advise on
medical and health-related issues. For companies who can’t
justify the expense of having a medical director on staff, the University
of Michigan MWorks Occupational Health Division offers the Medical
Advisor Program.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Medical Advisor Program
How can a U-M medical advisor benefit your business?
How does the Medical Advisor Program work?
What are the credentials of U-M Physicians?
What types of issues should I refer to a medical
advisor?
How do I get more information?
What is
the Medical Advisor Program?
The Medical Advisor Program gives businesses the benefits of having
a medical director on staff, without all of the expense. For a small
monthly fee, an experienced MWorks board certified occupational
medicine physician is available to you via email, phone or fax to
give sound medical advice on any health-related issues your business
may encounter.
[top]
How
can a medical advisor benefit your business?
As a human resource professional you are on the front line when
it comes to responding to a workplace catastrophe, management looks
to you for guidance on health-related personnel issues.
Having a MWorks medical advisor on retainer:
- Gives you a physician you can turn to
when you have an urgent need for sound medical advice.
- Saves time in responding to worksite medical
issues
- Helps you get your response right the first
time
- Reduces the risk of litigation
- Saves you time by working with someone who understands
health-related government regulations
- Takes the hassle and uncertainty out of dealing
with health-related personnel issues
- Gives you a physician familiar with your organization
who you can consult on health-related policy issues
- Gives you a physician with access to the full
resources of the U-M Health System and national experts when a
medical issue needs further research.
[top]
How does
the Medical Advisor Program work?
It’s simple. You pay a monthly retainer and one of our physicians
is assigned to your organization for a specified number of hours
per month. How you use these hours is up to you. You can call for
medical advice on urgent issues, ask questions, have your medical
advisor doa worksite evaluation, review a disability case, participate
in occupational health policy development or attend a monthly safety
committee meeting. If, on occasion, you need more hours than you
have contracted for, we will bill you for the additional hours.
Your assigned physician will become familiar with
your business and the unique health and safety needs of your organization.
This physician will respond to your inquiries within 24 hours. (Another
physician will provide coverage for vacations and other periods
when your regular medical advisor is unavailable.) [top]
What are
the credentials of MWorks Physicians?
Mworks occupational medicine physicians are board certified and
residency trained in occupational medicine. This means they understand
and can advise you on workers’ compensation and OSHA reporting
requirements. They have extensive experience working within all
types of business settings, particularly manufacturing/production
environments. They are familiar with DOT and FMLA regulations. They
are experts at evaluating the functional requirements of a job and
assessing an employee’s physical ability to do that job. Our
physicians have served as medical directors and on-site physicians
for several automotive plants so they are familiar with the needs
of businesses employing unionized staff. In other words, their medical
training and experience is ideally suited to handle both the routine
and the unique types of medical issues that arise in a business
setting.
[top]
What
types of issues should I refer to a medical advisor?
Here are some examples of the types of things that your medical
advisor can help you with:
- How to respond to chemical or environmental
exposures in your workplace
- How to respond to outbreaks of contagious or
infectious disease in your workplace
- Medical surveillance to reduce the risk of injury
at your worksite
- Review of policy and procedures to ensure medical
compliance with government regulations
- General occupational health questions
- Drug testing results and policies
- AED policy compliance and incident review
- Problematic FMLA, disability or workers’
compensation cases
[top]
How do
I get more information?
For more information about the Medical Advisor Program, call: 734-975-3028
[top] |
