Assessment team review

It can happen that workers injured on the job take longer than expected to recover from their injury. A care provider can ask for an assessment team review if the care provider thinks that the worker will benefit. The WCB can make the request too.

If a worker’s recovery doesn’t go as expected, the primary practitioner is expected to:

• Recognize patients who would benefit from an assessment team review, and ask the WCB to arrange the review.
• Provide information to an assessment team when needed.
• Review the assessment team’s recommendations with the worker and implement a treatment plan.
• Co-operate with return-to-work programs.

Assessment teams examine the worker to confirm the diagnosis. Besides recommending any specialist and diagnostic services, assessment teams also identify the appropriate level of treatment for the worker (primary, secondary or tertiary), a timeline for return-to-work planning and an indication of whether the worker has pathology to prevent his/her return to the pre-injury job on a permanent basis.

Information from the team includes:

• A description of the injury.
• Assessment results (physical, medical and psychosocial).
• Functional testing to learn if the worker has recovered from the work injury.
• Suggestions for further medical management of the injury.
• Suggestions for return-to-work planning.

The primary care provider puts the treatment plan in place.

Here are some reasons why a request might be made for an assessment team review:

• There is no return-to-work date and:
  • The worker has been disabled past the expected recovery date.
  • A cause has not been diagnosed.
  • There is no active treatment plan.
  • There are warning signs of unending disability.
• The worker stays at work, but has not fully recovered.

Assessment teams are made up of:

• doctors (or a specialist, if required)
• chiropractors
• physical therapists
• occupational therapists
• a psychologist, if the length of the disability is greater than 12 weeks

The WCB has a network of approved assessment teams and treatment centres around the province, so workers can receive treatment close to their homes.

Therapy centres

Secondary therapy centres offer many different types of treatment, providing specific area, overall and functional conditioning, work simulation and monitored return-to-work programs.

Tertiary therapy centres may add a pain management plan and mental and social care through in-house psychologists.

Care providers can request an assessment team review by contacting the WCB:

Phone: 1.888.844.7773
Fax: 306.787.7582.