Medical treatment

Most workers recover and return to their jobs. The best and quickest recoveries happen when you get the right care at the right time.

The right care

The right care, as decided by your care provider, may include testing, medication, therapy, referral to a specialist or surgery, and return to modified work. Often, you may have several types of care at the same time. You can choose to receive medical treatment from any health-care professional who is licensed to practise in Saskatchewan.

The Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) offers decentralized, timely and co-ordinated health care for workers, using a network of assessment teams and treatment centres from around the province. Research shows that early assessment and treatment bring better recovery results, particularly in the treatment of the most common soft-tissue injuries.

WCB-accredited psychologists have agreed that the WCB may publish their contact information so that workers and employers may reach out to them about treatment for mental health issues arising from a work injury.

The right time

The right time is any time care is needed — at any stage of recovery. By monitoring your progress, your care provider can see when testing and specialized treatment may be needed. The WCB can arrange to have the right care available as soon as possible or when you are ready for it.

Return to work

Return to work is an important part of your recovery. A return to the normal routine of work and support from your employer and co-workers promote faster healing.

If you are not recovering as expected, your WCB customer care facilitator will notify the appropriate health-care provider involved with your claim and they will take appropriate next steps.

• Your primary practitioner makes decisions about your treatment and adjusts your restrictions as recovery progresses.
• The WCB monitors your recovery and arranges advanced assessment and treatment with the primary practitioner.
• Your employer adjusts your duties, as identified in medically based limitation and restrictions, to allow a return to work as soon as it is medically safe. Those duties may evolve as recovery progresses.
• You take an active role in recovery by co-operating with medical treatment and return–to-work activities.

Working together, we all strive to reach a common goal – to do what needs to be done to provide the right care — including return to work — at the right time.