Workers Compensation Physiotherapy

If you are injured at work in Western Australia, a workers compensation claim can cover medical and health expenses that are reasonable, alongside income compensation. In outline, you report the injury to your employer, see a doctor and obtain a First Certificate of Capacity, and complete a Workers Compensation Claim Form. Your employer has seven days to complete their section and lodge the claim with their insurer, and the insurer must notify you of its decision, which is acceptance, rejection or deferral, within 14 days.¹ Decisions on claims and on which treatment costs are reasonable sit with the insurer.

WorkCover WA expects health providers to follow the Clinical Framework for the Delivery of Health Services. Its principles are to measure and demonstrate the effectiveness of treatment, take a biopsychosocial approach, empower the injured person to manage their injury, set goals that focus on function, participation and return to work, and base treatment on the best available research evidence.² For a worker likely to need more than 10 physiotherapy consultations, a physiotherapy Treatment Management Plan is used to show how the framework is being applied and what the future treatment options are, and it gives the insurer a way to assess whether treatment and costs are reasonable.^3,4 The individual techniques we use, such as exercise or manual therapy, are described on their own pages.

Return to work is the thread running through care. WorkCover WA says that your active participation is essential and that you should take an active role in your Return to Work Program.⁵ Our job is to help you recover function and plan a safe return, and to report clearly. That means reports on your condition, treatment and progress to your insurer, and communication with your employer and doctor about what you can currently do, focused on function rather than only pain.