A Designated Medical Provider (DMP) is a doctor or medical facility that is your company’s chosen provider of medical care for injured employees in compliance with Workers’ Compensation regulations. In this Meith Minute we will explore what it means to have Designated Medical Providers and how to find the right one for your business and your employees.
Different States have different guidelines and regulations in how many providers you must have and their location in relation to where the jobsite is. You should check with your State and your Workers’ Compensation Insurance Provider to determine your requirements. Typically, you would need to have two separate Medical Providers for the employee to choose from and for them to be located within a reasonable distance from your jobsites.
A standard Designated Medical Provider will either specialize in Workers’ Compensation medical care, more commonly called Occupational Medicine, or will be associated with or be an Urgent Care facility. These providers would be able to handle and care for a variety of different injuries as well as be able to identify specific work restrictions for the injured employee.
Your Workers’ Compensation Insurance Carrier will have experience working with a wide variety of Designated Medical Providers. They should be able to provide you with listings of providers that handle injuries from similar industries, providers that other businesses like working with, as well as being able to steer you away from providers that other businesses struggle to have a productive relationship with.
When searching for your DMP, do not be shy in discussing your needs and protocols. You will need to make sure that your working relationship with your DMP’s is a productive and beneficial working relationship. You should not hesitate to discuss issues, needs, concerns, and protocols.
If you require a drug screen urinalysis after any workplace injury, discuss their testing capabilities, what options there are and how you want the results communicated. If you have multiple points of contact, discuss if they can accommodate your communication requirements. Review your Return-to-Work policy and standard list of Modified Duty Tasks. Discuss with them additional options you could accommodate to bring injured employees back to work quickly.
Managing Workers’ Compensation claims are never fun or particularly easy. Take the time to choose Designated Medical Providers that help you to manage claims effectively, work with you to get your employees back to work, and to close claims quickly.