Medical partnership to provide care for worker amputees
Reprints
Washington state workers whose limbs are amputated in occupational accidents will be able to receive specialized care under a new medical partnership established by the Washington state Department of Labor & Industries, the state's monopoly workers compensation insurer.
Labor & Industries has partnered with Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to create a center of excellence l.c. that will provide medical care for amputees, the department said in a statement Tuesday. Workers recovering from amputations will have their ongoing medical care managed by Harborview, which is part of the University of Washington medical system.
A group of Labor & Industries staff trained to deal with catastrophic workers comp claims will coordinate with Harborview medical providers and staff at hospitals where injured workers are initially treated, the department said Tuesday.
Injured workers with amputations will receive a discharge plan coordinating their follow-up appointments with specialists, and the center of excellence will be in charge of communicating the worker's treatment plan with health care providers, employers and Labor & Industries, the department said.
“We want these catastrophically injured workers to know that we're going to be there for them,” said Labor & Industries Director Joel Sacks, in Tuesday's statement. “By improving the coordination of care, workers with amputations can concentrate on recovery and not feel overwhelmed with details.”
Labor & Industries initiated a plan in January to improve care for catastrophically injured workers, the department said. It plans to establish additional centers of excellence for workers who suffer burns, head and spinal cord injuries and multiple trauma/crush injuries.
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