Companies
are spending billions of dollars annually
to test their employees’ health via
traditional physicals. The results from these physicals do not allow for information
that allows an individual, or their prospective company, to know if they will
be able to perform the job safely prior to starting.
The lack
of medical data is a problem for both employers and employees alike.
Employers
could be looking at a loss of productivity and workflow interruptions to
healthy employees due to downtime from the injury of one employee that was not
fit to perform the job in the first place. For the injured employee, they are
left with more questions than answers as to how strong the injured body part
was prior to injury, and to what extinct it is injured.
How will
anyone know when they are fit to return to work after rehabilitation? How will
they know they are being compensated fairly if unable to be rehabilitated to
the level of strength and performance they had prior to the accident?
The amount
of money spent in litigation, workers’ compensation payouts and raised
insurance premiums for an injury you may have been able to avoid bringing to
the workplace should be enough for employers to really consider the difference
between objective and subjective testing.
What is Objective Evidence?
“Objective evidence
refers to visible, measurable findings obtained by a medical examination,
tests, or diagnostic imaging. Someone other than the injured worker must be
able to see or feel the evidence. Examples of objective evidence include a
broken leg or an abrasion.” ( Source
)
What is it used for?
“Objective
findings” in support of medical evidence are verifiable indications of injury that
may include, but are not limited to, range of motion, atrophy, muscle strength
and palpable muscle spasm. “Objective findings” does not include physical
findings or subjective responses to physical examinations that are not
reproducible, measurable or observable.” ( Source
)
How is it valued in litigation?
When
entering litigation, having passed EEOC audits, and have compliance with ADA
and HIPPA, legitimacy is established. In addition, the fact that there is a
baseline test that can be compared to a fit-for-duty test, post rehabilitation
and how the employee has been impacted from baseline to post rehabilitation
findings, organizations and employees are treated equally.
What do Subjective Medical
Exams Cover?
Perceived only by one examiner and not necessarily by any other examiner.
Source:
Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary, 3 ed. © 2007 Elsevier, Inc.
How do the two types contrast?
Subjective
data
is information from the client’s point of view (“symptoms”), including
feelings, perceptions, and concerns obtained through interviews. Objective
data
are observable and measurable data (“signs”) obtained through observation,
physical examination, and laboratory and diagnostic testing. ( Source
)
What does it mean to be compliant
with HIPPA and ADA?
HIPPA
Through a series of
interlocking regulatory rules, HIPAA compliance is a living culture that health
care organizations must implement into their business in order to protect the
privacy, security, and integrity of protected health information. ( Source
)
ADA
The Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA)
became
law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination
against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including
jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open
to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with
disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA
gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those
provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age,
and religion. ( Source
)
What does it mean to pass EEOC
audits?
The U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that
make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because
of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender
identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older),
disability or genetic information. It is also illegal to discriminate against a
person because the person complained about discrimination, filed a charge of
discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation
or lawsuit. ( Source
)
What
makes the PCP test objective?
Utilizing
state-of-the-art proprietary software, the Physical Capacity Profile (PCP)
machine completes a collection of multiple-strength measurements in as little
as 30 minutes. Test reports are available to the medical professional and
employer within minutes. The AMA guidelines for the Evaluation of Permanent
Impairments are constantly being upgraded, and state statutes are held to a
standard from the chosen issue (which varies by state) of these guidelines.
PCP’s testing system has remote diagnostic capabilities, which allows them to
perform troubleshooting if a problem should arise-resulting in quick resolution
of software issues.
The PCP
Testing Measures Include the Following:
-Compressive
Physical Exams
-Comprehensive
Medical Review
-Upper
Extremity Strength
-Lower
Extremity Strength
-Active
Lumber Range of Motion
-Lower
Extremity Mobility
-Maximum
Lifting Capability
-Safe
Lifting Techniques
-Fitness
-Spirometry
PCP
Systems are located across the United States. See Here
for your
closest system.
The Average Physician Physical
The
average physical from a doctor costs $199 according to ( Source
)!
The subjectivity of the test is less likely to be of benefit to your company in
a situation when you need it most.
Average PCP Test Cost
·
$100-$200
·The
average savings of utilizing the PCP is a return of $6-$8 in direct medical
cost savings to employers for every dollar spent.
·There
is an opportunity to see a 10%-30% decrease in workers compensation premiums to
employers.
·Facilities
could see a decrease in workers compensation injury rates of up to 30% which
allows for the ability to expand your quality of workers.
The evidence is clear that subjective physicals are less
effective and offer less protection for an organization’s employees, thus their
own financial well-being. Objectivity, backed by ADA, HIPPA and having passed
EEOC audits with results you can rely on with a baseline test are among the
most reliable tests available for organizations.
