Insurance and Medical Legal Services

 

Case Management

The occupational therapist/case manager is available to provide a continuum of recovery services from hospital discharge to return to work for people recovering from accident or illness. The therapists will assess the client in all functional domains, consult with other stakeholders, then design and implement an effective, goal-oriented rehabilitation program to support the client's recovery in their home, community, and workplace.

Functional Abilities Evaluation

A Functional Abilities Evaluation (FAE) is a comprehensive clinic evaluation that helps determine if a client can complete their current or future job demands. The assessment yields objective data and measures the validity of an individual’s condition by testing muscular strength, range of motion, endurance, dexterity, sustained or repetitive activity tolerance, positional capacity, and overall effort and level of cooperation. The FAE can be tailored to assess the specific demands of an individual’s previous job requirements or can be a general summary of an individual’s abilities.

  • What is the purpose of a FAE?

    A FAE can be used to define impairment levels and overall disability; determine if a client can return to their job after injury; measure an individual’s ability to safely complete work-related tasks or participate in gainful employment; and/or assist as a guideline for development of active rehabilitation or monitor the healing of an injury over time. The FAE can also determine which job modifications or restrictions are required to protect the individual’s current abilities and prevent future injury.

    What is involved in a FAE?

    Using objective, valid, and reliable testing procedures, the FAE evaluates an individual’s ability to complete various functional tasks. The FAE may include activities such as lifting, carrying, bending, reaching, squatting, kneeling, pushing, pulling, and finite tasks. Job specific tasks such as climbing, overhead weighted work, or administrative work can also be included in testing.

    What is in the FAE report?

    The FAE report includes a detailed and unbiased summary highlighting medical history and present conditions, objective clinical assessment of neuromuscular abilities, an individual’s overall level of effort and cooperation, and the individual’s potential for rehabilitation. The report can provide reliable and valid data to support or refute an individual’s ability to complete their job demands.

    What is the length of a FAE?

    A typical physical FAE can be completed over one or two days. The FAE takes (on average) 3 to 4 hours per day. A two-day FAE is often selected to assess endurance over a multiple day period.

    Who will complete the FAE?

    The FAE is conducted by a qualified health care professional with specialized certification and experience administering functional abilities evaluations. These therapists have the knowledge, skills, and expertise required to assess physical and biomechanical function to effectively evaluate an individual’s abilities with regards to workplace requirements.

Percentage of Duties

A percentage of duty assessment aims to systematically quantify and evaluate the physical, cognitive (mental), and environmental demands of a task or job and what percentage of those tasks an individual can complete post injury or illness.

Personal Care Assessment

If an individual is injured in an accident, they may be unable to complete their daily tasks. This comprehensive assessment helps determine the level of impairment following injury and areas where an individual requires assistance. The therapist will spend about 1 to 2 hours assessing the client in a variety of activities of daily living including cooking, cleaning, bathing, grooming, and light housekeeping tasks.

Customized Reactivation Program

The Customized Reactivation Program is an evidenced based training program attempting to reduce disability associated with the symptoms of chronic pain or disability. The Customized Reactivation Program is modeled after the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy. This 10-week program targets behaviour changes in relation to the psychosocial barriers that sustain disability, prevent return to work, and/or foster the development of chronicity. The goals of the program involve maximizing participation, re-integration into previous life roles, and reducing or eliminating psychosocial barriers to the rehabilitation process. The Customized Reactivation Program focuses on disability reduction as opposed to pain reduction.

  • Who would benefit?

    The Customized Reactivation Program is intended for individuals experiencing a high level of disability (pain, fatigue, depression) associated with a chronic health or mental health condition and for whom psychosocial issues such as fear of re-injury are considered to be a primary contributor impacting their overall ability to participate in both daily meaningful activities and return to work plans. The Customized Reactivation Program is ideal for those individuals whose symptoms are stabilized and who are motivated to consider rehabilitation a primary goal. This program has produced positive results for individuals suffering from chronic musculoskeletal conditions, whiplash, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

    What is the purpose?

    The Customized Reactivation Program is a 10-week program targeting behaviour changes in relation to the psychosocial barriers that sustain disability, prevent return to work, and/or foster the development of chronicity. The goals of the program involve maximizing participation, re-integration into previous life roles, and reducing or eliminating psychosocial barriers to the rehabilitation process. The Customized Reactivation Program focuses on disability reduction as opposed to pain reduction.

    What is involved?

    The Customized Reactivation Program involves identification of psychosocial risk factors to target an effective treatment plan. Realistic goal development and creation of a structured activity schedule will assist in resuming activities that have been adversely impacted by symptom illness or injury. Through graded activity and problem solving techniques, interventions are aimed at resumption of family, social, and occupational roles with the ultimate goal of re-integration into the workplace.