WORKMANS COMP

Functional Capacity Evaluations are often ordered to determine if one is physically ready to return to work, typically following a workplace injury or illness. Functional Capacity Evaluations are required to assess a multitude of situations, including Social Security applications, school to work transitions, car accident rehab and recovery, and other related circumstances. The Cornerstone Orthopedic Institute’s goal with every Functional Capacity Evaluation is to assess your ability to perform daily tasks, and to determine if that ability matches the requirements of your career. In the case of Social Security Disability and general injury assessments, that goal may be reversed, where The Cornerstone Orthopedic Institute determines your inability to perform tasks. In any such case, The Cornerstone Orthopedic Institute tackles your workplace injuries, accident injuries, conditions, and illnesses with a comprehensive top-down approach. By first understanding how your injuries, illnesses, or disabilities arose, The Cornerstone Orthopedic Institute can understand how your physical mobility may be affected, and how you’ve recovered in the weeks following.

An independent medical evaluation or examination is a specialized assessment that is performed by a trained specialist to discover and determine the results of legal and administrative questions. Such evaluations are requested in the case of disability claims, workers compensation requests, and personal injury suits, as well as a variety of unique workplace circumstances. Independent medical evaluations are typically ordered to provide a fuller scope of understanding for your work-related injury or illness, assisting your employers, as well as yourself, in future decisions. The Cornerstone Orthopedic Institute can comprehensively identify your workplace injury or illness to its fullest extent, gauging how your health will be affected in both the short and long term. Remember, this process is always done to serve you, the patient, first. By providing an honest and accurate assessment of your situation, The Cornerstone Orthopedic Institute can paint a clearer picture of your health, allowing your employers, as well as yourself, to prepare for the future.

A return-to-work (RTW) program allows employees to smoothly transition from their illness or injury to their work at full capacity, with a customized, temporary position that helps them prepare while they recover. A return-to-work program is developed with the expert advice of The Cornerstone Orthopedic Institute to determine your body’s limits following injury or illness. The goal of a RTW program isn’t just to stay within your limits, but to slowly elevate your limits as you prepare to return to work full-time. RTW programs can range in capacity, starting from a very light duty capacity, or acting as a smooth buffer to ensure your capabilities before returning to work fully. RTW programs may provide full or part-time wages while enrolled, allowing you to build up your income while you build up your strength. Once your RTW program is completed, The Cornerstone Orthopedic Institute will provide medical advice on returning to work and how to avoid reinjury in the future. If you’re still experiencing limitations or pain with certain tasks and movement, The Cornerstone Orthopedic Institute can suggest modifications or alterations to your employers for your duties, or continue your RTW program in a limited capacity.

The Cornerstone Orthopedic Institute’s work injury expertise lends a helping hand to a variety of occupational programs and issues, including: