Allied health and return to work providers
Services provided by you, as an allied health provider, are an essential part of the workers' compensation treatment and rehabilitation process.
The services you provide make a big difference to the health and wellbeing outcomes for injured workers. You're central to supporting injured workers in returning to work and getting their lives back on track.
Getting started
To get started as a WorkCover service provider, you must be an approved provider and register with us.
Before starting treatment, rehabilitation or return to work services, make sure there's a referral from a registered medical practitioner or a current work capacity medical certificate.
A work capacity certificate must only be completed by an AHPRA registered medical doctor, nurse practitioner (minor injury) or dentist (oral injury).
Your role
As an allied health provider, your role is to:
- provide treatment, rehabilitation and support, together with the whole treatment and rehabilitation team
- coordinate or be involved in the rehabilitation and return to work process
- call us or complete and submit a provider management plan, telling us about the progress and ongoing needs of the worker
- positively support the goal of return to work.
Focus on rehabilitation and return to work
Our goal is to return a worker to work as quickly and safely as possible.
Research tells us that the longer a person is off work, the chance of returning decreases. Following the advice below can help you achieve the shared goal of return to work.
- Chat about the importance of staying active and, if possible, remaining at work to restore function.
- Set realistic treatment and rehabilitation goals that focus on what they can do, not what they can't.
- Encourage self-management where suitable (e.g. home exercises, stretching programs, regular breaks etc).
- Work together with the employer and WorkCover to support the return to work process.
Working together
Working collaboratively can improve rehabilitation and return to work outcomes for injured workers.
We encourage you to call and chat to us about treatment and rehabilitation requirements. This helps us make decisions and provide feedback as quickly as possible.