Many providers across the country have integrated occupational medicine into urgent care practices. In fact, Lourdes Urgent Care is a prime example. So, what’s the strategy behind this move and how does it benefit the consumer? We’ll discuss below.
Let’s Review: What is Occupational Medicine?
Occupational medicine is a branch of preventive medicine that is generally divided into workers compensation and the treatment of workplace illnesses and injuries, as well as and occupational health—a broad field which includes workplace wellness and injury prevention, fit-for-duty and specialty physicals (eg, DOT), and drug and alcohol testing.
What are the Benefits of Urgent Care and Occupation Medicine Working Together?
While distinctly different, urgent care and occupational medicine share many qualities of medical care and treatment. Most workplace injuries consist of minor trauma that are similar to urgent care in both cause and treatment. Therefore, urgent care and occupational medicine can be synergistic. Companies can combine their need for medical services such as drug screenings or an insurance physical along with traditional urgent care needs for injuries and illness, ultimately helping streamline care and returning workers to their duties quicker.
Enhanced Convenience and Save Time and Money
While urgent care is typically a morning and evening business, especially on weekdays, occ med physicals, re-checks and drug testing can be done during the workday allowing employees more flexibility for their care. In addition, most occupational medicine clinics are usually open only on weekdays and offer typical 8:00 to 5:00 hours. An occupational clinic partnering with an urgent care clinic allows employers the ability to schedule appointments outside these regular business hours and on weekends, providing patients even more convenience. In addition, if there is an on-the-job injury that is not life-threatening, going to an occupational clinic that features an urgent care rather than the emergency room makes much more sense. The wait times in the ER can be hours for patients suffering from minor injuries to joints, muscles or bones, rather than the 15 to 20 minutes average wait time of and occ med/urgent care clinic.
Lourdes Urgent Care
Whether you are an employer or an employee, occupational medicine services provided in affiliation with an urgent care facility can help protect the safety, health and well-being of people all while making care delivery easier and more convenient. Lourdes Urgent Care has 6+ convenient locations in Lafayette and the surrounding areas offering area employers an array of near-site occupational health options. Lourdes Urgent Care in Broussard acts as the occupational health hub, and provides additional services beyond the other locations’ services. We strive to help minimize OSHA recordables, reduce average cost per case, and reduce lost time, which helps your bottom line without compromising quality patient care. We can partner directly with your business to develop a customized plan to meet the specific needs of your company and work with you to deliver those services.