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Medical Certificates
Rehabilitation
Fees and Charging
General

Medical Certificates

Why was the medical certificate changed?
The medical fee review conducted during 2004/2005 identified a range of communication issues between insurers and the medical profession that needed to be resolved. Enhancement of the medical certificate was one method identified by stakeholders (particularly the medical profession) to address these issues.

How much extra time does the revised certificate take to complete?
For most claims, the new Q-COMP medical certificate will take no longer to complete than the previous one. With more complex injuries, the new Q-COMP medical certificate may take more time than previously to complete. However, the certificate should also reduce the number of requested medical reports from insurers.

How do I order more certificates?
Contact the Medical Services Hotline on 1300 789 881 to request more medical certificates.

What do practices do with the old medical certificates?
Insurers will still accept older versions of the certificate.

You can contact Q-COMP on 1300 789 881 to arrange return of unused old medical certificates for destruction.

Alternatively, the old certificates can be destroyed by using secure document destruction organisations or by witnessing their safe destruction (for example by shredding).

How do I get a copy of the e-certificate?
The e-certificate is an electronic version of the medical certificate and is available on the “Communicating with Workers' Compensation Insurers” CD in your Workers' Compensation Kit for Medical Practitioners. If you have not received one of these kits, please contact the Medical Services Hotline on 1300 789 881 to request one.

I need assistance setting up the e-certificate.
You will need an IBM compatible PC with a web browser to run the e-certificate. The following web browsers are suitable:

• Internet Explorer 4 or later versions
• Firefox.

For other PCs and web browsers please contact Q-COMP on 1300 789 881.

What should my patient, the injured worker, do with the medical certificate I have provided?
If a claim has not been lodged as yet, the medical certificate should be lodged along with the application for compensation with the insurer.

If a claim has already been lodged, the injured worker should provide the original copy to their workers' compensation insurer and the employer's copy to their employer.

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Rehabilitation

If I indicate I don't want to be consulted about my patient's rehabilitation, who takes on this role?
The insurer takes on this role. They will arrange a provider such as an occupational physician, physiotherapist or occupational therapist. If you wish to nominate a particular provider you should indicate your preference on the medical certificate, or contact the insurer.

What is the difference between a Rehabilitation Coordinator and a Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator (RRTWC)?
The role is the same. The title was recently changed in the legislation.

What is a Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator (RRTWC)?
An employer's Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator is responsible for assisting in the return to work of injured workers and coordinating return to work activities at the workplace.

Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinators have detailed knowledge of the workplace and can help you to identify the duties most suitable for the injured worker.

What is the difference between a Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator (RRTWC) and an insurer's Case Manager?
The Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator (RRTWC) is workplace based and works for the employer, whilst the insurer's Case Manager is employed by the insurer to manage workers' compensation claims.

Insurer Case Managers are employed by WorkCover or self-insurers. They are responsible for approval, payment, coordination and monitoring of all aspects of workers' compensation and rehabilitation for which the insurer is liable following a workplace injury.

Although both will have other duties within their roles, the rehabilitation functions of their positions are quite similar and they typically work closely together to assist injured workers' rehabilitation and return to work.

What is a case conference?
A case conference is a conference to plan, implement, manage or review a rehabilitation plan or treatment options. The case conference can be initiated by a treating medical practitioner, employer, rehabilitation provider or the insurer. Prior approval must be obtained from the insurer to ensure payment to the medical practitioner

Under the Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (the Act), the injured worker has an obligation to participate in rehabilitation for their injury and would be obliged to attend the case conference.

The case conference is also an opportunity for the injured worker to be involved in planning their own rehabilitation and return to work.

If a case conference is planned, an injured worker may take a representative or a friend with them to the case conference if they wish. The insurer should be advised as soon as possible that the injured worker will be bringing someone with them.

Can employers contact the medical practitioner themselves?
Due to privacy and confidentiality requirements, the employer must have a signed authority from the injured worker, and have provided this to the medical practitioner in order to discuss any aspect of the injured worker's claim or rehabilitation with the medical practitioner

What are the employer's responsibilities for rehabilitation?
Under the Act, employers are obliged to participate in rehabilitation. This obligation includes offering suitable duties and graduated return to work programs as appropriate. These rehabilitation programs must be approved by the treating medical practitioner.

What are employers' responsibilities for suitable duties programs?
Under the Act, an employer must take all reasonable steps to help or provide their workers with rehabilitation and suitable duties while they are being paid compensation.
The Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Regulation 2003 outlines that:

• An employer must develop a suitable duties program for a worker undertaking rehabilitation.
• The employer must develop the program in consultation with the worker.
• The program and any amendments to the program must be consistent with the current medical certificate or report for the worker's injury.
• The program must document what are suitable duties for the worker.
• Suitable duties assigned to a worker must be meaningful and have regard to the objective of the worker's rehabilitation.
• The employer must give the insurer a copy of the suitable duties program.
• The employer must review a worker's suitable duties on a regular basis and progressively upgrade the program consistent with the worker's recovery.

Employers can engage a Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator (or RRTWC) to do this for them.

What if the employer has no suitable duties available at the workplace?
Under the Act, an employer must take all reasonable steps to help or provide their workers with suitable duties while they are being paid compensation. Should an employer not have suitable duties available, this is something they must confirm and discuss with the insurer.

The medical certificate describes the injured worker's work capacity, which does not change for a particular period with the availability of suitable duties at the workplace. The lack of availability of suitable duties does not affect the worker's compensation benefits.

The insurer and the employer must liaise to provide opportunities such as host employment for the injured worker to complete their rehabilitation should suitable duties not be available at the workplace.

Are employers required to have a Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator?
If wages for the previous financial year are greater than $4.9 million or they employ 30 or more workers at a workplace in a high risk industry, then employers must have a Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator.

For those employers with more than one workplace, the employer need only appoint one Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator if that coordinator can reasonably perform their functions at all workplaces.

Employers can either engage a person under a specific contract to perform this role or appoint a staff member. In either case the person appointed or contracted needs to be certified by Q-COMP.

Do rehabilitation providers need to be accredited to provide rehabilitation services for workers' compensation patients?
No. Specific professional groups, referred to as “registered persons” within the legislation, provide most rehabilitation services.

The Act refers to registered persons as a:

• doctor
• dentist
• physiotherapist
• occupational therapist
• psychologist
• chiropractor
• osteopath
• podiatrist
• speech pathologist
• audiologist.

The professionals listed above need to be registered by the relevant professional body to practice their profession in Queensland. There are some professionals involved in rehabilitation of injured workers who do not need to be registered, such as:

• qualified rehabilitation counsellors
• qualified exercise physiologists.

A referral from the doctor or insurer is necessary for them to become involved in the case.

Non-registered providers such as:

• acupuncturists
• aromatherapists
• masseurs

may be requested by medical practitioners to provide services to injured workers. Insurers will negotiate a payment schedule with these providers as no supplementary fee schedule is provided for these services.

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Fees and Charging

Do I get paid for completing the Q-COMP medical certificate?
No. The current legislation does not allow insurers to pay medical practitioners for completing a Q-COMP workers' compensation medical certificate.

The increased fee levels take into account the completion of the medical certificate.

Can I be paid for my time spent in my patient's rehabilitation and return to work?
You can charge for a range of activities, including communication with the workers' compensation insurer, employer or rehabilitation provider under the relevant item of the Table of Costs Supplementary Schedule.

An example of this is the item numbers payable for telecommunications in the Supplementary Schedule - item 100160 and 100162.

If we have a case conference, who pays my bill?
The insurer - provided the claim has been accepted and the insurer has given prior approval for the case conference.

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General

How do I get a copy of the package for medical practitioners?
Contact the Medical Services Hotline on 1300 789 881 and request an information package.

Where and when are the information sessions being held?
Information Session Calendar

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