How to get help from a WorkSafeBC medical advisor

Issue: BCMJ, vol. 55, No. 4, May 2013, Page 202 WorkSafeBC
By: Peter Rothfels, MD

If you require assistance with medical issues pertaining to patients who are injured workers, WorkSafeBC medical advisors are available for consultation throughout the province. 

Here are two ways you can reach a WorkSafeBC medical advisor: 

•    Indicate on your Form 8/11 that you wish to be contacted. Under the “Return-to- Work Planning” box, check “yes” in response to the question, “Do you wish to consult with a WCB Physician or Nurse Advisor?” In the clinical section of the form, briefly outline the nature of your request. For example, indicate whether you’re looking for an expedited MRI, a rehabilitation program, or disability management. Medical advisors do not see every form, so your need is more likely to be addressed by checking the request box and indicating your specific need on the form.

•    Phone the nearest WorkSafeBC office and ask to speak with a medical advisor, or contact the medical advisor directly. You can also contact a medical advisor if you have yet to receive a timely call following a request for consultation on your Form 8/11.

Remember that telephone calls with WorkSafeBC personnel are billable, providing they advance your patient’s care or claim. Use billing code 19508 when you speak with a medical advisor, or billing code 19930 in discussions with other WorkSafeBC officers.

Medical advisors will not be able to assist you with questions concerning non-medical, claim-related issues, such as billing or claim adjudication. However, if you are unsure of whom to contact for claim-related questions, you can ask a medical advisor.

We have noticed that some electronic medical records systems are defaulted to automatically check the box requesting consultation with a medical advisor. Please check your forms and, if possible, turn off this default setting, so you don’t receive any unnecessary calls.

To reach any WorkSafeBC medical advisor, you can also call the central medical services desk at 604 244-6224 for the advisor’s phone number and any other necessary contact information.
—Peter Rothfels, MD 
Chief Medical Officer and Director, Clinical Services, WorkSafeBC

Peter Rothfels, MD. How to get help from a WorkSafeBC medical advisor. BCMJ, Vol. 55, No. 4, May, 2013, Page(s) 202 - WorkSafeBC.


Above is the information needed to cite this article in your paper or presentation. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommends the following citation style, which is the now nearly universally accepted citation style for scientific papers:
Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL, Marion DW, Palmer AM, Schiding JK, et al. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002;347:284-7.

About the ICMJE and citation styles

The ICMJE is small group of editors of general medical journals who first met informally in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1978 to establish guidelines for the format of manuscripts submitted to their journals. The group became known as the Vancouver Group. Its requirements for manuscripts, including formats for bibliographic references developed by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), were first published in 1979. The Vancouver Group expanded and evolved into the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which meets annually. The ICMJE created the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals to help authors and editors create and distribute accurate, clear, easily accessible reports of biomedical studies.

An alternate version of ICMJE style is to additionally list the month an issue number, but since most journals use continuous pagination, the shorter form provides sufficient information to locate the reference. The NLM now lists all authors.

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For more information on the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, visit www.icmje.org

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