Employees are a company’s most valuable resource. They handle the money, serve the customers, and run the equipment. Injuries and illness can keep them out of work and impact the company’s bottom line. VP Medical Consulting, of Benton, ensures workers return quickly, healthy and productive, which in turn helps to reduce injury and disability costs.

Nurse consultants, or case managers, are assigned to the injured worker to act as their advocate securing medical services, answering questions and checking on compliance with treatment. ”We communicate with not only the injured worker, but also the employer, physicians, and insurance adjusters so everyone is aware of the plan and what resources are needed to insure a successful return to work.” explains Victoria Powell, president of VP Medical Consulting. “By securing the services quickly we save the employer and insurance company money for lost wages. By building rapport with the injured worker we help insure their compliance with the treatment plan and prevent unnecessary litigation.”

Case Managers attend physician appointments with the patient and review medical treatment while evaluating the success or failure of the recommended treatment. A visit to the job site may be made to determine whether the patient can adequately perform the work without further injury. Powell and her team also address the particular injury for average healing time and expected limitations. “Nurses know the questions to ask the therapists and doctors, while the others involved may not. It is like having your own personal nurse who accompanies you through your treatment” says Powell.

Ms. Powell also consults in personal injury and medical malpractice cases as a Legal Nurse Consultant and works as a Nurse Life Care Planner to assist attorneys in developing the life time costs for catastrophically injured patients.
Before starting her own firm, Powell worked for several years with a national medical case management company. She obtained her case management certification in 2004 and both her Legal Nurse Consultant Certification and Certified Nurse Life Care Planning designations in 2007.

If you wish to find out more about case management, contact the Case Management Society of America at http://cmsa.org. For more information about VP Medical Consulting and other consulting services the firm offers call 501-778-3378 or check out http://vp-medical.com.