Many members and injured workers have recently encountered what seems to be a common problem; presenting to urgent care and finding out there is not a radiology technician working that day. We can be quick to show our frustration and blame the center for poor staffing, but there is more to this than is assumed. Radiology technicians are in HIGH demand right now! Are your kids wondering about a career path? Healthrelated careers are always a good choice and right now radiology techs are in demand and are at times changing employers for pay and benefit increases. Not to mention COVID. We can blame almost everything on COVID, but in this case, for many folks nearing retirement or looking for a change, COVID was their motivator. While many technicians have moved on or out of the industry; we will catch up as programs are actively training future radiology technicians. We have heard from many members about this issue and at times some are making referral and treatment decisions based on this issue without calling us first. We always encourage a call to us prior to the injured worker seeking medical attention, but many members have become so versed in the process they no longer call. We understand your call to us may offer the same referral for the treatment plan you may have pursued without the call, but the call is about more than that. Reasons to call us prior to seeking medical treatment: • In the event of a life-threatening emergency always call 911 and follow up with us after emergency medical services have been initiated. • Your call to us to report an injury allows us to start our file and assist you prior to the arrival of paperwork. • There are so many options for medical care and the call to us may show that starting out with a specialty vs. an urgent care is the best plan as an example. • Members are part of our Windham managed care program, and treatment in most circumstances needs to be within the managed care network. • During this call we may gather other pertinent information about the injury that will assist our team in managing the claim. • Members can now submit the Employers First Report of Injury to us online; this call is a great way for us to introduce the process to you. Given the current situation with the lack of radiology technicians at some urgent care clinics, the call to us is very important for planning medical care. No X-Ray ... No Problem MARTA SILAKKA RN, BSN, CCM, COHN-S NHADA WCT NURSE CASE MANAGER Continued on page 16 N E W H A M P S H I R E 15
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