Role of accredited impairment assessors Information for medical practitioners In the majority of cases, an accredited assessor in receipt of a permanent impairment assessment Whole person impairment assessors are accredited request is not to treat or accept the worker as a by the Minister for Industrial Relations to conduct patient. In some cases, it is not possible for another assessments that determine the level of whole assessor to receive the request – either due to the person impairment that has arisen from a work nature of the injury or availability of assessors in that injury. This fact sheet provides an overview of their body system. In these cases, the worker’s accredited role and responsibilities. treating practitioner could undertake the assessment Role of an accredited assessor and be able to continue treating the worker as a patient. A worker with a permanent impairment that has Only medical practitioners who are accredited by the arisen from a work injury may be entitled to receive Minister can undertake impairment assessments for lump sum payments and/or have access to serious the Return to Work scheme in South Australia. injury support and common law, based on the degree of their whole person impairment. The Guidelines The role of an accredited assessor is to assess injured Whole person impairment assessments and workers and prepare assessment reports in subsequent reports must be conducted in accordance with the Impairment Assessment accordance with and be compliant with the Guidelines (the Guidelines) in order to determine: Guidelines. whether the worker’s condition has resulted in The Guidelines were developed to establish a impairment common set of standards for whole person whether the condition has reached maximum impairment assessment services across the Return to medical improvement Work scheme in South Australia. Their purpose is to enable the consistent application of a defined whether the resultant impairment is permanent methodology to permanent impairment assessments the degree of whole person impairment resulting and reports. from the work injury. The Guidelines are based on the American Medical Association’s Guides to the evaluation of permanent impairment, 5th edition.
Role of accredited impairment assessors Information for medical practitioners Whole person impairment assessors are accredited by the Minister for Industrial Relations to conduct assessments that determine the level of whole person impairment that has arisen from a work injury. This fact sheet provides an overview of their role and responsibilities. Role of an accredited assessor A worker with a permanent impairment that has arisen from a work injury may be entitled to receive lump sum payments and/or have access to serious injury support and common law, based on the degree of their whole person impairment. The role of an accredited assessor is to assess injured workers and prepare assessment reports in accordance with the Impairment Assessment Guidelines (the Guidelines) in order to determine: whether the worker’s condition has resulted in impairment whether the condition has reached maximum medical improvement whether the resultant impairment is permanent the degree of whole person impairment resulting from the work injury. In the majority of cases, an accredited assessor in receipt of a permanent impairment assessment request is not to treat or accept the worker as a patient. In some cases, it is not possible for another assessor to receive the request – either due to the nature of the injury or availability of assessors in that body system. In these cases, the worker’s accredited treating practitioner could undertake the assessment and be able to continue treating the worker as a patient. Only medical practitioners who are accredited by the Minister can undertake impairment assessments for the Return to Work scheme in South Australia. The Guidelines Whole person impairment assessments and subsequent reports must be conducted in accordance with and be compliant with the Guidelines. The Guidelines were developed to establish a common set of standards for whole person impairment assessment services across the Return to Work scheme in South Australia. Their purpose is to enable the consistent application of a defined methodology to permanent impairment assessments and reports. The Guidelines are based on the American Medical Association’s Guides to the evaluation of permanent impairment, 5th edition.
Fact-sheet-role-of-accredited-impairment-assessors-return-to-work-scheme.docx