Top 10 Ways To Grow Your Clinic’s Workers’ Comp Business

4 min readJul 16, 2023

Employer claims totals continue to rise, increasing the demand for worker compensation audits. Payers who process these claims are trying to get their customers back to work as efficiently as possible. This is a great opportunity for your clinic.

Increasing patient visits is key to the health and success of today’s clinics. The primary ways to achieve this are by gaining more physician referrals and improving patient retention and retention. But there is another powerful stream of referrals that shouldn’t be ignored. It is one that requires a statistically significant number of treatments per patient.

Employer claims totals continue to rise, increasing the demand for workers comp audits. Payers who process these claims are trying to get their customers back to work as efficiently as possible. This represents a great opportunity for experienced clinic managers to establish their clinic as the best and most efficient workplace injury treatment “point of contact” in the area.

But how do you attract and launch a new Workers’ Competition business? After all, that’s where it starts. Let’s take a look at some proven strategies that can help your clinic succeed.

1. Get to know the case managers in your area.

Case managers often refer injured workers to the most appropriate clinics where they can get the physical audit they need. If necessary, additional treatments can be suggested. Contact and explain care plans when working with clients and invite them to visit your clinic to see what makes your clinic unique in treating injured workers. Then do some research and find a case manager you don’t know yet and contact them. They are one of the most powerful and direct sources of new business information.

2. Show objective evidence of progress in functional terms that relate to the job.

It’s good to report strength gains, but more importantly, attribute those gains to specific job demands. Please share this information with your doctor and case manager. Mastering the best practices and best reporting technologies will help your clinic stand out from the rest and create unique value in the eyes of your referrals.

3. Offer a customized work conditioning program to match the specific worker’s job so that you differentiate your services from other clinics that offer general work conditioning

Cardio and cardio are important, but should be combined with job-specific simulations. Set up work task simulations to help your clients practice the specific muscle groups and body mechanics they need to get back to work. Individualize conditioning to motivate patients to participate fully. Tools like PrimusRS are specifically designed to replicate hundreds of different jobs and are a great way to provide unique job-specific work coordination.

4. Perform objective testing that can help show evidence of the client’s effort level.

Case managers and claims adjusters want to know if their clients are making appropriate and consistent efforts, especially if they recommend continued treatment. Determining a client’s performance level is not always easy, but there are some well-documented strength tests and measurement technologies that can provide objective evidence to add to your professional observations.

5. Start work conditioning early, even if at a low level, to quickly move the client from a patient mindset to being a worker.

The longer you are away from work due to injury, the more difficult it will be to return to work. Prevent deconditioning (resulting from disruption of normal daily life) by starting a functional work conditioning program as soon as possible after an acute injury. Move from individual injury-focused exercises to fully integrated full-body exercises and work simulations. Follow best practices and protocols from industry experts.

6. Show proof of progress to your clients so that they know they are improving even if progress is slow.

An objective measurement that you’re a little better today than you were yesterday or last week can go a long way in helping you stay positive. Set measurable goals for each treatment session, such as slightly increasing your client’s workout each day. Clear, visual reports and interactive rehabilitation feedback go a long way in keeping patients motivated.

7. Focus on what the client CAN do, and not on what they cannot do.

Explain to case managers and doctors what clients who have participated in work conditioning can do now. Helping customers understand what they can do now safely and effectively increases their confidence that they can safely return to work.

8. Talk to and establish relationships with the employers in your area.

Inform your human resources department and medical staff about what your clinic offers. Talk to your safety manager about your ability to pre-condition to learn your body’s proper mechanics for the task before injury or bad habits occur. Consider onsite service at your employer’s facility to learn more about your employer’s work so you can prevent injuries and better treat injured workers.

9. Offer FCEs or similar work evaluations.

Special training is required to perform a full FCE. But if I have to turn down his FCE referrals without this training, I don’t know how many referrals I’ll lose from other workers. Even if you don’t provide a full FCE, you should consider providing a shorter, more job-specific return assessment. The case manager may ask for her FCE, but what they really want to know is if this client can handle their work.

10. Partner with a company that can properly develop Post Offer Employment Testing.

Companies that are able to conduct a proper job analysis and develop tests that cover key job functions can help strengthen relationships with local employers. Proper testing of prospective workers can also assess their ability to recover from injuries and return to work safely. Post-placement employment testing may be legally justified as long as the testing protocol is validated as job-specific.