Under Governor Wolf’s state reopening plan, our offices are open
for business by appointment only. Metzger Wickersham is accepting new
clients and all attorneys and staff are available to assist you. Please
contact us via phone,
email or chat with a live representative on the
website.
Hospitals are among the busiest – and potentially the most dangerous
– places to work in any industry. Patients can arrive and depart
at all hours of the day, a steep degree of technical knowledge is required
at all levels of employment, and shifts can be gruelingly long. With so
much happening in the average medical workplace,
hospital employee injuries can and do occur. Hospital staff then need to file for
workers’ compensation for benefits like medical care and eventual wage replacement.
The four most common reasons why hospital staff file for workers’
comp include:
Occupational illness: The contagious illnesses among patients are the greatest threat to a medical
professional’s health and safety. The coronavirus pandemic has underlined
the risks of occupational illnesses among nurses, doctors, and other medical
experts. The number of COVID-related workers’ comp filings from
medical professionals has increased dramatically during the pandemic.
If it can reasonably be presumed that a medical professional’s illness
was contracted via interaction with a patient, then workers’ compensation
coverage should apply.
Back pain: In the average workday, some nurses lift and move patients and equipment
frequently, causing back pain by the end of their shift. When work-related
back pain becomes enough to interfere with work, it might be time to file
for workers’ compensation. Other medical professionals can also
suffer musculoskeletal soreness or injuries just from spending many hours
a day on their feet as they treat patients, travel between wards, review
lab results, and so forth.
Lacerations: There are not many workplaces that require the delicate manipulation of
sharp instruments, but this is commonly the case in hospitals, clinics,
and other medical settings. Scalpels, hypodermics, and other medical instruments
have sharp edges and points that can cause serious injuries in an accident,
especially if workers are feeling rushed due to tight work schedules.
Workers’ comp is a no-fault system, though, so an injury caused
by a medical professional’s own mistakes does not invalidate a future
claim they file.
Mental health concerns: In recent years, more and more workers’ compensation programs have
made changes to allow claimants to file for mental health-related concerns
caused by the stress of their work. Medical professionals working in emergency
departments, for example, can become traumatized after witnessing a patient’s
severe injury or untimely death. When traumatization, anxiety, or depression
become noticeable enough to make work unsafe, workers’ comp benefits
can be provided to the affected worker, such as coverage for the cost
of therapy.
Need to File a Hospital Worker Claim?
As a busy medical professional, you probably do not feel like you have
much time in the average day to also deal with a workers’ compensation
claim filed against a stubborn insurance company. To make the process
less stressful, it is a good choice to hire a workers’ compensation
attorney from the beginning. Metzger Wickersham offers comprehensive legal
counsel and representation for all interactions with insurance companies,
including litigation, for injured hospital workers throughout Pennsylvania. Call
(888) 286-2850 and
schedule a FREE consultation with our firm today.