Disability Today, Tomorrow, and After That: Evolving OEM Clinician Roles in Three Countries

TRACK: Regulatory, Legal, Military, and Governmental OEM

Jennifer H. Christian, MD, MPH, FACOEM, Webility Corporation, Wayland, MA
Marianne Cloeren, MD, MPH, FACOEM, Managed Care Advisors, Inc., Bethesda, MD
Richard JL Heron, MD, FRCP, FACOEM, BP International, Sudsbury on Thames, England
Herman Spanjaard, MD, OHP, Dutch Society of Occupational Medicine, Utrecht, The Netherlands

If you are puzzled or frustrated by disability evaluation, especially SSDI, come to this panel session. It will compare evolving policies, programs and methods used to (a) evaluate and (b) mitigate the impact of newly-acquired disabilities on work and social participation among working age people in three countries and point out ways that physicians can make a positive difference no matter how crazy the system. The U.S. lags behind the UK and the Netherlands in tackling these issues, but may follow a similar evolutionary track. The U.S. Congress seems intent on making to SSDI. The UK launched its new nationwide Fit for Work Service early in 2015. The Netherlands instituted a set of powerful reforms early in the 2000s which have drastically reduced the number of people who are leaving the workforce. The panel will present comparative data on system performance, including early results from the UK. Participants will work in small groups on case studies highlighting the various roles physicians play, the tools and methods used to assess impairment and work capacity in each country, and ways physicians can drive towards the best possible outcome in each system. They will present their findings in a closing plenary. This session was organized by the Work Fitness and Disability Special Interest Section.