NHS injury benefits scheme--a well kept secret Brown, Barrie
Community practitioner : the journal of the Community Practitioners' & Health Visitors' Association
80, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Consequences of knees injuries constitute a substantial number of personal claims within the PZU Group. In 2004 physicians cooperating with PZU gave about 53 thousand opinions, concerning injuries to ...the knee in adults and about 14 thousnd in children and adolescents. In accidental and TPL insurances physicians are obligated to treat separatly consequences of accidents due to impact from illness or earlier injuries. The lack of a good method of how to distinguish these often leads to the disaccords between the physician, client and insurance company. The aim of this research is to indicate and to define the medical problems during rating of permanent impairment, based on the analysis of hundreds of difficult claims. This may help to start a discussion on how to perform objective and repetitive method of rating permanent accidental impairment in the knee ailments. In our opinion, current rules of rating permanent impairment after injury in a damaged organ, do not guarantee a detailed assessment of accidental loss of knee function during medical examination.
Physicians are frequently called upon to provide opinions to insurers or to the Social Security Administration regarding disability issues. This article discusses various issues that frequently arise ...and offers suggestions on how to assist patients in obtaining needed benefits.
Incapacity for work is not a medical but an economic concept. The difference between the earnings somebody could have had without health problems, and the possible earnings with health problems ...determine the degree of incapacity for work. Social security physicians and vocational experts together judge the degree of incapacity for work in discussion with the client. The physician judges the general possibilities of the client. The vocational expert selects possible jobs the client should be able to do. The disability allowances are relatively low. Treating physicians should take into account this and other negative aspects of incapacity for work.
