Omni-Med is now a part of Optum
You never think it’s going to happen to you, but sometimes you can’t avoid getting hurt on the job. What do you do then? If you live in the Florham Park, New Jersey, area, you should make an appointment with Dr. Roger DiRuggiero at Omni-Med Family Care & Urgent Care.
As an industrial medicine specialist, he can not only diagnose and treat your injury or illness, but he can also help you file your workers’ compensation claim paperwork to ensure you get all the benefits to which you’re entitled.
Industrial medicine, now generally called occupational and environmental medicine, is a wide-ranging medical specialty. The American Medical Association defines it as “devoted to the prevention and management of occupational and environmental injury, illness and disability, and promotion of health and productivity of workers, their families and communities.”
Industrial medicine doctors act as the liaison between the employer, employee, government agencies, and all parts of the health care system.
If you experience a job-related injury or illness, an industrial medicine specialist is the doctor you want to see. Dr. DiRuggiero helps you with work-related health problems, including:
Dr. DiRuggiero takes a complete medical history, performs a comprehensive physical examination, and uses X-rays or other imaging techniques and blood tests (if necessary) to diagnose your specific condition.
The earlier you come to see Dr. DiRuggiero after your injury or the onset of illness, the faster you’ll be able to recover and resume your normal life.
Your treatment depends on your specific injury or illness and its severity. Dr. DiRuggiero may recommend one or more of the following:
Burns, lacerations (wounds), and fractures are common workplace injuries. The Omni-Med Family Care & Urgent Care team is experienced in caring for these injuries. We can help clean and bandage your injuries securely and stitch you up if the injuries are large and/or deep enough. We also apply casts to fractured limbs to immobilize them and help them heal properly.
Sometimes, all you need is an OTC medication to relieve the pain from an injury, but if you need something stronger, we can prescribe it for you. We can also prescribe medications that reduce inflammation and accelerate the healing process for injuries and infections.
In addition, if you have a job-related breathing problem, say from dust or a harmful chemical, we can give you an inhaler to calm down your airways.
We treat our patients in a holistic fashion, so in addition to traditional medical treatments, we also recommend natural remedies for joint, muscle, or tendon injuries. Some of these include:
If your job-related injury is serious enough to warrant a surgical procedure, Dr. DiRuggiero will refer you to a qualified specialist.
If you’re hurt on the job, notify your employer as soon as possible. You can speak with a supervisor, the personnel office, or anyone else in authority — the notification does not have to be in writing.
If your injury requires medical treatment, inform your employer at the same time. Under New Jersey workers’ compensation law, your employer and/or their insurance carrier has the right to select which health care provider treats your job-related injury.
The insurance carrier will review the doctor’s report and all other relevant information to determine your eligibility to receive benefits. If you disagree with their determination, you have the right to file a claim with the Division of Workers’ Compensation.
For more information on what to do, please visit your state’s Department of Labor & Workforce Development website and look for "how to file a workers' compensation claim."
At Omni-Med Family Care & Urgent Care, we know that paperwork sounds like an overwhelming hassle when you really just want treatment and to get better. That’s why we’ll help you through the process of filing the paperwork, and we’ll act as the liaison with your employer and the insurance carrier.
Have you been hurt on the job? Omni-Med Family Care & Urgent Care is here for you seven days a week, from 8am-8pm ET M-F and a walk-in basis on the weekends. Give our office a call at 973-377-8776 or contact us online to make an appointment today!
