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Thank you for agreeing to participate in this study with the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). We are particularly interested in hearing from individuals who know how their organization chooses physicians who provide medical services to employees and provide consultation to management.

The survey will take less than 15 minutes to complete. Everyone who completes the survey and provides contact information will receive an executive summary with the aggregate results for your own use.

Your individual responses will remain confidential. Please feel free to give your honest and candid opinions.

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1. Which of the following most closely describes your job title or position?













2. To begin with, please rate the importance of the following list of business and health initiatives on a scale of 1-5, with “1” being “not at all important” to “5” being “extremely important." When we say “important," we mean it is important enough that you are either spending some of your company's money on it now or planning to do so. With that definition in mind, how important is:
Not at all important Extremely important
1 2 3 4 5
a. Employee wellness - keeping employees healthy and maximizing workforce productivity
b. Controlling overall workers' compensation and disability costs
c. Company return-to-work programs and other ways of reducing lost workdays due to medical conditions
d. Initial and follow-up medical care of work-related injuries
e. Injury management and/or disability management for individual cases
f. Managing very complex claims or litigated workers' compensation cases
g. Pre-hire or pre-placement medical or functional testing exams
h. Complying with mandatory regulatory programs like OSHA, DOT and so on

3. Which two of the above management initiatives have had the most positive impact on your business?

4. How often does your organization use the following services in any given year? Please indicate your frequency of use on a scale from 1-5, with “1” being “not frequently” and "5" being “very frequently."
Not frequently Very frequently
1 2 3 4 5
a. Pre-hiring medical tests
b. Surveillance/regulatory compliance (DOT testing, OSHA screenings)
c. Initial care for injuries
d. Return-to-work planning
e. Medical management or disability management
f. Independent medical exams (IMEs) and other medical support for complex or litigated cases


5. What types of physicians or medical specialties do you typically use for these services?
Employee's usual physician Hospital emergency room/trauma center Occupational medicine or industrial medicine doctors/clinics Walk-in care centers Ortho, neuro or other specialty Other (please specify)
a. Pre-hiring medical tests
b. Surveillance/regulatory compliance (DOT testing, OSHA screenings)
c. Initial care for injuries
d. Return to work planning
e. Disability management
f. Medical support for complex or litigated cases

6. If there were one thing you wished more physicians would do (or know) about your business, what would it be?

7. In your opinion, what percentage of all your organization's work injuries that need medical care require more than a few days away from work for strictly medical reasons?






8. On a scale of 1-5 with "1" being "not valuable" to "5" being "extremely valuable," how strongly do you value each of these items in a medical provider?
Not valuable Extremely valuable
1 2 3 4 5
a. Streamlined billing procedures
b. Sympathy to the employer's point of view
c. Advocacy for injured worker
d. Willingness to talk to you on the phone
e. Improving employee's return to work performance
f. Prompt delivery of information to support claim management
g. Integrity, neutrality, impartiality
h. Board certification in a medical specialty
i. Ability to give clear advice re: employee medical restrictions
j. Knowledge of workers' compensation system & law
k. Knowledge of OSHA and other regulatory programs

9. When you think of occupational medicine in general, what comes to mind?

10. Below are some statements about Occupational Medicine physicians. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each statement on a scale of 1-4, with "1" being "disagree strongly" and "4" being "agree strongly." How strongly do you agree with the statement that:
Disagree Strongly Agree Strongly
1 2 3 4
a. Occupational physicians do a better job than other medical specialties in helping to control medical care cost increases.
b. Occupational physicians do a better job than other specialties in helping to keep employees at work or return them to work as soon as it is safe to do so.
c. Occupational physicians understand employer needs.
d. Occupational physicians are strong advocates for the health and safety of our employees.
e. Occupational physicians are independent and willing to call it as it is, even when we're paying them.


11. When you think of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

12. Below are some statements about the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each statement on a scale of 1-4, with "1" being "disagree strongly" and "4" being "agree strongly."

ACOEM is:

Disagree strongly Agree Strongly
1 2 3 4
a. A national medical society dedicated to promoting and protecting the health of workers.
b. A professional society for physicians who are board-certified in occupational medicine as well as other physicians who share a common interest in the field.
c. A professional society of occupational & physical therapists
d.An educational resource for physicians of all specialties who want to learn more about the field.
e. A resource for employers or insurers who want to find a qualified occupational medicine physician.
f. An important source for evidence-based medical treatment guidelines and standards for disability prevention and management.

13. There are a multitude of complex technical, financial, and legal details surrounding workers' compensation and disability programs today. What do you see as the most important issues facing Occupational Medicine now and in the future? (Check all that apply)







14. Which of the following issues do you think ACOEM could help address? (check all that apply)






15. Finally, which of the following intiatives do you believe are most likely to improve the entire U.S. workers' compensation system? (check all that apply)







We're almost done now - just a few more demographic questions to go. Thank you very much for all the help you have given us so far.
16. Which of the following most closely describes the type of organization in which you work? (you may select more than one)









17. In how many of the United States do you operate facilities or have employees working?





18. In which state are you located?

19. Approximately how many individuals work for your organization?










20. Some companies have more than one person involved in these kinds of issues, but from different angles. Is there another person working for your company we should invite to take this survey in order to understand how your company sees the issues discussed here?



21. If you have the name of a colleague at another company you can recommend to us, please fill in his or her contact information below.

Thank you very much for your time and thoughtful responses to our questions.
22. If you would like to receive a summary of the aggregate results, please provide the following contact information.

*Your e-mail address will be confidential and only used to send you an Executive Summary when the survey is completed.