Workers' compensation claims: hidden agendas.

Successful management of compensable occupational disorders requires an understanding of both the medical and social models of illness. In addition to the usual roles of medical diagnosis and treatment, the physician must assume a number of hidden roles, including assessing job hazards, arriving at an opinion of work-relatedness, identifying unrealistic expectations and factors that may delay recovery, and identifying as early as possible when vocational rehabilitation is necessary. As a central member of the claims management team, the practising physician can contribute meaningfully to the employee's successful return to the work-force.