Occupational Health Comes to Wausau Clinic

Patients in Wausau who need occupational health and workers' compensation services have a new place to go for their care: the UW Health Wausau Family Medicine Clinic.

As of July 1, Aspirus Occupational Health is now based there, with Department of Family Medicine (DFM) Associate Professor Kevin O'Connell, MD stepping in as the service's medical director.

The move is the result of ongoing collaboration between Aspirus and the DFM's Wausau residency program. It offers greater convenience and improved continuity of care for patients, enhanced practice-building possibilities for physicians, and outstanding learning opportunities for Wausau resident physicians.

A Growing Team

The Aspirus Occupational Health team—a receptionist, nurse, and medical assistant—recently completed its move into the UW Health Wausau Family Medicine Clinic building. This move complements existing Aspirus Occupational Health Teams located at the Aspirus Stevens Point and Aspirus Weston clinics.

That team continues to provide the same occupational health services as before, such as fitness testing, drug and alcohol testing, hearing testing, and immunizations. Services requiring a physician, such as physical examinations, initial injury care, or follow-up management, are now provided by DFM faculty and residents.

Benefits All Around

According to Clinic Manager Cyndi Moser, the move offers patients numerous benefits:

• Convenience: The UW Health Wausau Family Medicine Clinic is a modern building with comprehensive support services—such as a lab and X-ray—right on site.
• Speed: Because patients have access to five faculty physicians and 15 resident physicians at the clinic, wait times are shortened or eliminated, and same-day appointments are available.
• Continuity: Patients are often able to see the same physician for both the initial visit and any follow-up care. "Patients used to first go to Aspirus' walk-in clinic for their initial care, and then receive follow-up care from the occupational health team," Moser said. "Now, all initial visits and follow-ups happen in one place."

Faculty and resident physicians also benefit from the move. Physicians gain exposure to new patients who may then choose to come back to them for their personal health care.

And resident physicians get a chance to pick up valuable clinical skills. "Learning occupational health and workers compensation procedures will give resident physicians experience that will help them build their own practice in the future," Moser said.

A Positive Collaboration

Moser is quick to credit the Aspirus occupational health team for helping to ease the transition. "This is a great group. Working with them has been a really nice experience so far. And they have such wonderful expertise to offer the clinic, faculty and resident physicians, and ultimately, patients."

Shirley Rosien, RN, director of Aspirus' employee health and wellness services, is also looking forward to the collaboration. "The Aspirus Occupational Team is excited about working with the UW team. We are confident that this relationship will provide excellent customer service and a value-added benefit to our program."