Rain or Snow, the Mailman Delivers

According to CBS 11, the DFW area set a record of 9.4″ of snow – the most snow to ever fall in a single calendar day (as of 9:30pm). The roads were slick and terrible. Schools were closed, businesses closed early, and the post office delivered. The road in front of my house had snow up to the top of the curb and the mailman drove his mail truck from one mailbox to the next and at just about the same time as every other day. I was amazed at the perseverance of the United States Postal Service. They really do deliver the mail regardless of the weather. I think we should all make an effort to meet our postal delivery person and say thank you. They have a really hard job and they often risk their safety in the line of duty, like today. We all get our mail on time, every day, come rain or snow, because the USPS goes the extra mile. We owe them a debt of gratitude.

It's Snowing, Slow Down!

The Dallas / Ft. Worth area is expected to get up to 6 inches of snow today. People still have to go to work though regardless of the dangerous road conditions. With some patience and careful driving, most people will make it to their destinations, even if they’re late. I was watching the news and they showed video of the highways with crowded roads filled with slow-moving drivers and a few others that put everyone else at risk. Even the news lady commented on it. What is it with people who think they can drive in any weather condition? Snow and ice on the road? No problem – go faster. Pouring rain? No problem – go faster. Why are all these other people driving so slow? Don’t they know I’m in a hurry? CRASH!

The safer drivers wake up early to make time for driving slower. They drive cautiously and defensively so they don’t get into a car wreck that can cause serious injury, property damage, or worse. The one thing that most people worry about though is not being able to control the “other driver”.

Has this happened to you? Have you ever been in a car wreck during bad road conditions that could have easily been avoided if the other driver just would have slowed down and been more of a defensive driver, just like you were? Then, you have to stand out in the rain or snow to exchange insurance information. You’re cold. You’re wet. You’re angry. You’re injured.
Now what? You need to see a doctor. You might even need a lawyer. You’re going to have unexpected insurance hassles. You might have to take time off of work and get a rental car. All because of a wreckless driver!

If you were injured in a car wreck, call WOL+MED. If you know someone who was hurt in a car wreck, tell them to call WOL+MED. If you’re one of those wreckless drivers and it’s snowing or raining – SLOW DOWN!

Driving While Distracted (DWD)

With cell phones and driving, we have a new term called Driving While Distracted (DWD). Using cell phones while driving is already illegal in many states across the country. This is due to the high number of auto injuris that result from drivers who were distracted by talking or texting on the cell phone. Nationwide Insurance has published some not-so-surprising statistics related to DWD.

In a 2008 survey by Nationwide Insurance, 67 percent of people admitted to using a cell phone while driving. That means that roughly 2 out of every 3 drivers on the road are using their cell phones while driving. The number one source of driver inattention is use of a wireless device, according to Virginia Tech researchers. As a result, driving while distracted is a factor in 1 out of every 4 police reported crashes.

A 2005 controlled study of Australian drivers found that cell phone users were four times as likely to get into an accident serious enough to injure them. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported that phone conversation tasks typically decrease reaction times, travel speeds, and increase lane deviations and steering wheel movements.

Drivers on cell phones cause serious auto injuries. If you or someone you know was injured in a car wreck due to the other driver being distracted with a cell phone, call WOL+MED today. We can help you. Our medical doctors are auto injury experts. If you think you need a personal injury attorney, we can also help you find the right lawyer for you. You need a doctor who can help you with all of your auto injury concerns. We can help you. We want to be your doctor.

Post Office Work Injuries

WOL+MED has helped hundreds of injured postal employees over the years. We’ve seen injuries from lifting heavy packages, repetitive mail sorting, climbing stairs, and more. I have personally had the opportunity to be on-site at a local post office to witness the hard work these federal employees go thru daily to get their jobs done. It’s hard to believe (unless you’ve seen it first hand) just how hard of a job postal workers have. Each year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts out data on the number of injured federal employees and the US Postal Service has by far the most, with nearly 50,000 reported cases per year.

When these folks get hurt, the federal government does an excellent job at covering their medical expenses. The biggest problem for these injured workers is finding a qualified medical doctor who treats federal workers comp. Even among workers comp doctors, it’s hard to find someone who even understands federal rules well enough to treat federal injured workers. Of course, at WOL+MED, the medical doctors are federal workers comp experts, but we had to learn a lot of hard lessons along the way before we got to be as good as we are now. We love to treat injured postal employees and other injured federal employees. And guess what? Those people love to come to WOL+MED to get treatment.

We find that a very high percentage of injured workers will refer their friends, family, and coworkers to us. That’s usually what happens when a patient trusts us. They want the people they know to have the same good experience. It just makes sense. WOL+MED BBQ’s for all of its patients at lunch time usually 2 or 3 times per month. We like to do patient appreciation parties and we give patient appreciation gift bags for new patients. We have games like Wii and a pool table too. Why shouldn’t a visit to the doctor be fun? That’s our philosophy because we truly believe that patients are #1.

So, check us out. Hopefully, you won’t ever get hurt at work, but if you do, choose WOL+MED. If you know of any federal employees who were hurt at work, please tell them about us. We’re always ready to help new patients, even with same-day appointments.

WOL+MED Minor Emergency

Many people don’t realize that WOL+MED also provides minor emergency services in its Denton and Dallas clinics. We take walk-in appointments and we are open until 8pm during the week and for most of the day on Saturdays. Dr. Robert Helsten, MD is an expert in helping patients with emergency needs. Before coming to WOL+MED Dr. Helsten served in an emergency room for several years. Along with Dr. Helsten, Dr. Rodney Shultz, DC, PA-C is an experienced Chiropractor and Physicians Assistant. He is very well trained in suturing large wounds, which is a common injury found in Minor Emergency Clinics. WOL+MED is able to help patients with high fever, large cuts, sprains & strains, flu symptoms, vomiting, dehydration, fractures, back injuries, shoulder injuries, knee and ankle injuries, and much more.

If you or a loved one requires urgent care or help for a minor emergency, please give WOL+MED a try. We are an excellent alternative to the sometimes brutal wait times of the emergency room. Our medical team is always ready to help you.

Denton County Injured Workers in Education

After doing some research to find out who was getting injured at work in Denton County, I was surprised to find the high number of people who work in education that get injured at work. I’m sure these aren’t only teachers. The education industry also is made up of cafeteria workers, office staff, maintenance workers, bus drivers, and others. When researching further, I found that nearly 50% of the major Denton County employers are in Education, so it would make sense that so many injured workers come from that industry. In Denton County, we have the University of North Texas, Texas Women’s University, Denton ISD, and Lewisville ISD. These 4 alone represent almost 50% of the major Denton County Employers. In fact, UNT has over 7,700 employees!

WOL+MED treats all kinds of work injuries: shoulder injuries, knee injuries, back injuries, neck injuries, hand injuries, ankle injuries and more. We want to help when you are injured or when someone that you know is injured at work. The majority of our new patients come from referrals from other patients. If you know someone who was hurt while working at one of the Denton County schools, tell them to consider WOL+MED.

WOL+MED Earns Maximum CARF Accreditation

WOL+MED has earned its 3rd straight maximum CARF accreditation for Pain Management, Work Hardening, and Work Conditioning. CARF stands for the Commission on Accreditation of Rehab Facilities. This is the international “Gold Standard” in rehabilitation. By the end of the current accreditation period, WOL+MED will have been accredited for a full decade. To become CARF accredited, a medical / physical therapy facility has to meet or exceed hundreds of standards for excellence. Among these standards are those requiring accessibility into the rehab programs, tracking of excellent outcomes, patient satisfaction, maintaining an excellent medical team, effective business operations, maintaining a safe treatment environment, and much more. CARF accreditation is an ongoing effort which means that WOL+MED is committed to always providing the highest level of service to its patients and their families. We don’t have to be CARF accredited. After all, it’s really hard. We do it because we know that it makes us better and because we know that it’s important to our patients.

At last check, WOL+MED has the only CARF accredited Pain Management program between Dallas and St. Louis, Missouri (traveling along I-35). We’re proud of our program and of our patients’ results. The majority of people who complete our programs get better and are able to get their life back. With our continued CARF accreditation, we’re committed to that high level of excellence.

If you know someone who suffers with chronic pain or they haven’t gotten the results they expect from other places, please tell them about WOL+MED’s CARF accredited pain management program. Go to our web site and read the testimonials from other patients who experienced success with WOL+MED. We can help.

10 Dangerous and Expensive Traps for Injured USPS Employees

WOL+MED specializes in the treatment of work injuries for USPS employees. After reading the manual for treating federal workers comp cases, we realized that USPS employees can lose money and their work injury benefits several different ways if they're not careful, and if they don't have a doctor who understands how to avoid these problems. So, here's a list of 10 ways a USPS employee can use work injury benefits and money.


1. Choose the right doctor the first time. Future unauthorized changes of treating doctors could make you personally responsible for the cost of medical treatment.

2. You must claim your benefits in order to receive them. Having dependents increases your check from 67% of your normal pay, to 75% of your normal pay.

3. You must fill out the Form CA-16 and OWCP-1500 and give it to your doctor so that you won’t be held personally responsible for your medical bills.

4. You must fill out your Form CA-1 within 30 days of your injury or you may not receive Continuation of Pay (COP).

5. Medical Evidence of Your Injury must be reported to your employer within 10 work days or your COP may be terminated.

6. You must fill out a Form CA-7 (Claim for Compensation on Account of Traumatic Injury or Occupational Disease) if you can’t return to work due to your injury and you are losing pay for more than 3 days.

7. If you don’t fill out a Form CA-8 for continuing compensation, after the CA-7 dates run out, continuing compensation may not be paid to you while you are off work.

8. You must return to work on-time, as determined by your doctor, or you can to lose compensation or COP.

9. If your injury is not thoroughly documented by your doctor, you can lose your medical benefits and payment during your time off from work.

10. Not filing your required paperwork on-time and to the right people, can cause you to lose all of your injury benefits.

WOL+MED doctors and staff will fill out your CA forms with you in the office to make sure they are correct and filed on time. They are also expert at doing a complete Letter of Causation proving that your injury is work-related. It's not easy to find a doctor who will treat your federal workers comp injury, but WOL+MED is expert in that area. We love helping injured USPS employees.

If you were injured while working for the United States Postal Service, we can help you. Call us in Denton, TX at (940) 484-7000 or in Dallas at (972) 572-5000. You can also visit us on the web at www.wolmed.com.

We want to be your doctor!

Hurt at Work and Getting Laid Off?

What if you were hurt at work, but now you might be getting laid off?

If you get laid off / fired, your claim for a work injury will most likely be denied. What does that mean if you have a work injury? That means you need to see a doctor today and get your injury claim open and accepted by your workers comp insurance carrier. Then, if you happen to get laid off or fired, you can still get treated for your work injury and receive Temporary Income Benefits (money) while you are being treated and getting better.

The alternative is that you could get laid off / fired, be hurt and in pain, not be getting a pay check, and not be able to get a job doing something else because you're injured. This just isn't an option. You deserve to get better and be able to work.

So remember: If you were hurt at work, don't wait to be fired or laid off before trying to file your work injury claim. It could be too late by that time. See the doctor today!

WOL+MED medical doctors are workers comp experts. We're open early in the mornings and late into the evenings, plus Saturdays. So, you can get an appointment today. Let us help you.

Denton: (940) 484-7000
Dallas: (972) 572-5000

Visit us on the Web at: www.wolmed.com

The Impact of the Economy on Injured Workers

As of the end of November, 2008, 10.3 million Americans (6.7%) report being unemployed. This is 2.7 million more unemployed workers than at the same time in 2007. Texas workers represent 675,000 of the total unemployed workers in the United States. This is up 38% from the same time in 2007.

With the VERY high unemployment rate (especially among Texans), it's no wonder we at WOL+MED are hearing more and more about people who were hurt at work but are scared to report their injury for fear of being fired. Folks are looking around their workplace and seeing the reduction in labor, and they don't want to be next.

WOL+MED medical doctors are aware of this concern and we are able to help with it.

1. Many employers will accept injured workers back at work with some restrictions. This allows you to keep working and get the treatment you need to get better. If the doctor and you think you could try working, and light duty is available, then this could be an option for you.
2. We are open early in the morning (7am) and we close late in the evening (8pm). This allows you to make an appointment outside of your work hours if this is necessary for you.
3. We are open Saturdays from 7am to 4pm. If you don't work Saturdays, this could be a great option for you to get treated or see the doctor.
4. Our doctors are workers comp experts. They will fill out your work status form correctly and get it to your employer and insurance adjustor on time. This keeps everyone on the same page about the status of your treatment.
5. Our doctors and staff carry on excellent communication with employers to make sure they understand what is going on with your case.

If you're hurt at work, you should be able to get treatment without fear of losing your job. WOL+MED will help you get the treatment you need. Please let us help you. We are workers comp experts and we know how to get you the treatment you need. We want to be your doctor.

If you were hurt at work, please let us help you. If you know someone else who was hurt at work, please tell them about us. Call us in Denton at (940) 484-7000 or in Dallas at (972) 572-5000. Also, visit us on the web at http://www.wolmed.com/.

WE WANT TO BE YOUR DOCTOR.

The Differences Between WOL+MED and the Big Chain Doctors

Why would you go to a Big Chain Doctor for your work injury when you have WOL+MED as an option?

WOL+MED prides itself on being expert in workers comp injuries. Sure, we're family practice doctors, but we are workers comp experts. We pride ourselves on you being comfortable and happy for sure, but we are #1 in work injuries because we are experts and we will get your case and your treatment done right.

So much can go wrong with a workers comp case if the doctor is not a workers comp expert.

1. Your injury claim could be denied.
2. Your checks could be cut off.
3. Your work status forms could be filled out wrong or not sent in on time and get you in trouble with your employer.
4. You could be sent back to work too early, getting you hurt even worse.
5. You might have to drive up to 30 miles to get therapy because the doctor doesn't have adequate rehab facilities.
6. The doctor may not be very good at doing impairment ratings which could cost you a lot of money in the end.
7. If the doctor doesn't recognize the injury as a work injury, you could be stuck with the bill.

So, should you trust the Big Chain Doctors with your workers comp case when WOL+MED doctors are workers comp experts?

1. We know how to get your workers comp claim approved.
2. We'll keep your checks from getting cut off.
3. We will send your work status forms in on time and they will be correct.
4. We won't send you back to work so early that you get re-injured.
5. You won't need to drive anywhere else to get treatment. You'll do it in our office.
6. WOL+MED doctors are State Certified to do Impairment Ratings. We'll get it right.
7. We are work injury experts. If you were hurt at work, you're treatment won't cost you a dime.

Trust WOL+MED.

Denton: (940) 484-7000

Dallas: (972) 572-5000

http://www.wolmed.com/

WOL+MED Patients Love to Refer Others

The vast majority of new patients at WOL+MED are referred by other patients. It is said that this is the nicest compliment given to a company. So, we want to say THANK YOU. WOL+MED's #1 core value is, "Patients are #1". The very high level of referrals from our patients tells us that our message is being heard. We will continue to be our patients' biggest advocate. In the coming year, our #1 goal is to go above even our normal way of doing business to make our patients say, "WOW!"

If WOL+MED can help you with a work or auto injury, or with a chronic pain condition, please call us in Denton at (940) 484-7000 or in Dallas at (972) 572-5000. Also, please visit us on the web at http://www.wolmed.com/.

We look forward to helping you say, "WOW!"

WOL+MED Internationally Accredited Pain Management

WOL+MED Pain Management is internationally accredited by CARF - Commission on Accreditation of Rehab Facilities. This means that we must maintain the highest standards in the treatment of work injuries and chronic pain. WOL+MED's Denton office is the only CARF accredited pain management clinic along I-35, between North Dallas and St. Louis, Missouri.

Our expert medical doctors are Diplomate's of the American Academy of Pain Management. They have over 30 years of combined experience treating work injuries and chronic pain. Dr. Edward Wolski, Dr. Robert Helsten, and Dr. William Dodge are available to help you 6 days per week in Denton and in Dallas.

If you have been hurt at work or have been suffering from pain, please give WOL+MED a try. We want to be your doctor. Call (940) 484-7000 (Denton) or (972) 572-5000 (Dallas) to find out how we can help you. If you know someone else who needs our help, please tell them about us.

Visit us online at http://www.wolmed.com/ for more information.

We Still Treat Work Injuries

WOL+MED still treats work injuries. Many Texas doctors have stopped treating workers comp injuries because of network restrictions, payment difficulties, preauthorization rules, and a very high volume of paperwork needed to process a workers comp claim. WOL+MED remains committed to helping injured workers. If you live in the Denton area, you don't need to drive 20 or 30 miles to see a doctor for your work injury. We're located at Loop 288 and I-35 in Denton (Next to Albertsons). Please give us a call. We want to be your doctor. Visit us on the web at http://www.wolmed.com/ for more information.