Tag Archives: case management

Florida Workers’ Compensation: Clarifying the 30-Day Work Status Update Requirement

By Rosie Moore, DNP, RN, LNC, LEHP
Functional Medicine Nurse Consultant & Workers’ Compensation Case Manager

One of the most common questions I receive from providers is whether they need to see an injured worker every 30 days to update their work status. While Florida Statute § 440.13(2)(c) is often cited, there tends to be confusion surrounding its interpretation.

Here’s what the statute actually says:

“The physician shall release the employee to return to work with or without restrictions, and such release shall be reported to the employer and the carrier. The physician shall reevaluate the injured worker at intervals not exceeding 30 days, unless the carrier authorizes less frequent visits.”

But what does this really mean in practical terms?

It does not mean the provider must physically see the patient every 30 days. Rather, they must ensure that updated work status documentation is issued at least every 30 days. If the worker has not been seen in person but continues under care with no change in status, the provider may issue a note or DWC-25 indicating that the work status remains the same and that it is being continued based on previous clinical findings.

This clarification is essential, especially for providers managing high caseloads or patients with chronic injuries who may not require in-person follow-up that frequently.

Best Practice Tip:
Document clearly that the extension of restrictions or duty status is based on prior clinical evaluation, and indicate the date of the last in-person visit. This keeps the employer, insurer, and injured worker all aligned.

If you’re a provider navigating Florida workers’ compensation cases and want help streamlining your documentation while remaining compliant, I’m here to help.

Contact Rosie Moore, DNP, RN, LEHP, LNC, BC-FMP
Email: rosie@jrmnurseconsultants.com
Phone: 407-760-1662
Website: www.jrmnurseconsultants.com

How JRM Nurse Consultants Supports Injured Workers

Functional medicine and care coordination that help injured workers safely return to work — while supporting providers, employers, and insurers.


Starting JRM Nurse Consultants was born out of a deep commitment to helping injured workers and healthcare providers navigate the often-complex world of workers’ compensation and injury recovery.

As a Doctor of Nursing Practice and Functional Medicine Nurse Consultant, I witnessed firsthand the struggles many injured individuals face—not just with their physical recovery but also with the overwhelming administrative hurdles that come with workers’ compensation claims. Providers, too, often found themselves burdened by paperwork, compliance requirements, and fragmented communication, which could delay care and impact outcomes.

JRM Nurse Consultants was created to fill that gap. We offer a unique blend of clinical expertise and holistic support, focusing on streamlining medical documentation, case management, and care coordination. But what truly sets us apart is our functional medicine approach. We look beyond symptoms and treatment dates, addressing the root causes of chronic pain, inflammation, stress, and other factors that can delay healing.

At JRM Nurse Consultants, our commitment is to compassionate care while fully recognizing the important roles that insurance carriers, employers, and providers play in the workers’ compensation process. We understand that insurers prioritize managing claims efficiently and reducing costs, and we support these goals by helping providers navigate the complex workers’ comp system with clear, accurate documentation and ongoing communication with claims adjusters. Our approach integrates functional medicine to address the root causes of injury, promoting faster, safer return-to-work outcomes that benefit injured workers, employers, and insurers alike. By bridging clinical care with system navigation and collaboration, we ensure everyone’s needs are met — protecting health while supporting cost-effective, compliant claims management.

Our services include timely, accurate medical documentation aligned with state and federal workers’ compensation requirements, ongoing case monitoring, facilitating treatment authorizations, and referral coordination to trusted providers. Additionally, we provide functional medicine coaching that empowers injured workers to actively participate in their recovery through nutrition, stress management, and lifestyle adjustments.

Since launching JRM Nurse Consultants, we have proudly supported hundreds of injured workers and their healthcare teams, helping them achieve better outcomes and smoother return-to-work transitions. Our mission is to transform injury recovery into a more compassionate experience—one that recognizes the whole person, not just the injury.

Ready to Learn More?

If you’re a provider, employer, or adjuster seeking a collaborative approach to injury recovery — or an injured worker navigating a complicated case — we’d love to talk.
📧 Email: rosie@jrmnurseconsultants.com
🌐 Visit: www.jrmnurseconsultants.com
📞 Call: 407-760-1662

Let’s work together to create safer, smoother return-to-work outcomes — with care that truly addresses the whole picture.

What is a Nurse Consultant

Nurse consultants are a nurse who identifies problems and develop solutions to them.  Once the problem is identified, then a workable solution can be developed.  Patients and their families can be coached through these problems.

Nurse consultants offer medical education to patients, family, and healthcare professionals.  The nurse consultant can create customized care plans for the patient in order to promote wellness.

Nurse consultants provide and develop new ways to ensure that a patient’s well being and safety are met.  They also provide an insider’s view on medical issues to legal professionals.

If you would like more information on having a nurse consultant for an evaluation of your needs, please contact:

Rosie Moore 407-760-1662 info@windermerebabyand family.com

Rosie Moore, RN, DNP

Visit my Website to learn more www.rosiemoore27.com
Follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rosiesnursecorner

Working Your Staff Unsafely

This week has been the week of speaking with different professionals on training and how companies place employees in jobs that are not properly trained in their skill set to pay them less and get more out of them.  I used to work for a large insurance company that employed over 80,000 people.  I worked in the long-term care department which had about 400 staff from administrative assistants to presidents. I was the manager of case managers which consisted of RN’s, LPN’s and Social Workers.  They all did the same job and got paid different salaries to do it, however the job description and responsibility was the same.

chw-1 nurses-1

I felt that this policy of having nurses and social workers working on the same cases needed to be changed. Having all the staff doing the same exact work and paying them differently based on their degree and expecting the same level of skill, was inappropriate.   Nurses have a different skill set than social workers.  If a patient has a medical issue, the social worker that is visiting that member in the home completing an assessment may not be able to capture that the member has been retaining water in their ankles and think to ask if they are on a diuretic.  Much like the nurse that goes in the home setting and sees a patient that has issues paying their light bill won’t know where to call to find a resource for them.  The patient may be concerned because they are on oxygen at home; they wonder how they will pay their light bill and what they will do if the power is turned off. This can be a liability to any staff member but also a disservice to the patient.

oxygen

In contrast, I worked for another company that did case management. I loved that job, until federal cutbacks came along for the program during the new Obama administration.   The company employed RN’s, MSW’s, CHW’s, Nutritionists and Behavioral Health Specialists.   The cases were assigned only to nurses and there were two tiers of nurses, regular case managers and those that were more experienced received complex care patients.  The other staff MSW’s, CHW’s , Nutritionists and Behavioral Health Specialists were consulting on the files that the nurses referred to them.  They would work as a team with the nurses. This team work gave the patient a more well-rounded form of care.

illu_home_team01_xxl

There are several leadership styles in companies, autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire.  In the large insurance company that had all the workers regardless of skill set do the same job,  the leadership was autocratic.  The department maintained total control in all decisions and no opinions or suggestions were accepted from others. There was no opportunity to make a change due to the leadership style.   In my prior job, where everyone worked on a tiered team,  there was a democracy; decisions were made after consideration of input from the staff (Mitchell, 2013).

A team of medical professionals  gather for a daily meeting to discuss the elderly patients at the “Acute Care for Elders” unit at the University of Alabama Hospital, Birmingham. (Hal Yeager for KHN)

There are some days that as a professional you want to see changes implemented or at least considered, however the leadership does not support that.  If you are the type of person that works for the better of seeing changes in a situation, get involved in the departments or committees that have a say in policy writing, this will be the only way to see changes that can be discussed for the betterment of the company.

References

Mitchell, G. (2013, April). Selecting the Best Theory to Implement Planned Change. Nursing Management, 20(1), 32-37. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.library.capella.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4ba42c53-9a6d-4ec5-b6bb-2f078e04b7c7%40sessionmgr4001&vid=1&hid=4204