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Industrial Medicine
Program Director Dr. Gary Fowler, teamed with Northwest Medical Center, offer employers a comprehensive program tailored to meet the individual needs of each business. Most importantly, the program is designed to work with businesses to maintain employees’ health through wellness, return them to work quickly after injury and reduce healthcare costs. Northwest Occupational Health Program is located in the Northwest Health Center building on the hospital campus in Winfield. The Health Center, unique to this area is a 35,000 square foot facility which houses Northwest’s Rehabilitation Services, wellness and fitness programs, as well as physician offices. Dr. Gary Fowler is also located in the same building at the ground level.
SERVICES
Industrial Medicine is a full service program which includes:
 Workers compensation injuries treatment
Post-offer physicals
Drug screens
D.O.T. physicals
Certified Medical Review Officer – MRO
Annual Physicals
Executive Physicals
Complete follow-up care with referral to specialists if needed
Computerized tracing system for one source of information
Medical information for safety and wellness programs
Evidential Breath Testing (alcohol)
Functional Capacity Screening
Wellness exercise program
Work Conditioning/Work Hardening Program
Physical/Occupational Therapy
Member of Occu-Link
Hearing and vision screening
Pulmonary Function Testing
On-site vaccination program
Minor office surgery (suturing, foreign body removal and corneal abrasions)
On-site health fairs
Ergonomic Assessment
Jobsite Assessment
PHYSICIAN & STAFF
Gary M. Fowler, M.D., has been board certified with the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine since 1997. Included on staff are a certified nurse practitioner, physical therapist and occupational therapist trained in Industrial Medicine.
Northwest Medical Center’s Industrial Medicine Program offers the following components:
Education Series for Managers, Supervisors and Employees
The information is presented on the appropriate academic level of the audience and directed to their specific occupations and environment. The goals of the program are:
To increase the awareness of each employee’s role in supporting safe work behaviors and injury prevention
Early identification of job related risk factors
Facilitates team communication to develop creative solutions to identify problems
Design and instruct individuals and department heads to allow independent follow-through with wellness or flexibility programs
Work-Conditioning Program
Work Conditioning is a work relevant intensive goal-oriented treatment program specifically designed to restore an individual’s systemic and neuro-musculo-skeletal function (strength, endurance, movement, flexibility and motor control). The objective of the work-conditioning program is to restore the client’s physical health and function so the client can return to work, or, for the client to become physically reconditioned so vocational rehabilitation services can commence.
ADA compliant. Pre-placement screening is conducted by properly trained therapists. The Americans with Disabilities Act allows pre-placement screening as long as it is job related, conducted after a conditional offer of employment is made, is universally applied, is a valid indicator of essential function, and is a business necessity. Pre-placement screenings are conducted using a protocol based on the physical demands job analysis.
Functional Capacity Evaluation
An intensive systematic process of measuring and reporting an injured worker’s functional, and physical abilities to perform specific job related and U.S. Department of Labor Dictionary of Occupational Titles defined work tasks. Standardized equipment and methodologies are used to simulate functional work demands, which gradually increase during the evaluation to evaluate maximum limits and capabilities.
Reporting/Documentation of Results
Reports as a result of the functional evaluation will be goal oriented, timely and explicit in regards to:
Functional outcomes
Performance
Maximum voluntary effort
Functional physical demand level
Case specific and resolution oriented recommendations
Ergonomic Assessment
An identification of the potential risk factors as related to the specific job or occupation. Provision of feasible modifications to reduce the risk of injuries in the work place are addressed.
Job-Site Analysis
This involves the collection and interpretation of information relative to a specific job, position, or occupation. The job-site analysis identifies the functional job requirements and the work environment for a particular job. This information may be compared to a disabled individual’s ability to determine appropriate and reasonable accommodations. The job site analysis identifies the following:
Job functions
Job tasks
Specific physical demands
Aptitudes and interests
General education requirements
Environmental factors
Psychological factors
Ergonomic recommendations for modification to the work sites
ACCESS
For information or referral to the industrial medicine program contact Dr. Gary Fowler’s office at 205-487-7676 or physical therapy department at 205-487-7786.
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