News About Total Occupational Medicine

Past Newsletters:
April 2005
July 2005

Injuries in the workplace: Occupational health clinics serve as your ‘team doctor ’

Challenging government regulations and rising workers’ compensation premiums may make navigating through a workplace injury daunting to an employer. Having a health care partner completely dedicated to the health and safety of your employees not only results in a productive work force, it is also vital to the bottom line.

Total Occupational Medicine, a locally owned and operated occupational medicine clinic, is comprised of trained and certified professionals striving to ensure worker health and safety in the greater Baton Rouge region. Along with skilled treatment of job-related injuries, Total Occupational Medicine can provide your company with drug and alcohol testing, respirator mask fitting, audio testing, immunizations, diagnostic services, customized wellness plans and other health services. Many of these services can be provided at your worksite or office.

An occupational medicine physician is similar to a team doctor for a sports team. The ultimate goal is to get the employee (athlete) healthy and back into the workplace quickly. In the past, occupational medicine was thought to only be practical for the industrial corridor—construction and manufacturing companies, refineries and other industrial organizations. Today, representatives from all businesses, industrial and professional, are recognizing the benefits of a strong working relationship with an occupational medicine provider.

Total Occupational Medicine serves as the company’s medical department, providing health care services to employees. With proper testing, Total Occupational Medicine providers may spot pre-existing medical conditions that otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Total Occupational Medicine can also assist in the development of a drug and alcohol testing program in an effort to monitor a safe work environment. “Employers can increase the productivity of their employees,” says Vice President Jim Bollinger. “Whether it’s flu shots or wellness programs, there is a substantial return on each dollar spent.”

Time is a major factor in the workplace today. Many companies now operate outside of the traditional 9 to 5 workday and need a health care provider to accommodate the odd-hour schedules of their employees. Total Occupational Medicine makes this easy. Extended hours help to alleviate the stress of taking time out of the workday to receive necessary health care services.

Total Occupational Medicine, through its affiliation with Lake After Hours, also provides an excellent alternative to emergency room care for injured workers. The physicians and other clinical providers at Total Occupational Medicine are trained in occupational health issues and are ready to provide reliable and professional services for all segments of business and industry.

The Total Occupational Medicine physicians, Munir Khalid-Abasi, D.O., Dominick J. Scimeca Jr., M.D., and Graham Tujague, M.D., are certified Medical Review Officers (MROs) and have extensive training and experience in occupational health. Dr. Abasi, who serves as medical director,
has 15 years of experience in emergency medicine. Dr. Scimeca has been practicing occupational medicine for over 20 years and serves as an occupational medicine consultant to several area chemical plants. Dr. Tujague is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Urgent Care Medicine. As a partner in the Lake After Hours/Total Occupational Medicine parent company, Convenient Care, Dr. Tujague serves as co-medical director.