All assessments are conducted by a qualified healthcare practitioner (e.g. P.T., O.T.) who has had extensive training and certification on the equipment.

Functional Capacity Evaluations are utilized for the following purposes:

• To provide information regarding an injured person's functional ability to resume pre-accident job activities.
• To be used by the employer to guide return to work planning.
• To determine post accident injury functional baseline.
• To determine the presence of repetitive strain injury.
• To make recommendations for work site modifications.
• To be used as a post-offer or pre-placement screening tool.
• To be used as a guideline for treatment.

Post Offer of Employment Test

Our systems measure a potential employee's ability to perform the physical demands of a specific job. This form of assessment is invaluable in determining pre-existing physical problems that can make an individual vulnerable to an injury. These pre-placement functional screenings are also used to determine the best fit for "worker to job" when hiring or transferring an employee from one department of an organization to another. Data generated by the report cites specific limitations, restrictions, capabilities and tolerances of the desired candidate. The functional ability of the prospective employee becomes the qualification for employment. Employers who utilize post-offer testing experience extensive savings by eliminating potential injuries.

Video Job Site Analysis/Ergonomic Worksite Assessments

These are performed by an ergonomist, with or without the use of a video camera. Each specific task of the job is determined and empirically measured with regard to physical demand and frequency. Digitized photography is utilized to illustrate the biomechanical positions required for specific tasks. These physical demands analyses (PDAs) are essential for performing FCE's, post offer screens and as a reference for physicians and treatment facilities.

Physician Referral Services / IME Coordination

Ability Works has an extensive list of physicians and specialists who provide our company with preferred appointments. This service is instrumental in shortening the time frame that a claimant remains off work due to illness or injury. IME's are coordinated with a variety of approved medical specialists at a nominal cost.

Psychological Testing/Transferable Skills Analysis

Ability Works offers a wide range of psychological and psychometric tests that can measure:

• An employee's perception of disability e.g. behavioral response to pain.
• Innate learning ability to perform a new job.
• Reaction/response time.
• Personality profiles.
• Transferable skills to alternate job.
• Psychological response to on the job stressors.
• Levels of autonomy.

These tests can be utilized in disability management or post-offer screens. Some can be integrated into the FCE evaluation to determine if there is a psychological or behavioral overlay to disability in the absence of pain.

New! Work Hardening

Ability Works offers Work Hardening services for injured workers who:

• Have reached Maximum Medical Improvement ( MMI ) and have not demonstrated sufficient improvement to return to their pre-injury level of functioning.
• Have completed a course of treatment that is not Job Specific in nature, and are almost ready for return to work, but would benefit from Work Hardening and conditioning. This would facilitate a return to work in the pre-injury job, while assisting in the return to work transition.
• Have not progressed with traditional treatment to enable a full return to work.

Work Hardening is essentially physical therapy or work conditioning that utilizes therapy modalities in conjunction with job specific strengthening tasks to simulate the physical demands of the job in a therapeutic environment. Most programs are four weeks in duration, with a frequency of three visits per week. It is essential that the empirical values for the job demands ( e.g. how much the employee lifts, carries, repetitions etc. ) be available for the therapist to be used as a guideline for treatment. Work Hardening can also be completed after a patient has returned to work to ensure continued improvement and full recovery.