Vocational medical services
This service is for clients who are unable to return to their job due to their injury or whose vocational recovery is not straightforward and additional guidance is needed.
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What are vocational medical services?
Vocational medical services provides support with identifying suitable alternative work types for a client who is unable to return to work in their pre-injury role and advice on the best approach for achieving a return-to-work outcome.
We need more assessors, could you help?
As a medical professional, the Vocational Medical Services (VMS) is your opportunity to provide clinical leadership, timely and responsive clinical advice, and support to a client through their vocational rehabilitation journey. ACC must appoint appropriate VMS assessors in accordance with the Accident Compensation Act 2001 and VMS Service Schedule.
The contract includes three medical assessment services and one advisory service. When working on this service, you can be considered to provide some or all these services.
These services include:
This service enables you as a medical assessor, to provide advice on the best approach for achieving a return-to-work outcome for a client at any point within their rehabilitation journey.
This service enables you to provide your expert view and recommendation on fitness for work certification and/or the ability of a client to participate in a vocational rehabilitation programme at any point in their rehabilitation.
This service involves a thorough medical assessment that:
- Clarifies the diagnosis and barriers to rehabilitation
- Identifies a client’s functional restrictions impacting on participation in work activities
- Identifies appropriate treatment and rehabilitation
- Determines which work types are medically sustainable or likely to be at the time of the assessment, in the future or are not sustainable.
This assessment provides:
- An expert opinion on the client’s capacity to undertake certain work types as identified in their Vocational Independence Occupational Assessment (VIOA).
- The completeness of the agreed rehabilitation.
- Advice as to whether the client has achieved vocational independence.
Who can apply to provide these services?
To work on this contract, you need to be a Medical Practitioner registered with the New Zealand Medical Council with a current Annual Practicing Certificate that includes Vocational Registration in either:
- General Practice and hold either a Diploma in Industrial Health (DIH) or a Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational Medicine (PGDipOccMed) or equivalent.
- Occupational Medicine
- Rehabilitation Medicine
If you’re an experienced medical practitioner who would like to learn more about becoming an VMS assessor, contact us:
Email MedicalAssessments@acc.co.nz
You can also visit the Government Electronic Tender (GETS) Website for more information, including how to apply.
GETS | Accident Compensation Corporation - Vocational Medical Services (VMS) Services Contract
Vocational medical services - operational guidelines
A guide to working under the VMS service schedule. It covers requirements, assessments, reports and invoicing.
Vocational medical services - service schedule
This sets out how you'll work with us if you're providing vocational medical services under a health contract.