Quite often, employees with existing compensable conditions experience either temporarily or more long term, psychological side effects. In all fairness, sometimes the trauma and pain of injury and disease can reasonably result in depression, anxiety and other reactions.
Other reactions may manifest themselves in the form of gastro-intestinal disorders, cardio-vascular conditions and skin complaints such as neurodermatitis.
Commonsense should dictate what to do here. If accounts for 'pain management' forms of treatment are received, keep an eye on costs, but look at the type of injury and consider how reasonable it is that the employee requires such treatment.
There will be a fine line between investigating and allowing accounts for treatment for secondary psychological conditions. Use of rehabilitation will be the obvious channel of management.
If rehabilitation is not appropriate, some outlined plan of treatment from the treating or referring doctor would be beneficial. It will also indicate to the doctor that Comcare is not prepared to just pay for side treatments without question.
Try to obtain specific treatment requirements from the doctor like “12 sessions over the next two months”. In this way, it may be assumed that, twelve months down the track, pain treatments that are obviously of no benefit to the employee are not still being recompensed.