Policy
Health care practitioners, who provide health care to a worker or are consulted with respect to a worker's health care, must provide the WSIB with information regarding the work-related injury/disease, when requested.
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to outline the obligation of health care practitioners to provide the WSIB with information related to a worker's work-related injury/disease.
Guidelines
For definitions of health care, health care practitioner, and health professional, refer to 17-01-02, Entitlement to Health Care.
The WSIB supplies health professionals with the initial reporting forms decision-makers need to determine a worker's entitlement to benefits. The WSIB depends on health professionals to report and return these required forms within 48 hours of treating injured workers. If a report is incomplete or if a case is complex, WSIB staff may contact the health professional directly.
First reports from health professionals
Health professional's report (Form 8)
The WSIB supplies these forms. Health professionals who first treat the worker complete this form. For information regarding the health professionals who can complete the initial reporting form, refer to 17-01-03, Choice and Change of Health Professional. The Health professional's report is available at wsib.ca.
Dental Report - Form 0278A
Refer to 17-03-03, Dental Entitlement.
Recurrences
Health professionals treating the worker also use the Health professional's report (Form 8) to report a recurrence to the WSIB. For more information, refer to 15-02-05, Recurrences.
Follow-up reports
The WSIB periodically requires current information to confirm ongoing entitlement to benefits in an allowed claim. To obtain this information, the decision-maker sends out follow-up forms to be completed and returned to the WSIB by the worker's health professional. Without the information provided in these completed reports, payments of benefits to the worker may be delayed. To avoid payment delays, it is important that current clinical information is regularly provided to the decision-maker. The WSIB provides the worker with follow-up reports to take to health professionals to be completed and returned to the WSIB. If reports are incomplete, or if the case is complex, the WSIB may contact health professionals directly.
Other reports
Medical specialists provide reports in the form of consultation notes. The WSIB contacts other health care practitioners if and when information is required.
Health care fees
For details about health care fees, refer to 17-02-03, Payment of Clinical Assessments/Reports Requested for Adjudication and 17-03-01, Health Care Fees.
Application date
This policy applies to all decisions made on or after December 5, 2024, for all accidents.
Document history
This document replaces 17-02-02 dated January 2, 2015.
This document was previously published as:
17-02-02 dated October 12, 2004
17-02-02* dated June 15, 1999
17-02-04* dated June 15, 1999
*documents were replaced by 17-02-02 dated October 12, 2004.
References
Legislative authority
Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997
Sections 37(1), (2)
Workers' Compensation Act, Revised Statutes of Ontario 1990
Section 51(1)
Approval
Approved by the President and CEO on December 3, 2024.