Every mildly symptomatic carrier of the coronavirus who goes to a medical facility soley for a work note risks exposure to the virus (if they don't already have it), puts health care workers at additional risk and exhausts the health care system's scarce supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). Employers: Stop sending your employees to the doctor for coronavirus tests. We need hospitals, healthy physicians and PPEs to deal with the nation's seriously ill, not employers' outdated policies for medical documentation.
Responding to the coronavirus, many major corporations are revising their paid sick leave policies to make it possible for sick workers to stay home without securing a note from a physician. Unfortunately, too many companies are leaning on old familiar ways – and the pressure they are placing on the health care system adds to the crisis.
For example, emergency medicine physicians are seeing patient visits for the sole purpose of obtaining work notes. In some cases, employers won't let their asymptomatic employees come to work without a note saying they don't have COVID-19, while others want hard proof that an employee specifically has COVID-19 before they'll pay for additional sick leave. People are coming to ERs desperate for documentation because their livelihood depends on it.
We represent a chat-first telehealth company, which means we offer an alternative to this traditional policy. But even our solution shouldn't be necessary when it comes to paid sick leave. Forcing people who are ill to seek medical attention just to "prove" that they don't feel well creates an unnecessary strain on the health care system.
If someone comes into the clinic or ER with a plausible story about finally feeling better after three days' of back spasms, a doctor can't honestly say whether the patient was on the couch or in Cancun. The patient is not asking for a prescription; they're asking for validation. Most doctors will give it to them. It's a fairly easy encounter for the doctor as long as the goal to secure the note is clearly stated. There's really no med-legal risk and the employer in most cases incurs the charge for the visit.
If it doesn't stop people from playing hookie, what does this one-size-fits-all policy do?
Instead of requiring doctors' notes, it would be far more effective to track absenteeism and productivity on a case-by-case basis. Is one employee always "sick" the day before a three-day weekend? Deal with them directly. Does one person's "work at home" day result in a significant and measurable loss of productivity? Call that individual's practice into question.
Some medical clearances, of course, are necessary. A child who suffers a concussion needs a physician's green light before returning to sports. An injured warehouse worker requires a doctor's approval before going back on the job. And, if someone does test positive for COVID-19, they will need to be healthy before they can return to work.
What these strange times underscore is that requiring someone to sit in a room filled with sick people just to get a note excusing their work absence is not necessary. Companies should consider suspending illness confirmation policies to stay in line with our new era of "social distancing."
The burden to the medical community, to the employee and to the employer is too high and the true effectiveness of a doctor's note is doubtful.
May these difficult days afford employers the opportunity to revisit policies that not only fail to serve us but put us in harm's way. To stay home is the most effective act of service any of us can perform right now. With or without a note from a doctor.
Dena Grablowsky is the President of DKG Executive Consulting, LLC, a strategic Human Resources Consulting company and Dr. Blake McKinney is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of CirrusMD.
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