An Experiment to Test the Feasibility of Integrating Occupational Health Services into an HMO

Autor: Eileen Dolan, Edwin C Holstein, Ellen P. Fischer, Catherine Josi-Langer, Richard Bernstein, Samuel J. Bosch
Rok vydání: 1981
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Public Health Policy. 2:261
ISSN: 0197-5897
Popis: rasaGw CCUPATIO NAL illness is a majorcontributor to total morbidity and mortality in the United States. It is estimated that 390,000 new cases of occupational disease occur annually and that occupational illness results in some 100,000 deaths each year. These figures may, however, understate the influence of occupational factors on health status (1). Former Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Joseph Califano, for example, stated that 20% of future cancers alone might be associated with occupational exposures (2). As recognition of the significance and extent of occupational exposure has expanded over the past few years, consumer groups and representatives of the labor movement have begun to insist that measures be taken to prevent or limit exposure to toxic substances, and that the capacity of the health care system be enhanced to meet the needs of exposed workers. In 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed to protect workers from job-related injuries and illness. No similarly organized federal or private program has been mounted to address medical care issues. At present, occupational health services are provided in an uncoordinated manner in a variety of settings. Large industrial firms may have on-site occupational health staff or may contract with specialized industrial clinics, hospitals, group practices, or individual providers to meet their medical needs. Small and medium-sized firms often find such programs prohibitively expensive. In many cases, the medical system has tended to separate occupational care from other family care services. Isolating occupational health services has served not only to fragment further the personal health
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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