If you work in the healthcare or medical profession, you spend your time helping sick and injured patients improve. However, you are not immune to injuries and illnesses yourself. Medical professionals are more likely to get hurt at work than workers in construction, manufacturing, or production jobs. If a healthcare worker is injured at work, they must cover their medical and personal costs with workers’ compensation benefits. You need experienced Stroudsburg workers’ compensation lawyers who will fight for you.
Munley Law workers’ comp attorneys have more than 65 years of experience fighting for the rights of Monroe County workers. Call today for a free consultation with one of our award-winning healthcare workers’ compensation lawyers.
The Unique Risks Facing Stroudsburg Healthcare Workers
Healthcare workers face a surprising level of occupational risk. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), healthcare professionals experience some of the highest rates of nonfatal work injuries and occupational diseases of any industry sector. In Stroudsburg’s medical facilities, including Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono and local nursing homes, clinics, and private practices, healthcare workers encounter numerous job-specific hazards daily.
Healthcare workers experience statistically more injuries and illnesses while on the job for many reasons than other workers. Healthcare workers:
- Often have to lift heavy patients from beds, stretchers, and gurneys, and assist them physically with mobility, such as to a wheelchair for X-rays or going to a shower or bathroom
- They are often exposed to viruses, bacteria, and diseases
- They are often exposed to toxins, industrial cleaners, medicines, and more
- Often work longer shifts, which involve standing for long stretches, with a lot of walking
- Work with dangerous equipment such as surgical equipment, radiation equipment, suture needles, phlebotomy equipment, and other needles used for injections
- Can face workplace violence from patients
- Can be the victim of workplace errors
- Can face exposure to biohazardous materials
- Often perform repetitive tasks, leading to repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome
- Can experience foot and leg injuries from long hours on their feet, and also back, neck, and shoulder strain
- Can face radiation burns from X-rays and chemical burns from exposure to biohazards and chemicals
- Often work on wet or just-washed floors and slippery surfaces, and can experience slip and fall injuries.
If you are a healthcare worker in one of Stroudsburg’s many healthcare facilities and have been injured, call the expert workers’ compensation attorneys at Munley Law today. A work injury can be devastating. You might be facing time off work for your recovery, mounting medical bills, and the anxiety and strain of your physical recovery. Let Munley Law help.
Workers’ Compensation for Stroudsburg Home Healthcare Workers
Home healthcare is a rapidly growing sector in Stroudsburg. Many medical professionals now provide care in patients’ homes rather than traditional facilities. When injured on the job, these workers face unique challenges.
If you’re a home healthcare worker injured at a patient’s residence, you maintain worker compensation benefits eligibility, provided you are classified as an employee rather than an independent contractor. Your coverage applies regardless of where your injury occurs, as long as it happens while performing your job duties.
Additionally, home healthcare workers may have opportunities for third-party claims when injuries occur due to dangerous conditions in a patient’s home. While workers’ compensation prevents you from suing your employer, you may have grounds for a personal injury claim against the homeowner if their negligence contributed to your injury.
Common third-party claim scenarios for Stroudsburg home healthcare workers include:
- slip and falls on poorly maintained properties
- dog bites or animal attacks at a patient’s home
- injuries from the collapse of unsafe structures
- exposure to toxic substances in the residential environment
These third-party claims can provide additional compensation beyond workers’ compensation benefits, including damages for pain and suffering, which aren’t available through the workers’ compensation system.
Healthcare-Specific Guidance for Your Stroudsburg Workers’ Compensation Claim
As a healthcare worker in Stroudsburg, your professional knowledge can sometimes work against you in a workers’ compensation claim. Insurance companies may argue that you should have been more careful given your medical training, that your condition is pre-existing due to the physical demands of healthcare work, or that your injury resulted from failing to follow proper protocols.
Our Stroudsburg workers’ comp lawyers understand these industry-specific defenses and know how to counter them effectively. We’ve successfully represented nurses from Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono, nursing assistants from Stroudsburg long-term care facilities, medical technicians from local laboratories and imaging centers, home health aides serving patients throughout Monroe County, and emergency medical personnel working in Stroudsburg’s first responder agencies.
We know how documentation works in healthcare settings and can identify when incident reports or medical records may not fully capture the circumstances of your injury. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
How Our Stroudsburg Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Can Help
Our specialized approach for healthcare professionals includes understanding medical documentation. As attorneys representing healthcare workers, we know how to interpret and utilize medical records to support your claim. We understand the terminology, can identify inconsistencies in documentation, and learn how to present your medical evidence effectively.
Healthcare employers and insurers often use industry-specific reasons to deny claims, including arguments that your injury is a routine occupational hazard rather than a compensable event, that your medical condition was pre-existing rather than work-related, or that you failed to follow established safety protocols. Our attorneys understand these tactics and know how to effectively counter them with evidence and legal arguments tailored to healthcare worker claims.
As a healthcare professional seeking treatment for your injuries, you may have concerns about your medical privacy, particularly if you’re receiving care at your workplace or from colleagues. We help ensure your medical information remains appropriately confidential while still effectively supporting your claim.
Healthcare facilities often have modified duty programs for injured workers, but these light-duty assignments may not always accommodate your medical restrictions appropriately. We ensure that any return-to-work plan protects your health and recovery, preventing premature return to complete duties or inappropriate work assignments.
Contact Our Stroudsburg Healthcare Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Today
If you’re a healthcare worker who has suffered a workplace injury in Stroudsburg or throughout Monroe County, contact Munley Law for specialized legal representation. We offer free, confidential consultations to evaluate your case with no upfront fees—we only get paid when you receive benefits. Our specific experience with healthcare worker claims in the Stroudsburg area and personal attention from attorneys who understand the healthcare industry sets us apart.
Don’t let your commitment to caring for others prevent you from receiving the care and compensation you deserve after a workplace injury. Contact Munley Law today to schedule your free consultation with a Stroudsburg workers’ compensation attorney experienced in healthcare worker claims.
