Occupational Injury Services (OIS/WCB)
Please book online or call the clinic to make an OIS appointment. If your company is not part of the OIS program, please see information below and contact the OIS coordinator for information on becoming part of the OIS program/signing up for OIS. If you can’t find an appointment online, please call the clinic. OIS service hours are noted on the clinic’s wait timer.
What is it?
Occupational Injury Service (OIS) is a WCB Alberta program which provides quick access to care and treatment for employees injured at work. This includes an in-depth return-to-work plan for each employee.
Benefits of the OIS Program
- Same-day access to a physician with a background in work-related injury management and WCB training.
- Injured workers are typically seen within 30 minutes of arrival on their first visit.
- Expedited access to diagnostics such as MRIs, CT scans, Bone Scans and Ultrasound scans, as well as some treatment services.
- Same-day completion and submission of OIS reports to WCB.
- Post assessment and treatment communication.
- Detailed work restrictions plan which allows employers to provide appropriate modified work for employees.
- Follow-up support, including appointments.
Medicentres OIS Services
Medicentres Canada is the largest OIS provider in Alberta, with 11 locations in Edmonton and 4 in Calgary. Our OIS clinic locations provide a variety of services including Tetanus immunization and suturing of cuts and wounds.
If you require further information or support regarding Medicentres’ OIS provision, please contact the OIS Coordinator at OISservices@medicentres.com
Employers interested in the OIS program must be committed to a modified work program in their workplace. A formal sign-up must be completed and sent to the OIS business assistant at the WCB.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why would I visit a Medicentres OIS physician instead of my regular family physician?
Your family physician specializes in general health. OIS physicians have a special interest in work-related injuries. They have access to background knowledge of your worksite, will see you within 30 minutes on average and will complete WCB reports on the same day. OIS physicians can expedite diagnostic services and work with you and your employer to create a personal return-to-work plan.
Will I wait long for an assessment?
No. The average wait time is no more than 30 minutes to have an assessment started. In unusual circumstances, such as the arrival of an emergency case, the wait may be longer. However, even in these instances the wait time is shorter than in an emergency room.
Is my health information kept confidential?
Medicentres’ OIS physicians and staff must abide by privacy legislation. When communicating with employers, the physician’s focus will be on supporting return to work. Your personal medical information will be kept confidential, and it will not be discussed. A copy of the OIS report showing what activities workers can or cannot do while recovering from injury will be provided to the worker and employer.
Are Medicentres OIS clinics walk-ins or do I have to call ahead?
You can either call the clinic directly or book an appointment online by clicking the “Book Now” button on this page. Please contact the OIS clinic to let them know that your worker is coming so the clinic can perform a triage assessment.
For safety reasons, it is important that workers not attend the clinic with injuries that are not in the scope of services offered by the OIS clinic. If your worker has chest pains, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, is unconscious or has bleeding that is difficult to stop, you must contact the emergency services.
Who do Medicentres OIS physicians work for?
Medicentres has been contracted by WCB to provide OIS services to employers and their injured workers. Medicentres’ OIS physicians do not work for WCB or your employer.
If my employee went to an emergency room first, can they still be seen in an OIS clinic?
An employee should visit an emergency room (ER) if the OIS clinic is closed, the injury is severe and requires ER treatment or the injury is beyond the scope of services provided by the OIS clinic. In these cases, the employee can still be seen in an OIS clinic if the time period between an ER visit and OIS visit is less than 96 hours.
MEDICENTRES OIS CLINICS
Medicentres Canada is the largest OIS provider in the Edmonton area with multiple clinics available for employers and injured workers.
Capilano Medicentres Dickinsfield Medicentres Ellerlie Medicentres Heritage Village Medicentres Hermitage Medicentres Kingsway Medicentres |
Belle Rive Medicentres Millwoods Medicentres Pleasantview Medicentres Sherwood Park Medicentres Westgate Medicentres Westgrove Medicentres |
Medicentres is also providing the OIS program to employers in the Calgary area at the following clinics:
Country Hills Medicentres Foothills Medicentres |
Heritage Hill Medicentres Panorama Hills Medicentres |