A physical exam is more than compliance. It’s about knowing your employees’ current health status and tracking that status over time. But why should this matter to you? You want your workforce to perform at their best, you want your people to know their health is valued, you want to prevent injuries due to unknown conditions ─ pre-employment and annual physical exams do just that. Employers performing pre-employment physical exams have proven to cut worker’s compensation costs by 60%. When you protect your people, you protect your business ─ plain and simple.Â
Not only do employee physical exams reduce absenteeism and high turnover, but they save lives. Physical exams can protect against heart disease, cancers, high blood pressure, and more. Mobile Health’s partners across the country have made their physical exams more than an OSHA requirement, but an opportunity to foster a healthy workforce.Â
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF PHYSICAL EXAMS?
Mobile Health has standard and customizable physical exams covering every industry, every role, and every OSHA standard. We ensure your business is protected and the needs of your employees are met all in one exam. The most common physical exams are pre-employment, annual, return-to-work, fit-for-duty, Department of Transportation (DOT), and physical abilities testing. Let’s go in–depth on each of these and help you determine what’s best for your business!Â
What is a Pre-Employment Physical Exam?
Pre-employment exams ensure there are no existing health conditions that hinder the employee’s performance, compromise their safety, or worsen a pre-existing medical condition. Pre-employment physicals are also used as a baseline physical exam to better track changes in employee health over time ─ the starting point that all annual physical exams would be measured against.Â
Pre-employment physicals are completely customizable with Mobile Health, typically starting with these baseline features: employee’s weight, vital signs, respiratory and cardiovascular health, vision, hearing, range of motion, and reflexes. Pre-employment physicals are also a great opportunity to gather information in a HIPAA compliant environment such as medical history, allergies, the candidate’s ability to handle stress, and current medications they are taking.Â
What is an Annual Physical Exam?
Beyond pre-employment, many industries require physical exams to be performed annually, specifically in the health care, home health, DOT, EMS, and manual labor industries. For those industries requiring OSHA-specific screening and surveillance physicals, this is where the pre-employment or baseline physical exam is so important. Annual physical exams typically include the same tests as a pre-employment exam to ensure the employee is still able to perform their duties and to measure health changes over time. From the first exam to post-employment, OSHA requires tedious record–keeping for compliance ─ Mobile Health’s HIPAA-compliant portal makes record-keeping absolutely effortless.Â
What is a Return-to-Work Physical Exam?
After an injury, return-to-work physical exams ensure it’s safe for your employee to return to work and perform their typical duties. Return-to-work physicals are imperative to ensure the employee doesn’t risk another injury or the safety of their fellow co-workers. If this exam concludes that they are not ready to return to work or to their normal duties, this exam will help determine when it would be right for them to return to work.Â
Mobile Health customizes your employee’s exam to ensure it is a comprehensive representation of the duties they will be returning to. This may include evaluating the employees’ reflexes, range of motion, and ability to lift, push, or pull. These monitored tests can dramatically lower the risk of injury or aggravation to a previous injury.Â
What is a Fit-for-Duty Physical Exam?
Fit-for-Duty exams are most common in labor-intensive roles ─ construction, manufacturing, and law enforcement. These exams can help ID the wrong worker and avoid workers’ comp claims down the road. Workers comp laws have made these types of exams legal and empower employers to use these screening tools.Â
All fit-for-duty exams by Mobile Health are uniquely tailored to the employer and the industry in which the individual works. Standard tests that could be included are: range of motion, physical abilities testing, vision testing, audiometric testing, and pulmonary function testing.
What is a DOT Physical Exam?
There are 3.5 million truck drivers in the U.S. required to pass a Department of Transportation (DOT) physical exam twice a year. That’s 7 MILLION physical exams every year. Every single day Mobile Health meets the needs of the industries that keep our country moving. We help our partners maintain compliance and protect their people with ease.Â
A DOT physical is a health examination mandated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for drivers of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV). Commercial drivers that are in a safety-sensitive position are required by the FMCSA to complete and pass a DOT physical to maintain a valid commercial driver’s license (CDL).Â
During a DOT physical exam, drivers must meet these specific health requirements of the DOT:Â
- Visual, intellectual acuity of 40 / 20 Â
- 70 degrees or more vision in each eye Â
- Ability to hear a forced whisper within 5 feet Â
- Passing the compulsory audiometer assessment Â
- Controlled blood pressure below 140 / 90 Â
All of these parameters are measured during the physical exam by Mobile Health’s licensed medical examiners that are listed on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) National Registry.Â
What is a Physical Abilities Test?
A physical abilities test is designed to mimic the actions an employee would perform during their day. This could be picking up a heavy box, pushing a dolly, moving a patient to a bed, or standing on a ladder. Mobile Health designs comprehensive tests to measure muscular flexibility, stamina, strength, and balance.Â
Customizable tasks can measure:Â
- Muscular tension – Performing tasks that require pushing, pulling, or liftingÂ
- Muscular power – A task that requires the employee to overcome resistanceÂ
- Muscular endurance tests – Performing repetitious tension and power tasksÂ
- Cardiovascular endurance tests – Performing tasks to assess aerobic capacity such as walking on an incline or climbing stairsÂ
- Flexibility tests – Performing a task that requires bending, stretching, twisting, or reachingÂ
- Balance tests – Tasks that require stability in a position that is difficult to maintain such as standing on a ladder or climbing into a large vehicleÂ
What is a Healthcare Physical Abilities Test (HPAT)?
Mobile Health has designed a healthcare physical abilities test that is now the gold standard for home care and acute care organizations across the country. An HPAT ensures your employees are ready to perform their duties without comprising their safety or the safety of their patients.Â
The Mobile Health HPAT evaluates:Â
- Range of motion of upper extremitiesÂ
- Body mechanicsÂ
- Aerobic capacityÂ
- BalanceÂ
- StrengthÂ
- Ability to follow directionsÂ
What is Biometric Screening?
Biometric screening is utilized to monitor and identify existing medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Many employers offer incentives to encourage their employees to participate in a biometric screening program. When employees know their health status and what they can do to live a healthier life, they are empowered to take action.Â
During a biometric screening, a Mobile Health clinician:Â Â
- Conducts a blood test to measure cholesterol, glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol.Â
- Measures resting blood pressure rateÂ
- Records BMI measurements (height, weight, and waist circumference)Â
HOW CAN MOBILE HEALTH CUSTOMIZE MY PHYSICAL EXAM?
We get to know your needs and use a wide range of testing to ensure your employees are safe and your companies are protected. Â
These tests include:Â
- Vital signs: These measure the body’s most fundamental capacities. The four primary vital signs measured are blood pressure, pulse rate, breathing rate, and body temperature.
- Vision acuity: These tests determine the employee’s ability to recognize shapes, letters, and objects from any given distance. Mobile Health utilizes the Snellen, Ishihara, Jaeger, and Titmus testing and screening charts for comprehensive and OSHA-compliant testing.
- HEENT examination: This is an examination of the head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat. HEENT examinations can include the use of a tongue depressor, otoscope examinations, checking pupils, and examining lymph nodes.
- Gastrointestinal examination: The four major components of an abdominal or gastrointestinal examination are inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation. During palpitation, the Mobile Health physician uses touch to observe any tenderness, muscle guarding, or rigidity. Auscultation is the use of sound to identify any irregularities, such as bowel sounds. Percussion is a special tapping technique to identify any gastrointestinal tenderness.
- Cardiovascular evaluation: During a cardiovascular evaluation, Mobile Health physicians utilize inspection of eyes, heartbeat, retinal arteries, and blood laboratory tests to identify existing heart conditions or future risk for heart disease.
- Respiratory assessment: Mobile Health clinicians measure respiratory rate, observe the appearance of skin, and listen to breathing sounds. Mobile Health also provides OSHA medical evaluations and respirator fit tests for industries requiring the use of respirators at the workplace.
- Musculoskeletal assessment: Mobile Health physicians observe reflexes, responses, and reactions by applying pressure or movement during a musculoskeletal assessment.
- Neuro exam: A neurological examination assesses coordination, motor, and sensory skills, balance, hearing, speech, and vision. Employers can also choose to test mental status, mood, and behavior.Â
Mobile Health provides comprehensive employee screening and occupational health services. You can pair physical exams with any of our other services:Â
- Drug and alcohol testing: From 5 to 13-panel drug tests, let’s customize a test to protect your business and foster a drug-free workplace.
- TB testing: QuantiFERON TB blood testing to clear your employees with one appointment. Need a follow-up chest x-ray? Our national x-ray services are always ready for positive test confirmations.
- Vaccines: MMR, Varicella, TD, TDAP, flu, COVID, and Hepatitis B immunizations for a healthy and compliant workforce.
- Titers: Immunity testing to clear your employees for the job. We’ve helped home care workers, caseworkers, and educators stay effortlessly up-to-date on all required titers testing.
- Respirator fit testing: On-site, in-clinic, and self-administered fit testing paired with OSHA medical evaluations. We are the #1 fit testing provider in the nation for our innovative fit testing solutions and technology.
- COVID-19 testing: End-to-end on-site teams to protect your organization. From healthcare to entertainment and higher education, we’ve done it all.Â
How do I schedule my employees for a physical exam?
The award-winning Mobile Health portal empowers you to schedule a physical exam in under 30 seconds at any of our 6,500+ locations. Fill out this form and one of Mobile Health’s experts can customize your exams and set up your account for the only portal you will ever need for occupational health and employee screening. Our industry-leading turnaround means you get results faster. In our clinics, your candidates and employees are top priority. Your physical exam results are ready in real-time on the Mobile Health portal so you can screen faster and hire sooner. Want even faster access to results? We can integrate with your HRIS/ATS and send results directly from our platform to yours. No other provider has the technology to provide seamless result integration. Say hello to effortless record–keeping and compliance.Â
Want physical exams brought straight to your doorstep?
We bring our services anywhere you need us. Mobile Health can bring a team of physicians and set up a clinic right within your walls. From 100 – 100,000 employees, we can handle it without missing a beat. Mobile Health’s on-site technology gives you on-the-spot results for a quick and easy physical exam program.
Why Mobile Health?
We have 38 years of clinical excellence under our belt, and we aren’t going anywhere. Mobile Health has been changing the world of occupational health through relentless innovation and amazing people. We provide flexible services that are tailored to our partners. Whether it’s on-site in your breakroom, through our 6,500+ nationwide clinics, or with a mobile fleet of occupational health vehicles, we’ve got your back. We care about your people, your protection, and your growth. We walk alongside our partners providing every occupational health and employee screening service they need so they don’t have to turn anywhere else. Physical exams, drug testing, respirator fit testing, vaccines, titers, and more. For us, being a part of helping people get a job all while protecting your business is what keeps us moving. If you’re looking for a partner, turn to Mobile Health.Â
Our team wants to hear your needs, customize a comprehensive program, and let you breathe easy when it comes to hiring and protecting your people. Talk to an expert today and start your journey to effortless occupational health.Â
