You will be seen within the week. Your case manager will hear from us by the next day.
Dr Coory's practice works closely with WorkCover Queensland and Return to Work Queensland. Work-related injury patients with a confirmed claim are triaged as a priority pathway, assessed expediently, and managed with a return-to-work focus from the first consultation.
For referrers · The why behind the pathway
WorkCover Queensland — why the first four weeks shape the outcome. A long-form essay on the early-review thesis, the RTW QLD pathway, and the secondary psychological-injury risk that grows with delay. Includes a scannable referral QR code.
- Triage
- Priority pathway — typically seen within one week
- Insurer billing
- Direct to WorkCover / RTW QLD once approved
- Out-of-pocket
- Nil for approved consultations and procedures
- First report
- Sent to your case manager within 48 hours
- Other insurance
- CTP, DVA — same expedited pathway
- Acute trauma
- Same-week appointment; call the rooms directly
Named contact, business-day response.
When a WorkCover referral arrives in our rooms, the workflow is structured, not reactive. Your care coordinator confirms your claim status and prior-approval with the insurer, books your appointment as a priority, and contacts you with the appointment time within one business day. You will know what to do next before the call ends.
A return-to-work injury is not just a clinical problem. It is also an income problem, an employer-relationship problem, and a paperwork problem on top of the medical one. We are explicit about that. The first question Dr Coory will ask is what you do for work and what you need the shoulder to do at that job. The plan is then built around the return.
Five named steps. Time-specific. Structured around the return.
The WorkCover pathway lives inside the broader Guided Patient System — same named contacts, same written plans, with one additional layer: structured communication to your case manager at every milestone.
Referral and triage.
What happens: Your GP sends the referral to referrals@scorthogroup.com.au or via HealthLink. Our care coordinator confirms the claim number, the case manager's contact details, and prior approval with the insurer.
Timeline: Within one business day of the referral arriving. The priority appointment is offered before the call ends.
Assessment and written plan.
What happens: Combined-clinic consultation — subspecialty nurse practitioner first, then Dr Coory personally. The first question is about your work. You leave with a written diagnosis, a treatment plan, and an expected return-to-work timeline.
Timeline: Typically within one week of referral.
Case-manager report.
What happens: A structured written report is sent to your WorkCover or RTW QLD case manager — diagnosis, treatment plan, return-to-work expectations, any work restrictions, and the timeline for review.
Timeline: Within 48 hours of your consultation.
Treatment and recovery.
What happens: If surgery is required, prior approval is obtained from the insurer. Dr Coory performs the operation personally. Your physiotherapy is coordinated through the insurer's approved provider network where appropriate.
Timeline: Surgery scheduled in line with the insurer's authority and the urgency of the clinical picture.
Return-to-work milestones.
What happens: Dr Coory sees you at protocol-defined milestones — 1 week, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months. Updated case-manager reports go out after each review, with current work capacity, restrictions and an updated return-to-work timeline.
Timeline: Reports within 48 hours of each milestone.
You will know where you are.
A named care coordinator. A named case-manager report cadence. A return-to-work timeline written down before you leave the first consultation. Honest about difficulty. Specific about the path. Begin Your Journey →
The shoulder you need back is the one that does your job.
The conventional measure of recovery from a work injury is the imaging and the range-of-motion measurement. Dr Coory uses a different measure. The measure is the job.
The repair that gets a plasterer back to a three-hour ceiling without a Voltaren at lunch is not the same repair that looks neatest on the post-op MRI. The bone-block stabilisation that holds up under the cyclist who falls onto the AC press is not the same operation as the arthroscopic Bankart for the office worker. The endoscopic carpal tunnel release that gets a forklift driver back behind the wheel in three weeks is the right operation for that job — not because the technique is newer, but because it is faster to grip strength.
The first question in a WorkCover consultation is the same as in any consultation: what does this shoulder need to do? — with one specific addition: what does it need to do at work? The plan that follows is built around that answer.
What to send. Where to send it. What you'll get back.
What to send through.
- Standard GP referral letter (current; specifies WorkCover claim)
- WorkCover or RTW QLD claim number
- Name and direct contact for the case manager
- Prior approval reference for consultation (or note if pending — we will follow up)
- Any recent imaging (radiology disk, PACS link, or scanned report)
- Previous WorkCover or specialist reports relevant to the injury
Where to send it.
- Email: referrals@scorthogroup.com.au
- Fax: 07 5301 8154
- HealthLink: scoorthog
- Post: Suite 12, Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital, 3 Doherty Street, Birtinya QLD 4575
What you'll get back.
- Within one business day of referral: Confirmation of receipt and the booked priority appointment.
- Within 48 hours of the consultation: A structured written report covering diagnosis, mechanism, current work capacity, recommended treatment, prior approval requested where relevant, and expected return-to-work timeline.
- Within 48 hours of any procedure: An operative report, the post-operative work restrictions, and the rehabilitation plan.
- At every protocol milestone: Updated report with current work capacity and restrictions.
For acute work injuries.
For acute traumatic injuries — shoulder dislocations, displaced distal radius fractures, suspected traumatic cuff tears in younger patients, proximal humerus fractures — phone the rooms directly on 07 5493 8038. The care coordinator can arrange same-week assessment, with the case-manager paperwork managed in parallel.
CTP, DVA, employer-funded.
The same expedited pathway applies to:
- Compulsory Third Party (CTP) — motor-vehicle insurance claims, with prior approval from the insurer.
- Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) — gold-card and white-card patients (with white-card restricted to the accepted conditions).
- Employer-funded — where an employer is paying for a private specialist assessment outside the WorkCover system.
For all of these, our care coordinator manages the insurer paperwork from the moment the referral arrives. You receive the same written plan, the same case-manager report cadence, and the same single-surgeon clinical care.
WorkCover & RTW QLD — the questions we hear most.
How quickly will I be seen if my injury is under WorkCover?
WorkCover-funded patients with a confirmed claim and current insurer approval are triaged as a priority pathway. Most patients are seen within one week of referral. Acute traumatic injuries — shoulder dislocation, displaced distal radius fracture, suspected traumatic cuff tear, proximal humerus fracture — are seen sooner, often the same week.
What is RTW QLD?
Return to Work Queensland (RTW QLD) is the Queensland workers' compensation authority responsible for vocational rehabilitation and supported return-to-work. Dr Coory's practice works closely with RTW QLD case managers, providing structured communication and return-to-work focused planning.
Do I need to pay anything up front?
No. Once your claim is approved and prior approval for the consultation or procedure is received from the insurer, our care coordinator bills WorkCover directly. There is no out-of-pocket cost to you for approved consultations and procedures.
Will my employer know about my consultation?
Clinical information is shared with your case manager (and where required, your employer's nominated representative) only with your written consent. The scope of information shared is also defined in writing and limited to what is relevant to your work capacity and return-to-work plan.
What happens at my first appointment?
You will spend time with one of our subspecialty-trained nurse practitioners first — going through your history, examining the joint, and reviewing your imaging. Dr Coory then personally reviews you in the same visit. You will leave with a written plan, an expected return-to-work timeline, and a written report sent to your case manager within 48 hours.
What if my claim has not yet been approved?
Our care coordinator will discuss your options. Patients can be seen on a self-funded basis with the consultation fee then reimbursed by the insurer once the claim is approved — or the appointment can be deferred until prior approval is in place. We will not bill you for a consultation that is intended to be claim-funded without a clear conversation about how the fee will be handled if the claim is later declined.
Do you treat CTP and DVA patients too?
Yes. Compulsory Third Party (CTP) and Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) patients are treated under the same expedited triage pathway. Prior approval and a current GP referral are required. Our care coordinator handles the insurer paperwork.
What happens between appointments?
Your care coordinator is the named contact between visits — for questions, paperwork, imaging coordination and case-manager communication. The line is open during business hours. Acute concerns (severe pain, wound problems, suspected infection) trigger the same direct phone pathway as any other patient.