Prompt, expert surgical opinions to help injured employees recover faster — and get back to work sooner.
Priority Surgical is a specialised service that bypasses long hospital wait lists to give your injured employees prompt access to surgical review and expert opinion.
Instead of waiting months for a specialist appointment, your worker can be evaluated by a top surgeon on a priority basis – getting the advice you and your team need fast. This offering is designed for employers and return-to-work coordinators who want to cut through delays and ensure the best outcomes for workplace injuries. We maintain a formal, professional approach throughout, so you can trust in the quality of care and guidance provided.
The Problem:
Long Wait Times Hurt Recovery
Long wait times in the public healthcare system often leave injured workers stuck in a medical merry-go-round of referrals and delays. In Australia, some people are languishing on waiting lists for years just to see crucial specialists. These delays aren’t just inconvenient; they have real costs for both employees and employers.
Lost Time and Productivity
Extended waits mean employees may spend months in pain, on reduced duties, or off work entirely. This impacts morale, drives up costs for employers and insurers, and—according to state officials—“hits the economy hard” when people can’t work while awaiting treatment.
Health and Wellbeing Impact
The human toll is significant. Ongoing pain, frustration, and uncertainty can erode both mental and physical well-being, leading to chronic stress and slower recovery. Experts warn that excessive wait times cause “serious detriment” to people’s health —often the difference between full recovery and long-term impairment.
The Decline in Recovery Odds
Delayed treatment doesn’t just prolong discomfort—it changes recovery outcomes.
After six months off work, only about 50% of people return to employment. After two years, that chance drops to 10%. Every month of waiting increases the risk of permanent disability or job loss.
Our Solution:
Priority Access to Surgical Care
Priority Surgical solves this problem by fast-tracking injured workers to leading surgeons for early assessment and opinion. We have a network of top orthopedic and specialist surgeons who understand workplace injuries and who have agreed to see referred cases without the usual long wait.
Instead of joining a public hospital queue, your employee can get a priority appointment – often within days not months. The result is a streamlined, rapid pathway to expert medical advice. When an injured staff member is struggling to recover or facing a potential surgery, an early specialist opinion is invaluable.
Clear, Connected, and Compassionate Care
Priority Surgical combines expert guidance, clinical precision, and empathetic communication to support both employers and injured workers every step of the way.
Expert Surgical Assessment
Our service ensures a seasoned surgeon examines each case, reviews scans, and provides a clear recommendation. This might confirm that surgery is necessary – or just as importantly, that it’s not needed, allowing you to pursue other treatments with confidence. Either way, you get clarity fast, avoiding months of uncertainty and ineffective treatments. This streamlined approach ensures the right decisions are made sooner — keeping recovery on track and treatment effective.
Works With Your Team
Priority Surgical works hand-in-hand with your existing injury management efforts. For example, if you utilize onsite physiotherapy for your workers, our surgical consults complement that care by addressing cases where therapy alone may not be enough. This integrated approach to workplace health means no time is wasted: conservative care and surgical options proceed in parallel, each in the right circumstance.
Clarity and Trust at Every Step
Throughout the process, our approach remains professional, empathetic, and reassuring. We know surgery can be daunting, so every consultation is handled with clarity and care. Our goal is to build trust at every step — for injured workers, who gain confidence seeing a top specialist, and for employers and RTW coordinators, who can rely on clear, unbiased expert advice. Reports and recommendations are delivered promptly to keep all stakeholders aligned and informed.
No Red Tape. No Waiting. Just Answers
In short, Priority Surgical cuts through red tape and wait time to deliver fast, authoritative medical guidance when you need it most.
The Benefits:
Better Care, Faster Recovery
Priority Surgical delivers rapid, expert opinions that cut through delays in the public healthcare system. By choosing Priority Surgical, employers and return-to-work coordinators will see numerous benefits in their injury management program:
Rapid Access & Reduced Waiting
Your injured workers see specialists right away, bypassing the public waitlist backlog. Timely intervention prevents minor issues from becoming major complications. (In conventional pathways, patients often wait months or even a year for elective surgery consults – our service shrinks that to a fraction of the time. Quick access means injuries are addressed at the optimal time, speeding up recovery.
Trusted Expert Opinions
We partner only with highly qualified surgeons and specialists renowned in their fields. You and your workers receive independent, expert opinions that you can rely on. This builds confidence in the recommended course of action – whether it’s proceeding with surgery or continuing conservative management. Having a top surgeon’s assessment in hand can also ease discussions with insurers or other healthcare providers, since it comes from a credible authority. In an often complex WorkCover environment, an expert’s report can cut through uncertainty and conflicting advice, bringing all parties onto the same page.
Lower Costs & Less Downtime
Every week an injured employee is out or undergoing ineffective treatments is costly – in wage replacements, overtime for others, and lost productivity. Priority Surgical can save money by cutting down this downtime. Getting the correct treatment plan early means you’ll spend less on drawn-out therapies that might not work and reduce the risk of complications from delayed care. Shorter claims and faster closure also help lower WorkCover insurance costs over time. Government analyses confirm that long waitlists burden the economy due to lost work time. By expediting care, you mitigate these economic impacts for your business.
Better Recovery & Return-to-Work Outcomes
Faster expert care directly translates to quicker recoveries and earlier return-to-work. By minimising delay, you avoid the decline in work capacity that long absences cause. Studies show that prolonged time off work greatly reduces the likelihood of ever returning. Priority Surgical helps keep that timeframe short, improving the chances that your employee comes back healthy and on the job sooner.
Wide Range of Injuries Covered
Our Priority Surgical network covers specialists in orthopedics, sports medicine, hand surgery, and more – so we can handle virtually any work-related injury that might need surgical insight. Whether it’s carpal tunnel syndrome, a rotator cuff tear, tennis elbow, or Dupuytren’s contracture, we’ll connect your worker to a surgeon experienced with that condition. From repetitive strain injuries to acute traumatic injuries, Priority Surgical ensures prompt evaluation for all common workplace health issues. This breadth of coverage means you have a one-stop solution for surgical consultations across injuries big and small.
Seamless, Coordinated Care
Priority Surgical integrates smoothly with your overall injury management and wellness programs. Our team handles the logistics and communication – from referral to follow-up – ensuring the process is hassle-free for you and your employee. We work alongside your on-site physiotherapy services and other providers so that everyone is informed of the plan. This team-based approach means, for example, your physio and the surgeon can align on whether to push rehab or prepare for surgery, creating a cohesive treatment strategy.
Healthier Workers. Smoother Claims. Stronger Workplace.
Each of these benefits contributes to a healthier, more productive workforce and a smoother claims process. By resolving surgical questions quickly, you keep your employees engaged in their recovery and avoid the stagnation that so often plagues WorkCover cases.
Contact us
Cut Through the Wait.
Get Expert Surgical Advice Fast.
Learn how Priority Surgical can accelerate your injury management, improve outcomes, and get your valued workers back to health and work faster. Let us help you bypass the delays – because when it comes to your team’s health, time is of the essence.