Queensland WorkCover Documentation for Allied Health Practitioners
WorkCover Queensland operates a pre-approved consultations + Provider Management Plan model for allied health treatment. This guide covers what fits inside the pre-approved sessions, when a Provider Management Plan (PMP / Form 32) is required, and the documentation that supports approval.
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Summary
WorkCover Queensland funds an initial block of pre-approved consultations for most allied health professions. Treatment beyond the pre-approved cap requires a Provider Management Plan (PMP) — Form 32 — submitted via Provider Connect. As of 1 August 2025, pre-approved consultations were reduced from 6 to 5 across most allied health discipline tables (mental health is treated separately). Confirm the current cap for your profession in the WorkSafe Queensland fees and tables before relying on a specific number. This guide details Queensland's expectations for assessment, progress reporting, and discharge documentation.
The Provider Management Plan (PMP / Form 32)
When treatment beyond the pre-approved consultations is clinically required, the practitioner submits a Provider Management Plan via the Provider Connect online portal. WorkCover responds within 5 business days; the plan may be approved, partially approved, or rejected. The PMP typically includes:
- Diagnosis and clinical reasoning.
- Functional impact on work tasks.
- Proposed treatment (modality, sessions, frequency).
- Goals — clinical and return-to-work.
- Expected end date.
For psychological injuries, additional documentation around DSM-aligned diagnosis and risk assessment is expected.
Initial assessment documentation
The initial assessment must capture:
- Mechanism of injury and date.
- Current pain / symptom profile (with validated outcome measures where available).
- Pre-injury work demands.
- Activity tolerance — measured.
- Psychosocial factors (yellow flags) — fear-avoidance, return-to-work confidence, employer relationship.
- Goals tied to function and return-to-work.
Progress report content
Progress reports are required at the end of each approved block and on request:
- Sessions delivered with date and focus.
- Re-administered outcome measures (compared to baseline).
- Functional changes (hours of work, task tolerance, activity capacity).
- Communication with treating doctor and employer.
- Plan for next block (if extension requested).
Stay at Work / Return to Work expectations
WorkCover Queensland's framing emphasises that work itself is therapeutic. Documentation that argues for keeping a worker off the job entirely is scrutinised more heavily than documentation that supports graduated return-to-work duties. Practitioners are expected to:
- Identify suitable duties the worker can perform now.
- Communicate with the employer about graduated return-to-work plans.
- Document the return-to-work milestones achieved.
Common audit triggers
- High volume of services without correspondingly strong outcome data.
- Sessions billed beyond the pre-approved cap without a current PMP approval.
- Diagnosis changes mid-treatment without supporting clinical reasoning.
- Multiple practitioners in the same discipline treating the same worker concurrently.
Discharge documentation
Discharge notes must record:
- Final functional status compared to baseline.
- Return-to-work outcome (full duties, suitable duties, not yet returned).
- Any ongoing self-management plan.
- Recommendations for the treating doctor or employer.
Related reading
How we review this guide
Library guides reference original Australian source authorities — not secondary commentary — and are updated when source material changes. Each guide cites the regulator, item descriptor, or governing standard it draws from so you can verify it directly.
- Sources checked
- WorkCover & TAC documentation standards
- Review cadence
- Reviewed annually and whenever a cited source authority publishes a material change. Last reviewed .
- Not advice
- Reference content for Australian practitioners and education staff. Not legal, clinical, or billing advice — verify against your governing body and current source documents.
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