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Chief Medical Officer and President of Dallas, Texas-based OccMD Group P.A. for more than 10 years, Melissa Tonn, MD, has over two decades of experience as a practicing physician. Board certified in occupational medicine and pain management, Dr. Melissa Tonn has worked as a medical director and consultant for a number of public and private agencies.

A longtime member of the American Medical Association and the Texas Medical Association, Melissa Tonn, MD, has maintained medical licensure in the State of Texas since 1987 and California since 1989. In 2008, Dr. Tonn was appointed to a four-year term on the District Review Committee for the Texas Medical Board by Governor Rick Perry, and previously served as President of the Texas College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Dr. Melissa Tonn has lectured before organizations and associations including the Texas Association of Occupational Health Nurses, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and the American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians. Dr. Tonn serves on the Editorial Board of the Work Loss Data Institute. She has published a number of articles, chapters, and essays on disability compensation, health care management, and occupational medicine.

Melissa Tonn, MD, earned a doctorate in medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 1986, where she was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Upon receipt of her medical degree, Dr. Tonn began a residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, which she concluded in 1987. In 1989, she completed an MBA with a concentration in Health Care Management and Finance at Rice University, where she had previously earned dual undergraduate degrees in Biology and Business Administration. Dr. Tonn also possesses a Master of Public Health from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
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Board-certified in occupational medicine, Melissa D. Tonn, MD, serves as chief medical officer and president of the OccMD Group, PA. An active member of her community, Melissa D. Tonn, MD, supports a number of charitable organizations, including Arms of Hope.

Based on the values of the Christian faith, Arms of Hope provides assistance to both children and families of single mothers across Texas. Through its Boles Children’s Home and Medina Children’s Home locations, the organization helps families overcome the challenges surrounding poverty. Since 2009, Arms of Hope has offered a number of programs to support a successful future for all clients.

Together Program
In this program, single mothers can cultivate both careers and parenting skills necessary to provide for themselves and their children. Along with faith-based activities, mothers receive access to housing and case management services. The Together Program also provides educational opportunities for children through the local public school system.

Family Outreach Program
Arms of Hope designed its Family Outreach Program to help inner-city families in need through a number of outreach centers. Families participate in several faith-based counseling and life skills sessions to pave the road for success. The organization also connects participants with a number of local nonprofits that can provide a wide range of life-building services.

Residential Child Care
This program serves families with children between the ages of 5 and 18, offering spiritual and physical guidance during times of conflict. Children receive a wide variety of services that cater to both their daily needs and their overall personal development. In addition, the child care program provides ongoing educational and career support to participating high school graduates.                            

A key member of the nonsubscription medical management firm OccMD in Texas and the District Review Committee for the Texas Medical Board, Melissa D. Tonn, MD, is well versed in the nuances of workers’ compensation laws. Through OccMD, Melissa D. Tonn, MD, pushed for the workers’ compensation legislation changes that took place in Oklahoma in May 2013.

Under the new measures in Oklahoma, businesses have the choice to opt out of workers’ compensation to provide equivalent benefits through outside firms. In addition to allowing businesses the freedom of choice, the overall cost of participation in the workers’ compensation system has been reduced.

For nonsubscription firms such as OccMD, which provide occupational health services without the administrative complexities of workers’ compensation, Oklahoma’s new law is opening the door to better health care with less bureaucracy.

Melissa D. Tonn, MD, serves the OccMD Group, PA, of Dallas as president and chief medical officer. She earned her MD from the University of Texas Health Science Center and her master of business administration and two bachelors of arts from Rice University.

OccMD assists businesses that choose not to participate in the traditional workers’ compensation system. Providers with the company employ a medical approach informed by the best available evidence-based guidelines and medical studies. OccMD’s thorough methods allow it to achieve better health outcomes by furnishing the proper interventions at the proper time. 

Many of the specialists affiliated with OccMD will not accept workers’ compensation patients, but they do accept OccMD nonsubscriber patients with occupational injuries. The affiliated specialists appreciate the efficiency with which the company manages its cases. For instance, OccMD ensures that providers get important information, such as medical records, before consultations. The company also strives to maintain timely and effective communication. Furthermore, specialists understand that the company expects evidence-based practice.

A condition affecting approximately 3 percent of Americans, carpal tunnel syndrome refers to pressure on the median nerve of the wrist. It is frequently seen in individuals who perform repetitive hand motions such as sewing, typing, driving, and painting. Typical symptoms include numbness, pain, weakness, and lack of coordination of the hand. Those with carpal tunnel syndrome may require medication or surgery to alleviate the problem.

Recently, doctors have noticed a correlation between fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel syndrome. An article published in the July edition of Archives of Medical Research discussed the results of a study that analyzed females with and without fibromyalgia. The results showed that those with the condition were seven times more likely to have carpal tunnel syndrome.

About the Author:

Based out of Texas, Melissa D. Tonn, MD, is board certified in occupational medicine and pain management. The President and Chief Medical Officer of OccMD Group P.A., Dr. Tonn has made presentations on carpal tunnel syndrome throughout her career.