State workers’ compensation coding and billing rules believed to be in need of an overhaul have captured the attention of occupational medicine physicians. An American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) committee has put the wheels in motion to introduce alternative coding and billing ground rules that state workers’ compensation systems and/or insurance carriers could apply to certain evaluation and management (E&M) codes—a subset of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT® American Medical Association) codes.

It began with papers filed at the Sudbury, MA, Town Hall in September 1985 and ended—my proprietorship that is—in May 2016, with the sale of the company to two respected colleagues.

What will the field of occupational health look like 10 years down the road? Industry veterans are trying hard to unravel some of the most vexing unknowns so providers and managers can steer their ships to success.