- 4.1 fewer disability days per claim
- Disability costs were reduced by $347 per claim after subtracting program costs.
- Medical costs are reduced by $245 per claim.
- Net savings of $480 per claim in the first year (time-loss payments, medical and delivery costs).
- 20 percent reduction in the likelihood of one year disability.
- 30 percent reduction in disability claims for back injuries.
In one industrialized area near Seattle, 4,800 projected disability days per 1,000 workers were avoided by following best practices.
L&I has also undertaken projects to incentivize surgeons to expedite injured worker recovery and rehabilitation, and it is working on the development of an occupational health management tracking system as well as best practices for behavioral health and chronic pain management.
In Colorado, the state reports it experienced dramatic decreases in medical and disability costs following the adoption of workers’ compensation medical treatment guidelines emphasizing return to work and disability management. Results have remained consistent since the early 1990s. Clinicians are compensated for providing disability management care and patient education on return to function.
“We broadened compensation based on time years ago,” said Kathryn Mueller, M.D., M.P.H., medical director of the Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation. “An electronic medical record doesn’t allow for much narrative.”
Karen O’Hara is director of marketing and communications for WorkCare, Inc., a national occupational health services company. She is the former Senior Vice President of RYAN Associates and Editor-in-Chief of VISIONS.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
- CMS Evaluation and Management Services Guide.
- Centers of Occupational Health and Education: Washington Department of Labor & Industries: www.lni.wa.gov
- Colorado Department of Labor & Employment treatment guidelines: www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdle/
