Best practices cut workers’ comp costs
Best practices cut workers’ comp costs
Washington program provides resources
A pilot project to determine if using occupa-tional medicine best practices results in injured workers recovering and getting back to work more quickly has saved employers in the state of Washington almost $6 million in a single year.
The savings in workers’ compensation insurance claim costs came from a state-funded program in Renton, WA, that assists health care providers in treating workers who were injured on the job. Injured workers treated by physicians enrolled in the Center of Occupational Health and Education (COHE) at Valley Medical Center in Renton recovered more quickly, went on disability less frequently, and averaged $585 in lower claim costs, according to a study released in July by the University of Washington (UW).
As part of the program, participating providers enrolled in the COHE are paid additional money for such things as prompt reporting of injuries and providing timely advice to workers and their employers on work restrictions that will assist the recovery and prevent reinjury.
The Renton program began in 2002, serving as an educational and consulting resource for physicians who treat injured workers but who do not specialize in occupational health and medicine. A second program opened in Spokane a year later. Results from that center will be available in 2006.
The Washington Department of Labor and Industries established the two centers as sources of expertise in the treatment of back sprains, carpal tunnel syndrome, fractures, and sprains. The centers emphasize prompt reporting of injuries; accurate diagnosis; improved communication among physicians, employers, and workers; and timely and appropriate treatment.
"COHE patients were less likely to incur time loss and also less likely to incur long-term disability," concludes the report.
The COHE treated approximately 10,000 workers during the evaluation year. The study of the Renton center was conducted by the UW’s School of Public Health and Community Medicine under the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences in the Occupational Epidemiology and Health Outcomes Program. The study compared the outcomes of more than 42,000 workplace-injury claims filed in a year, measuring the duration of disability and the amount of money paid out in wage replacement and medical costs.
In early 2005, the state legislature approved an additional $805,000 to increase training and expand the number of doctors served. The Spokane Center for Occupational Health and Education, which now covers three Eastern Washington counties, will be expanded to encompass 16 counties east of the Cascade Mountains. The Renton program will be extended with a continued focus on improving communication among providers, employers, and workers.
For information on COHE, contact the St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute in Spokan at (509) 473-6784, or e-mail: [email protected].
Washington program provides resources A pilot project to determine if using occupa-tional medicine best practices results in injured workers recovering and getting back to work more quickly has saved employers in the state of Washington almost $6 million in a single year.Subscribe Now for Access
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