Evidence-Based
Medicine Breaks New Ground With Launch of ODG Treatment in W/C
Work Loss Data Institute | 06/02/2003
SAN
DIEGO, CA – Work Loss Data Institute (WLDI) has just released the inaugural
edition of ODG Treatment in Workers’ Comp, a groundbreaking resource
for the evaluation and treatment of occupational ailments.
What sets this protocol apart from the multitude of both commercial and
non-profit treatment guidelines of times past is the way in which WLDI has
electronically linked each recommendation regarding appropriate treatment
directly into the medical evidence on which it’s based, in what is known as
the “Procedure Summary”. This
highly functional product boasts a unique layout, dividing each chapter into
three sections.
The
first, known as the Treatment Protocol, provides the ideal divergence pathways
for clinically administering healthcare based on diagnosis or body part.
Cases branch throughout the protocol based on key indicators, like
positive electro-diagnostic testing as a prerequisite for carpal tunnel release
surgery. At each endpoint,
normative expectancies for disability duration are provided from Official
Disability Guidelines, included in its entirety as part of the online
package, making the Web version an integrated strongbox for both disability
duration and treatment protocols.
Section
two, known as Codes for Automated Approval, links procedure codes (CPT) to
diagnosis codes (ICD9) with a field indicator for “maximum occurrences”,
designed not only for manual review, but claims system downloads for the
automatic administration of payment approval.
Section
three, the Procedure Summary, lists operative and non-operative therapies and
diagnostic methods for each condition, and provides a summary of the latest
evidence on their effectiveness from the highest quality medical studies
available. The studies supporting these summaries are referenced and
hyper-linked into abstracts, so they can be consulted directly, and if
necessary, copied & pasted into a claims report. Each is ranked by WLDI based on methodology, statistical
power and design flaws. Summarized
here, many of the expensive procedures often performed in workers’ comp are
not supported by the evidence, and in some cases, proven to be harmful.
Charles
W. Kennedy, MD, Senior Medical Editor of ODG Treatment in Workers’ Comp
and a founding member of the Evidence Analysis
Committee for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) remarks,
“Clinically speaking, the Procedure Summary absolutely breaks new ground, and
the Treatment Protocol comes in a close second, but in a hobbled economy, Codes
for Auto-Approval may be the gold ring workers’ compensation payors have been
seeking, providing the means for achieving dramatic savings in time and
money.”
This
clear, concise, evidence-based resource offers step-by-step decision protocols
and scientific medical literature for the assessment and treatment of conditions
seen in the workers’ comp arena. For
use by healthcare providers, insurance claims professionals, and state
authorities, ODG/TWC responsibly takes evidence-based medicine to its
logical endpoint: health and welfare. In
what many believe to be a hodgepodge of state workers’ comp systems on the
brink of collapse due to excessive utilization and delayed recovery, this tool
has tremendous value for the future of healthcare, improved outcomes, patient
satisfaction and increased productivity.
*
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ODG Treatment in
Workers’ Comp is
available in Web-based (recommended) and textbook formats, each for $325, with
quantity discounts available, and CD-ROMs by request. Orders can be placed online here,
or at 760-753-9992.
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