January 30, 2012

10^th Anniversary Edition of ODG Treatment Released, with new Diabetes Guidelines

Encinitas, CA - Work Loss Data Institute’s announces the release of the 17^th annual edition of Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) and the 10^th Anniversary edition of ODG Treatment, the nationally recognized, multi-disciplinary standard for evidence-based medicine in determining scope and duration of medical treatment in workers’ compensation. Treatment recommendations in ODG are based on the most current research with direct links to the supporting evidence.  ODG is unique in integrating recommended treatment options with reported return-to-work best practice pathways, clearly reflecting the impact today’s science has on outcomes and return to functionality. 

New to ODG Treatment is the inclusion of a Diabetes Chapter, which addresses a growing medical issue in the United States. While diabetes is not directly a workers’ comp condition, it is a condition that can have a serious impact on the recovery rate of injured employees. The inclusion of the Diabetes Chapter is a first step towards extending the reach of ODG beyond Workers’ Comp and into Group Health.

Recognizing that hospital costs represent a large and rising percentage of workers’ comp medical costs, detailed cost and Hospital Length of Stay (LOS) information is provided to help ensure that those costs are managed effectively. LOS and actual reported cost data are included within the Procedure Summary of each body part chapter in the medical treatment guidelines. The data is cross-referenced under each surgery that might require an overnight hospital stay, along with the ODG patient selection criteria for that surgery.

Concurrent with the announcement of the updated 2012 editions of ODG is the launch of ODG Mobile Pro, a new mobile app to further advance the penetration of evidence-based medicine (EBM) at the point of care, not just on the back-end through UR.

Work Loss Data Institute is an independent database development company focused on workplace health and productivity based in Encinitas, California.  The Official Disability Guidelines product line provides evidence-based medical treatment and disability duration guidelines to improve as well as benchmark outcomes in workers’ comp and non-occupational disability. ODG is available in Web-based, textbook and Systems Integration and our new Mobile App format. ODG is used in all 50 states and worldwide. For more information, visit www.worklossdata.com or contact Work Loss Data Institute at 800-488-5548.