February 5, 2009 – Encinitas, CA – Work Loss Data Institute (WLDI) announces the release of the 2009 ODG product line, including the 14^th annual edition of Official Disability Guidelines and the 7^th annual edition of ODG Treatment in Workers’ Comp.

While the online versions of ODG are updated quarterly, the book sets, which total over four thousand pages, are published annually with treatment guideline updates that include the most current evidence-based procedure summaries and references, and duration guideline updates resulting from the newest lost time data gathered from the CDC, OSHA and actual workers’ compensation carriers.

Two brand new additions to the 2009 edition of ODG Treatment are particularly of note: A Pulmonary chapter, and the ODG Drug Formulary. The Pulmonary chapter, covering the treatment of illnesses and injuries pertaining to the lungs, is the first pulmonary guideline of its kind in workers’ comp.

The ODG Drug Formulary provides a listing of the different medications used in workers’ compensation cases, in a table format that clearly identifies whether or not a drug is recommended as a first-line treatment in ODG. This formulary, which was first released in the online version of ODG Treatment in December 2008, is already being used successfully by treatment administrators to find out if a medication is recommended or not recommended based on the evidence.

With its rigorous and ongoing update schedule based on strict principles of evidence-based methodology, including the annual release and publication of new editions, the ODG product line remains the industry leader in disability duration and medical treatment guidelines for workers’ compensation and non-occupational disability cases.

Unlike other guidelines currently available for workers’ comp, ODG provides links from each recommendation to references of the supporting medical evidence, so it can be consulted and quoted directly. ODG is also unique in the sense that it is both comprehensive and multidisciplinary in scope, covering conditions both acute and chronic, including virtually every therapy commonly used in workers’ comp, and representative of each of the various medical specialties active in the system.

Evidence-based, independent and easy to use, the complete 2009 ODG Treatment in Workers’ Comp is available for $325 on the Web or in textbook format, with multi-user discounts available. Official Disability Guidelines 2009 (without the treatment guides) is available alone at the cost of $195. Raw data files for benchmarking or integration with internal software applications are also available. Contact WLDI for licensing fees.

For more information, go to www.worklossdata.com or contact Work Loss Data Institute, publisher of the ODG product line. WLDI is an independent database development company focused on workplace health and productivity, based in Encinitas, CA.