Updated Study Shows Long-Term Use of ODG Reduced Days Lost per Employee from 7.4 to 5.2

  May 27, 2010 –The May 2010 issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine reports on long-term outcomes from implementation of a disability management program at Shell Oil Company using the Medgate software along with Official Disability Guidelines (ODG).

  According to the study, under the Shell Disability Management Program, case managers used Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) to set targets for an employee’s return to work, which the authors say has resulted in more objective and consistent expectations for an employee’s length of absence. The results showed that even small changes in median duration of absence can lead to significant days gained if the ICD diagnostic category according to ODG is a frequent reason for absence.

  Between 2002 and 2008, absence episodes/100 employees decreased from 37.4 to 25.7 among hourly workers. Days lost per employee decreased from 7.4 to 5.2. Transitional duty according to ODG recommendation for “Capabilities & Activity Modifications for Restricted Work,” resulted in 6042 days saved in 2006 and 11,438 days in 2008, with direct cost savings of more than $4.1 million from 2006 to 2008.

  The Shell Disability Management Program emphasizes absence tracking, timely return-to-work, and facilitation of Transitional duty. Absenteeism decreased significantly after Disability Management Program implementation, particularly among hourly employees, with an estimated 2.4:1 return-on-investment.

  A complete copy of the study is available online from the publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins at www.joem.org.  Go to Current Issue (May 2010), page 544, “The Shell Disability Management Program: A Five-Year Evaluation of the Impact on Absenteeism and Return-on-Investment.” It is also available on Medline. (Wendt, 2010)

About the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine:
The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM) is the official journal of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).  Edited to serve as a guide for physicians, nurses, and researchers, the clinically oriented research articles are an excellent source for new ideas, concepts, techniques, and procedures that can be readily applied in the industrial or commercial employment setting.  ACOEM members can access content published in JOEM by logging on at the ACOEM website www.acoem.org.

About Medgate:
Medgate Inc. is one of the premier developers of Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) software solutions and professional services.  According to Medgate literature, "Medgate’s Case Management Module allows companies to record and track for both occupational and non-occupational injuries and illnesses. The module interfaces with Work Loss Data Institute’s Official Disability Guidelines (ODG). These evidence-based guidelines are a valuable reference tool for determining appropriate absence lengths for various illnesses and injuries. The guidelines show Return To Work Best Practice Guidelines, helping to provide a framework for facilitating timely return-to-work."  More information is available at www.medgate.com.

About Official Disability Guidelines:
Evidence-based, independent and easy to use, the complete ODG Treatment in Workers’ Comp is available for $325 on the Web or in textbook format, with multi-user discounts available.  The Official Disability Guidelines (without the treatment guidelines) is available alone at the cost of $195.  Raw data files for integration with internal software applications or for computer-automated benchmarking are also available.  Contact WLDI regarding licensing fees.  For more information, go to www.worklossdata.com or contact Work Loss Data Institute (WLDI), publisher of the ODG product line. WLDI is an independent database development company focused on workplace health and productivity, based in Encinitas, CA. 

www.worklossdata.com

Wendt JK, Tsai SP, Bhojani FA, Cameron DL. The Shell Disability Management Program: a five-year evaluation of the impact on absenteeism and return-on-investment. J Occup Environ Med. 2010 May;52(5):544-50.

Shell Health Americas, Shell Oil Company, Houston, TX 77252-2463, USA. judy.wendt@shell.com

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the Shell Disability Management Program (DMP) on U.S. manufacturing employee absenteeism. METHODS: We estimated absence episodes and days lost per employee from 2004 to 2008 compared to pre-program values in 2002, and productivity gains from transitional duty (TD). RESULTS: Between 2002 and 2008, absence episodes/100 employees decreased from 37.4 to 25.7 among hourly workers but increased from 9.7 to 13.1 among staff employees. Days lost per employee decreased from 7.4 to 5.2 for hourly employees and were virtually unchanged for staff employees. TD resulted in 6042 days saved in 2006 and 11,438 days in 2008, with direct cost savings of more than $4.1 million from 2006 to 2008. CONCLUSIONS: The Shell DMP emphasizes absence tracking, timely return-to-work, and facilitation of TD. Absenteeism decreased significantly after DMP implementation, particularly among hourly employees, with an estimated 2.4:1 return-on-investment.