January
18, 2007
TEXAS
ADOPTS ODG TREATMENT
Click
here for special TX Pricing. Click here
for an instructional on implementation of ODG Treatment in Texas.
Austin,
TX –
Texas’ workers’ compensation regulatory agency, the Texas Department
of Insurance (TDI) Division of Workers’ Comp (DWC), has chosen Work Loss
Data Institute’s Official Disability Guidelines – Treatment in
Workers Comp (ODG Treatment) as the standard for non-network medical
care administered for workers’ compensation claims statewide. Before
announcing the adoption, TDI conducted an extensive evaluation, reviewing
all the different guidelines available to improve outcomes in workers’
comp. Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation Albert Betts signed the
Texas rule on December 29, 2006 and the rule is applicable for health care
provided on or after May 1, 2007.
Adopting
ODG Treatment will enable the Texas Department of Insurance to ensure the
latest available medical evidence is used judiciously in making treatment
decisions to improve outcomes for workers injured on the job in Texas. In
addition, workers’ comp expenditures will remain focused on the goal of
recovery and the best utilization of the available medical services.
To
encourage its widespread use, TDI has also negotiated a substantial
discount on ODG Treatment for all healthcare providers operating in the
state’s work comp system. Due to the importance of ongoing updates,
online use is encouraged, with a discount of 50% to online subscribers.
The annual three-volume textbook set is available to Texas subscribers for
25% off the regular price. To receive the discount, Texas subscribers
should reference Texas when placing an order.
Texas
is the latest of several US States and Canadian Provinces to adopt ODG
Treatment, as the movement towards evidence-based medicine in workers’
comp gains ground. Most unique about the ODG approach is that links
are provided from each recommendation to summaries of the supporting
medical evidence, so it can be consulted and quoted directly. In
addition, ODG partakes in a rigorous and continual update process to add
new features and keep on top of the latest studies. Finally, ODG is
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.
According
to Phil Denniston, president of Work Loss Data Institute, "Among the
states that have decided to adopt workers’ comp guidelines statewide,
Texas has undergone one of the most rigorous and thorough reviews of the
guidelines available. For that reason, we are particularly proud to be
officially adopted by the state of Texas and TDI.
WLDI
looks forward to being part of the major workers’ compensation overhaul
in Texas, and we especially look forward to seeing improvements in the
system as a result of ODG Treatment use. The move should benefit injured
workers in Texas most, as the primary objective of ODG is improved patient
outcomes through the restoration of function."
“These
rules provide a framework to improve communications among injured
employees, health care providers, employers, insurance carriers, and the
Division,” Texas Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation Albert Betts
said. “Disability management is a process designed to optimize health
care and return-to-work for injured employees in order to avoid
unnecessarily delayed recovery.”
The
American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians (AADEP) has also
taken on a supporting role in the application of ODG, and has already
begun to provide training courses in Texas. Each course, offering CME
credit, provides an introduction to
evidenced-based medicine, an overview of ODG Treatment and a "walk
thru" with several case studies, to show how ODG can be utilized for
scientific and medical based resolution. The instructors are all
board certified medically trained physicians, and they have extensive
training in occupational medicine, family medicine, and other primary care
specialties, as well as extensive experience in musculoskeletal disorders,
and they are all in the active practice of medicine. AADEP has no
financial interest in ODG or Work Loss Data Institute.
Evidence-based, independent and easy to use, the
complete ODG
Treatment in Workers’ Comp is available for $325 (regular price – reference TX for discount) on
the Web or in textbook format, with multi-user discounts available. 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.
