December 1, 1999

Work Loss Data Institute announces publication of the 5th Anniversary Edition of Official Disability Guidelines, an annually updated reference on disability durations. New this year, ODG 2000 contains Benchmark Workers' Compensation Indemnity Costs for every workplace occurrence. The costs presented provide data needed to quantify potential savings from efforts to improve employee Return-To-Work, including use of ODG's standardized disability duration guidelines.

Official Disability Guidelines is used by employers, insurers, case managers and physicians for U.S. Government documented return-to-work "norms" for every illness or injury. "The value of using established, consistent and common guidelines in determining return-to-work cannot be overstated," says Philip L. Denniston, Jr., Editor-In-Chief. "Many organizations have saved considerable time, money and manpower by adopting Official Disability Guidelines as the standard throughout their organization".

The initial ODG data base was created by linking U.S. Federal Government data reported from OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), CDC (Center for Disease Control) and NHDS (National Hospital Discharge Survey) with the worldwide ICD-9 coding system, resulting in the largest experience data base available - over 3,000,000 cases. Subsequently, Work-Loss Data Institute established an Editorial Advisory Board consisting of medical directors from some of the largest employers in the country, and "Best Practice" Guidelines were added. Each year, ODG editorial board members review and assess the most recently reported government data in conjunction with their own field experience. Their consensus forms the basis of the "Best Practice" Guidelines. The guidelines consider the demands of the job and the type of therapy and recommend reasonable and attainable return-to-work goals in an optimally managed environment.

Other enhancements to the ODG data base include Physical Therapy Guidelines, indicating recommended frequencies and durations; an extensive Keyword Index facilitating easy look up of any disease, procedure, injury or condition; and, new this year, the Benchmark Workers' Compensation Indemnity Costs, including direct plus indirect average costs, for every workplace occurrence.