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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Health services research in workers' compensation medical care: policy issues and research opportunities.

OBJECTIVE: To describe some of the unique aspects of medical care offered under workers' compensation insurance systems and discuss the major policy considerations relevant to health services researchers undertaking investigations in this area. BACKGROUND AND FINDINGS: State-based workers' compensation (WC) insurance systems requiring employers to pay for medical care and wage replacement for workplace injuries and illnesses were first developed between 1910 and 1920 in the United States. Employers are generally required to purchase state-regulated workers' compensation insurance that includes first-dollar payment for all medical and rehabilitative services and payment of lost wages to workers with work-related illness or injury. Injured workers have variable but usually limited latitude in choosing their health care provider. Employers and workers' compensation insurers have incentives for controlling both the cost of medical care and lost wages. CONCLUSION: The major policy issues in WC medical care--the effect of patient choice of provider and delivery system structure, the ensuring of high-quality care, the effect of integrating benefits, and investigation of the interrelationships between work, health, and productivity--can be informed by current studies in health services research and by targeted future studies of workers' compensation populations. These studies must consider the extent of patient choice of physician, the regulatory environment, the unique role of the workplace as a risk and modifying factor, and the complex interaction between health and disability insurance benefits.

Health Benefit Plans, Employee↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Health care management in workers' compensation.

A high-performing, effective health care delivery system is critical to the recovery of injured workers within a workers' compensation insurance system. Timely and effective health care has the potential to minimize indemnity costs and therefore contribute to the insurer's financial state. While costs remain a concern to insurers, cost-containment initiatives within the health care arena have evolved from a strict "deep discount" approach to more sophisticated health care strategies that follow managed care-style models. In the future, health care strategies are likely to become more integrated within the business operations of workers' compensation insurance systems. The next evolution of health care strategy within workers' compensation will likely include consensus-based contracts with providers that stipulate the role and function of each party while reinforcing a continuous improvement mindset. It is probable that a component of this evolving system will include shared risk and reimbursement that is based on performance. Insurers who begin to evaluate the true impact of a comprehensive health care strategy will find it necessary and advantageous to modify their business relationship with health care providers. Those who are able to articulate a business strategy that capitalizes on the skills of the health care community are likely to gain a competitive advantage. Most importantly, this bridging of intellectual capacity across the insurance and health care domains will result in a delivery system that is valued by, and contributes to, its key participants--the employers and the injured workers.

Canada↗
PubMed2002

Use of a prevention index to identify industries at high risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, back, and upper extremity in Washington state, 1990-1998.

BACKGROUND: The prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome and low back disorders has been a focus of international prevention efforts including regulation. This study examines workers compensation claims in Washington State to provide baseline data from which to assess the need and the effects of prevention activities. METHODS: Washington State Fund workers compensation claims for general and selected specific hand/wrist, elbow, shoulder, and back disorders in 1990-1998 as well as general self-insured compensable (four or more lost workdays) claims data were examined. Payroll hours were used to calculate claims incidence rates per 10,000 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). We created a prevention index (PI) to rank industries by averaging the ranks of their number of claims and their claims incidence rate. The focus was on non-traumatic soft tissue musculoskeletal disorders (NTST-MSDs). RESULTS: Between 1990-1998, there were 392,925 State Fund accepted claims for NTST-MSDs of the neck, back, and upper extremity resulting in $2.6 billion in direct costs and 20.5 million lost workdays. The average claims incidence rate (CIR) was 355 NTST-MSDs per 10,000 FTEs. The NTST-MSD CIR decreased significantly less than that for all other claims (P = 0.05) but the CIR for upper extremity NTST-MSDs did not significantly decrease over the study period. There were no significant changes in the CIRs for sciatica (4.9 per 10,000 FTEs) and rotator cuff syndrome (15.3 per 10,000 FTEs), whereas the CIR for epicondylitis (10.6 per 10,000 FTEs) increased and for carpal tunnel syndrome (24.5 per 10,000 FTEs) decreased significantly over the study period. Based on the prevention index, the top five industries for combined State Fund and Self-Insured Compensable NTST-MSDs were Trucking and Courier Services (SIC 421), Nursing Homes (SIC 805), Masonry (SIC 174), Air Transportation (SIC 451), and Residential Construction (SIC 152). Using Washington Industrial Classes (WIC), temporary workers in assembly and administrative services were also high on the prevention index. CONCLUSIONS: NTST-MSDs continue to be a large and costly problem in Washington State. While the incidence rates for some NTST-MSDs are decreasing, the overall rate is not decreasing as fast as the rate for all other claims. In some cases, the rate is stable (sciatica, rotator cuff syndrome) or increasing (epicondylitis). Heavy manual handling and repetitive work characterize the industries with the highest risk.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Why is the treatment of work-related injuries so costly? New evidence from California.

There is growing evidence that workers' compensation insurers are charged substantially more than health insurers for the treatment of similar injuries. The first study of the problem, conducted in Minnesota in 1987, found that both overutilization of services and price discrimination contributed to the charge differential. This article applies the Minnesota model to 1991-1993 data on health care charges and payments from California. Approximately 13,000 persons with work-related injuries are compared to approximately 3,600 persons with similar injuries that occurred off the job. Despite important differences in the populations and workers' compensation laws in California and Minnesota, workers' compensation insurers are charged more than health insurers for the treatment of similar injuries in both states. The difference in California's payments is attributable to using more health care providers and services to treat workers' compensation patients. The results do not support the hypothesis that work-related injuries cost more to treat because they are more severe than similar injuries occurring off the job.

Accidents, Occupational↗