Project Results

Public Policy Goal:

To develop a community-based coalition representing diverse stakeholders to collaboratively find ways of improving the quality and costs of workers' compensation medical care

Project Objective(s):

To demonstrate to major employers and the larger employer community the value in terms of cost savings and employee satisfaction of collaboration and close communication with the medical provider component of workers' injuries and proactive management of early return to work policies. Specifically:

1. To demonstrate the effectiveness and value of a collaborative employer-provider communication model in facilitating timely exchange of essential information between employer and provider in workers' compensation injury cases
2. To demonstrate the effectiveness and value of a single uniform workability report form to employers and physicians in reporting information on workers' compensation injuries
3. To determine the extent to which physicians would comply with the use of the uniform workability report form and recommended medical practice guidelines developed as a part of this project
4. To determine the extent to which communications between employer and physician would promote early return to work and use of modified duty arrangements
5. To determine the degree to which employers would monitor and use the information provided to them through the project reporting system.

Project Description:

This project brought together 30 major regional and national employers headquartered in Kansas City to work collaboratively with leading medical providers, occupational health services and the medical society to improve workers' compensation medical management and facilitate early return to work.

Key Findings or Accomplishments:

Major findings of the study include:

1. It is possible for employers and physicians to significantly improve the timeliness of the communication process concerning the health status of the employee. (In about 67% of the medical visits tracked in the study, the physician reported back to the employer the status of the injured worker within 24 hours, the average time from provider visit to employer information about the visit was 16 hours)
2. Involvement of employers, medical providers, and health systems, with active participation and support of workers and labor organizations is crucial to the success of a community based coalition effort such as this
3. The "Uniform Workability Report Form" designed by this project was well received by physicians and employers. Physicians have indicated that the form saves them time and the Metropolitan Medical Society has endorsed the form and recommended its use
4. The project demonstrated that physicians are receptive to Medical Practice Guidelines if they are introduced by their peers
5. Due to the low response rate from employees and supervisors, the study was inconclusive about the relationship between modified duty and other return to work and employer/employee satisfaction.
6. Employers found the information useful that was collected and provided to them. They especially liked the selective "benchmarks" provided by this project.

Tools Developed:

• Benchmarks for employers
• Uniform Workability Report Form

Reports and Publications:

Final Grant Report- Evaluation Component- Cooperative Employer-Provider Medical Management and Early Return to Work in Workers' Compensation

Barkman, William H., MD, MSPH.  "Medical Practice Guidelines for Management of Five Categories of Workers' Compensation Injuries." Kansas City, MO: Solis Printing, 1997.

Brady, Patrick.  "Demonstration Project on the Collaborative Approach to Managing the Medical Component of Workers' Compensation." The IAIABC Journal 34, no. 2 (1997): 22-34.

Cosens, Ronald. "MACHC Project Takes Collaborative Approach to Solving Workers Compensation Problem." The Greater Kansas City Medical Bulletin 23, no. August 1997 (1997).

Jacobi, Bob, Jr. "LMC Works with Workers' Compensation Project." The Leader 1, no. 1:4 (1991).

Future Plans:

The participating hospitals were so please with the "Benchmarking" portion of the project, nine of them have decided to continue the project, on a fee basis, for an additional year. Project participants generally agreed that the idea of promoting the use of the Uniform Workability Form as a standard for the metropolitan area was very appropriate. It was agreed that it would save physicians considerable time because of familiarity with the form as compared to the hundreds of different forms currently in use by employers, third party administrators and insurers.