Project Results

Maximizing Outcomes in the Federal WC System (FECA) Through Integrated Case Management
Lead Agency: Georgetown University
Grant Amount: $481,104
Time Frame: 05/01/98 to 04/30/02
Contact:

Michael Feuerstein, PhD, ABPP Professor
Departments of Medical and Clinical Psychology and Preventive Medicine and Biometrics
Uniformed Services University of the Health Scienc
4301 Jones Bridge Road
Bethesda, MD 20814-4799
Phone: 301-295-9677
Fax:
Email: mfeuerstein@usuhs.mil

Please note that the above Contact Information was accurate as of May 2002

Public Policy Goal:

To determine whether a new form of "integrated case management" promotes better outcomes among injured federal workers.

Project Objective:

To enhance case management within the federal workforce; introduce initial measures for managing care for federal workers; and test an innovative approach for incorporating worksite hazard prevention with the medical care experience.

Project Description:

This project examined the effects of an integrated case management approach that addressed multiple factors affecting health and disability outcomes in a workers' compensation system. This was compared to the case management model in place in the Federal Workers' Compensation System. This proposal represents the first controlled investigation of case management within a workers' compensation system. It was performed by Georgetown University in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Workers' Compensation Programs.

Key Findings or Accomplishments:

Overall, this project demonstrated the potential benefits of expanding and improving care management processes for federal workers covered by FECA.

Major findings of the study included:

  1. Case management practices can be enhanced by a new integrative approach taught in a relatively brief training program developed by Georgetown University.
  2. Case managers with this training were more likely to make recommendations for modifications in the worksite (such as improvements in seating posture, modification of workspace, use of accessories or lifting/carrying aids, etc.) than were case managers who had not had this training.
  3. A tool developed by this study, "the Self-reported Measure of Ergonomic Exposure", was positively correlated with the number of accommodations recommended and implemented. This suggests that the use of this brief assessment tool may serve to prompt case managers of the presence of ergonomic stressors as perceived by the worker.
  4. Those receiving the new case management programs reported higher levels of patient satisfaction.

Tools Developed:

Reports and Publications:

PDF Icon Shaw, William S, Feuerstein, Michael, Lincoln, Andrew E, Miller, Virginia I, Wood, Patricia M. Case Management Services for Work Related Upper Extremity Disorders: Integrating Workplace Accommodation and Problem Solving" AAOHN Journal, August 2001, Vol. 49(8), 378-389.

PDF Icon  Lincoln, Andrew E, Feuerstein, Michael, Shaw, William, Miller, Virginia I. "Impact of Case Manager Training on Worksite Accommodations in Workers' Compensation Claimants with Upper Extremity Disorders." Journal of Occupational Medicine 44, no. 3 (2002).

PDF Icon  Feuerstein, Michael, Grant D. Huang, William S. Shaw. "Responding to the Shifting Managed Care Environment in Workers' Compensation."

Presentations:

Michael Feuerstein, PhD, "Maximizing Outcomes in the Federal Workers' Compensation System through Integrated Case Management," National Academy of Social Insurance, January 24-25, 2001, Washington, DC.

Future Plans:

Additional analysis continues on clinical outcomes, healthcare patterns and costs.