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Six studies: what does and doesn't work to improve claims outcomes


Recently, there has been a plethora of studies related to claim outcomes in workers' comp and group health, several with surprising conclusions. Here are six of them:



Workers' Compensation Medical Prices and Outcomes of Injured Workers - Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI)

Study: This study addresses a long-standing policy debate about the role of workers' compensation prices in outcomes of injured workers; specifically, what happens to outcomes of injured workers when prices increase or decrease. Survey data covered workers' experiences across 14 states, and claims data provided information from across 30 states. It focused on the pricing of common office visits, which affect most injured workers, rather than specialty medical treatment prices that wouldn't apply to all injured workers.

When examining the link between workers' compensation prices and outcomes, the study focused on five specific outcomes:

Findings: There is a strong link between workers' compensation prices and the first two outcomes - access to care and nature of medical care. For example, when workers' compensation prices were relatively higher, workers were significantly more likely to receive physical therapy within the first six weeks of being injured and went to more office visits for evaluation and management services.

However, this did not have much of an impact on the last three outcomes. "While prices are related to measures of access to medical care and the nature of medical care provided, changes in these measures when prices increase are not material enough to result in improved recovery and faster return to work," according to the report.

Takeaway: Factors other than price are important in shaping different outcomes. "Future studies may need to focus on other system features that may explain large differences in outcomes across states."



Health Insurance and Outcomes of Injured Workers - WCRI

Study: The study provides new empirical evidence about workers with health insurance and what that means for workers after a work-related injury. Researchers surveyed injured workers in 15 states.

Findings: Injured workers with health benefits showed a 2.5% higher return-to-work and returned to substantial work on average one week faster than workers without health insurance. They received evaluation and management services more quickly, had higher rates of satisfaction with primary providers, and had lower rates of hiring an attorney for comp claims. However, there was little difference in the likelihood of workers reporting problems obtaining medical services, or in the kind of care received.

Takeaway: Workers' comp historically was in one silo, with health programs in another. If you are still organized in traditional silos, it's time to change. Smart companies have adopted a holistic approach to employee health to drive down costs, improve productivity, boost the bottom line, and help employees enjoy better health.



Effectiveness of a no-cost-to-workers, slip-resistant footwear program for reducing slipping-related injuries in food service workers: a cluster randomized trial - Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health

Study: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a no-cost-to-workers, slip-resistant footwear (SRF) program in preventing workers' compensation injury claims caused by slipping on wet or greasy floors.Laboratory tests have shown that slip-resistant shoes designed with a special tread helped prevent slipping, but studies in actual workplaces were lacking. The study population was a dynamic cohort of food service workers from 226 school districts' kindergarten through 12th-grade food service operations.

Findings: Food services operations where workers received free highly slip-resistant shoes showed a large reduction in workers' compensation claims for slip injuries compared to food service operations where workers did not receive the shoes. School districts filed 67% fewer claims for slip injuries after being provided the slip-resistant shoes, compared to no reduction in claims for slip injuries at the school districts that did not receive the shoes.

Takeaway: Slips, trips, and falls are the third-leading cause of U.S. non-fatal work-related injuries involving days away from work across all industries. Almost 80% of these injuries are on the same level, and these injuries are estimated to cost nearly $13 billion in direct workers' compensation-related costs annually. These results show that providing highly rated slip-resistant shoes can help reduce claims for slip injuries.



Opioids, Pain and Absence: The Productivity Implications of Substance Abuse Among US Workers - Integrated Benefits Institute

Study: The Oakland, CA-based research organization surveyed by phone 84,579 American workers over 18 years old between 2015 and 2017, with 74% of them reporting to be working full-time. The goal of the study was to examine productivity and days missed from work due to prescription drug use among workers.

Findings:

Takeaway: Managing pain is a major challenge in workers' comp. The numbers are alarmingly high, suggesting a continued problem of over-prescribing and a workforce grappling with pain issues. Although a small percentage reported abuse of pain relievers or dependence, experts postulate that "problematic behaviors" such as addiction and dependence are likely to follow. Employers should be proactive in educating employees on the risk factors and nonpharmacologic approaches to pain and work with occupational medicine providers to help their employees prevent pain management from becoming abuse and improve productivity.



Association of Opioid, Anti-depressant, and Benzodiazepines with Workers' Compensation Cost: A Cohort Study - Accident Fund (AF) Group

Study: This analysis evaluated the impact of benzodiazepines and antidepressants in combination with opioids on workers' compensation claim cost and closure rates.

Findings: Concurrent treatment of chronic pain, depression, and/or anxiety and occupational injuries is associated with large increases in total workers' compensation claim cost and delayed return to work. The slowest claim closure rate occurred among workers with prescriptions for all three types of medications (58.3%), followed by claims with both opioid and antidepressant (64.8%) prescriptions. The group without any medications had the highest closure rate (91.8%), followed by the group with only opioid (89.1%) prescriptions.

Even when controlling for age, chronic pain, medical complexity, and claim development (years), antidepressant claims, to a greater degree, were more likely to remain open at the end of the three-year study period.

Takeaway: The presence of anti-depressant medications on a claim is an indicator of a potentially costly claim. Early intervention is needed to minimize the impact of behavioral issues and psychotropic medications on workers' compensation claim outcomes.



Integrated Physical Medicine at Employer-Sponsored Health Clinics Improves Quality of Care at Reduced Cost - Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, Stanford University, Crossover Health

Study: The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical and economic outcomes associated with integrating physical medicine in employer-sponsored clinics.

Findings: Integrating physical medicine in employer-sponsored clinics decreased wait times to access these services to 7 days (2 to 4x faster than in the community). Patients receiving care in employer-sponsored clinics experienced marked improvements in fear of pain avoidance behaviors (a strong predictor of disability) and functional status in eight fewer visits than in the community resulting in $472 to $630 savings/patient episode. Noncancer patients received 1/10th the opioid prescriptions in employer-sponsored clinics compared with the community (2.8% vs 20%). Patients were highly likely to recommend integrated employer-sponsored care (Net Promoter Score = 84.7).

Takeaway: Musculoskeletal complaints represent the second largest cause of short-term or temporary work disability, and employers bear a disproportionate share of these costs, including approximately 290 million lost workdays annually. While the study focuses on how larger employers can strengthen onsite or near-site clinics, it notes employers should consider policies to reduce barriers to accessing physical medicine services such as direct patient access, sufficient availability of appointments, and benefit designs that incentivize use of physical medicine services before elective imaging and specialist visits.

A strategy of early access to physical therapy has been associated with a 36% improvement in patient outcomes, 52% less imaging, 56% fewer spinal injections, 59% fewer lumbar surgeries, and 62% less opioid use.