Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation
Information Bulletin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
February 10, 2003 Christine Baker
(415) 703-4220

DIR, CHSWC, and DWC to Host California Research Colloquium on
Workers’ Compensation Medical Benefit Delivery and Return-to-Work

SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (CHSWC), and the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) are hosting the "California Research Colloquium on Workers’ Compensation Medical Benefit Delivery and Return to Work".

The two main objectives of the Colloquium, scheduled for May 1-2, 2003 at the UCLA Faculty Center, are to provide baseline information on the current status of the California workers’ compensation medical benefit delivery system, and advance policy awareness and discussion on medical treatment, quality, outcome measures, access, and system costs. The Colloquium will include presentations of series of papers, designed to inform the public and the workers' compensation community on what can be done to reduce costs and improve the outcomes.

The Colloquium will address the insufficient understanding of medical care received by injured workers in California. Knowledge on access to services, the quality and appropriateness of care, and the comparability of the prices charged by providers in other states for workers’ compensation and nonoccupational services is limited. With baseline and updated data on the quality and cost of medical care, policy makers would have better information on which to evaluate the outcomes for workers and employers of any changes that are adopted.

CHSWC is charged with overseeing the health and safety and workers' compensation systems in California and recommending administrative or legislative modifications to improve their operation. The Commission was established to conduct a continuing examination of the workers' compensation system and of the state's activities to prevent industrial injuries and occupational diseases and to examine those programs in other states.


For any questions regarding this bulletin, please contact:
Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation (CHSWC)
455 Golden Gate Avenue, 10th Floor, San Francisco,  CA  94102
Email:  chswc@dir.ca.gov     Phone:  (415) 703-4220    Fax:  (415) 703-4234     Contact Person:  Christine Baker

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