Workers' Compensation Medical Issues
Workers' compensation medical issues include treatment protocols, guides and guidelines, integrated care, pharmacy, fee schedules, physician reports, medical access, and quality-of-care measurements. Quality-of-care measurements assess medical outcomes in terms of physical recovery and patient satisfaction. Medical treatment also covers issues of costs to the payer, as well as costs to the system.
- COVID-19 in the California Workers’ Compensation System: A Study of COVID-19 Claims and Presumptions Under Senate Bill 1159, RAND, 2021.
- Posttraumatic Stress in California’s Workers’ Compensation System. A Study of Mental Health Presumptions for Firefighters and Peace Officers Under Senate Bill 542, RAND, 2021.
- Evaluation of California Senate Bill 863 Medical Care Reforms, RAND, 2020
- Medical Care Provided to California's Injured Workers: Monitoring System Performance Using Administrative Data - by Barbara O. Wynn, Andrew W. Mulcahy, Harry H. Liu, Rosalie Malsberger, Edward N. Okeke, RAND, 2018
- Issue Brief on First Responder Behavioral Health October 2017
- Excessive Workload in the Janitorial Industry, An Emerging Health and Safety Concern. Suzanne Teran and Evan vanDommelen-Gonzalez, Labor Occupational Health Program – University of California, Berkeley, March 2017
- California's Janitorial Industry: Does Higher Compensation for Unionized Workers Lead to Greater Production Pressure and Higher Injury Rates? - Frank Neuhauser, University of California, Berkeley, March 2017
- Infection Risk from "Sharps" Injuries for Non-healthcare Workers, March 2015.
- Update on IMR and IBR, DWC Medical Unit, August 2014
- Identifying Risky Opioid Prescribing Practices, UCLA 2012
- Use of Compound Drugs, Medical Foods, and Co-Packs in California’s Workers’ Compensation Program: An Overview of the Issues, RAND, January 2011
- Medical Care Provided Under California’s Workers’ Compensation Program: Effects of the Reforms and Additional Opportunities to Improve the Quality and Efficiency of Care, RAND, 2011
Separate Appendices document - RAND/UCLA Quality-of-Care Measures for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Tools for Assessing Quality of Care and Appropriateness of Surgery, RAND, 2011
- Summary
- Full Report
- Appendices
- Working Safer or Just Working Longer? The Impact of an Aging Workforce on Occupational Injury and Illness Costs, February 2011
- Evaluating the QME Process: Is it Equitable and Efficient? September 2010
- The Whole Worker: Guidelines for Integrating Occupational Health and Safety with Workplace Wellness Programs, 2010
- The Frequency, Severity, and Economic Consequences of Musculoskeletal Injuries to Firefighters in California, RAND, 2010
- Review of Disability Evaluation Delays and Supplemental QME Reports, June 2010
- Regulatory Actions that Could Reduce Unnecessary Medical Expenses Under California’s Workers’ Compensation Program, RAND, 2009
- Hospital Emergency Department Services Furnished Under California's Workers' Compensation Program, RAND, 2009
- Facility Services for Ambulatory Surgery, RAND, 2009
- Inpatient Hospital Services: An Update on Services Provided Under California's Workers' Compensation Program Report, RAND
- Workers’ Compensation Medical Payment Accuracy Study, California Department of Insurance, June 2008
- Medical Care Provided California's Injured Workers: An Overview of the Issues, RAND September 2007
- Pay-for-Performance in California's Workers' Compensation Medical Treatment System, RAND August 2007
- Report and Recommendations on the Spinal Surgery Second Opinion Process February 2007
- Impact of physician-dispensing of repackaged drugs on California workers' compensation, employers cost, and workers' access to quality care July 2006
- A Report on Health Care Organizations (HCOs) in Workers' Compensation April 2006
- Updated and Revised CHSWC Recommendations to DWC on Workers' Compensation Medical Treatment Guidelines April 2006
- California Research Colloquium on Workers’ Compensation Medical Benefit Delivery and Return to Work, RAND, 2006
- Evaluating Medical Treatment Guideline Sets for Injured Workers in California, RAND 2005 (approved April 2006)
- Evaluating Medical Treatment Guideline Sets for Injured Workers in California, RAND, 2005
- Payments for Burn Patients under California's Official Medical Fee Schedule for Injured workers 2005
- Paying for repackaged drugs under the California Workers' Compensation Official Medical Fee Schedule May 2005
- Assessment of 24-hour care options for California, 2004
- Adopting Medicare Fee Schedules: Considerations for the California Workers' Compensation Program, RAND, 2003 - Full Text
- Workers' Compensation Medical Payment Systems: A Proposal for Simplification and Administrative Efficiency, August 2003
- Executive Summary of the Study of the Cost of Pharmaceuticals in Workers' Compensation - June 2000
- Study of the Cost of Pharmaceuticals in Workers' Compensation, June 2000
- Report on the quality of the treating physician reports and the cost-benefit of presumption in favor of the treating physician - Project DescriptionAugust 1999
- Evaluating the reforms of the medical-legal process using the WCIRB permanent disability survey, - Project description 2006
- Report: Evaluating the reforms of the medical-legal process using the WCIRB permanent disability survey 1997
- Executive summary: Evaluating the reforms of the medical-legal process using the WCIRB permanent disability survey - 1997
August 2022