In our first article on this subject, we gave an overview of baseline testing, compared it with a post-offer physical exam, updated recent legal decisions under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) that allow baseline testing and concluded with a legal case highlighting the benefits of a baseline program. While all stakeholders won in the case we cited, we all need to remember that the focus in workers' comp needs to be the injured worker.
That isn't always the case, as recent court rulings have shown. Last week, a Pottawatomie County judge in Oklahoma issued a ruling that may erode the exclusive remedy provision for workers' compensation (Duck vs Morgan Tire). This ruling comes after Miami-Dade District Judge Jorge Cueto ruled in August that the exclusive-remedy provision of the state's comp statute was unconstitutional. Both cases make a strong case that the rights of injured workers have been deteriorating and that workers no longer have enough protection. (The cases are under appeal.)
The workers' compensation system is overburdened with red tape: In some states, there are onerous mandates for doctors, delays in legal proceedings, disputes over acceptance of cases...and on and on. An injured person is caught in the middle. Frequently, necessary care is delayed -- which often results in even greater damage and costs. Carriers and employers are frustrated, too. With increasing federal mandates complicating this already tangled system, they feel they are being asked to accept claims that "aren't ours." They worry about liability and uncontrolled costs, even while knowing that delaying appropriate care can lead to prolonged disability, inefficient medical care and higher costs.
So the question remains: How do we do the best for the injured worker while protecting ourselves?
This article focuses on the heart of the matter: Better diagnosis leads to better patient care. Peel away the layers of comp laws and reforms, and this is what the industry should be about.
Baseline testing helps identify a change in condition, so the person can get the best care possible for work-related injuries. Does this actually happen? Does baseline testing work with soft-tissue injuries, specifically those that appear to be based on subjective complaints, with typically little or no objective findings? (Soft-tissue injuries, although often unsupported by clear and convincing evidence, are the leading drivers of cost in the system.)
Here is a case that shows that it's possible to use baseline testing to avoid over-treating or under-treating and to do the right thing:
Mr. Jones works for the same employer as was mentioned in Part 1 of this article. He is 34 years old and is employed as truck driver. He underwent a baseline test in June 2014 and was injured at work in September 2014. He was driving his truck when he hit a bump. He was wearing a seat belt but hit his head. He continued to work. He later felt diffuse neck pain and reported the incident.
The following day, he saw a doctor, who couldn't issue a diagnosis. Mr. Jones had a history of chronic neck pain, so the doctor couldn't tell if anything was "new." He thought the pain would go away, but it persisted.
Because Mr. Jones had undergone a baseline evaluation, he was sent for the post-incident, electrodiagnostic functional assessment (EFA). The comparison of the two evaluations revealed a change in condition. The testing indicated he could have an industrially related left cervical radiculopathy. Treatment was redirected to this area, and he received the appropriate care on an expedited basis.
This is a person who had diffuse pathology and a substantial pre-existing condition. As a result, his workman's comp carrier delayed care, and he pursued treatment by his chiropractor on a non-industrial basis. He was off work, not receiving benefits, while waiting for the causation of his injury to be determined. He potentially could have gotten lost in the system with unresolved treatment and escalating bills while without benefits and out of work.
The employer truly wants the best care for its injured workers and, as soon as the comparison demonstrated a change, ensured that he received all the appropriate care and benefits for his work-related injury.
We truly believe that everyone in this workers' compensation system wants to do the "right thing" but that is hard to do without objective evidence. Accurate diagnoses lead to better patient care, which is the very basis of workers' compensation. So is baseline testing really worth the effort? You bet it is!
