My recent post on functional capacity exams (FCEs) is a great lead-in to considering another level of related technology. Let’s explore electrodiagnostics as arguably a more powerful arrival in functional exams.
First, let's recap what quality means in a functional capacity exam: An FCE requires a process that is objective and consistent with the proper balance between specificity to body parts and sensitivity to critical indicators, including pain, range of motion and strength. An FCE must indicate illegitimate effort and attempts to “game” the test by subjects.
I submit to you that, the more a functional exam process can move away from human-tester interventions and totally separate testing steps, the closer it gets to nirvana. This construct is the essence of electrodiagnostics.
A routine FCE process involves various separate tests, including nerve conduction, range of motion and strength. Even with the most advanced equipment, this presents separate processes to assess for validity and to try and formulate into a whole-body issue. What if one test did all of this at once?
Contemplate the electrodiagnostic functional assessment (EFA), where a test subject performs a single test sequence on specialized EFA equipment that measures multiple factors. This provides instant objective credibility. Stated simply, combined factors of muscle strength, pain and range of motion and others need to align in a logical pattern as depicted by computerized readout, or the subject is immediately shown as self-limiting his capability.
The EFA is arguably more accurate than the common FCE in assessing work capacity. EFA has also been proven useful in more specific applications, such as determining the need for hardware removal in post-surgical cases with alleged recurring pain problems.
Consider further that, because the EFA is such a consistent test, it is highly credible as a comparison to prior baseline. The EFA used as a base-line test at time of hire can be saved as a data file without opening until an employee might have an alleged injury at some later period. At such occasion, a new EFA can be performed to compare with the baseline to see what, if any, alleged changes in capacity and pain threshold have occurred. This definitive comparison has held up in court cases, making the EFA evidence as worthy as an MRI would be in comparing pre- and post-injury pictures of a joint or body part.
Quick Tip: Learn More About EFA and the Possible Application to Your WC Claims– Google “electrodiagnostic functional assessment” to review white papers and scholarly details around the EFA and its applications and case studies.
– For more information, search out Emerge Diagnostics, which has pioneered the application of EFA and which is making efforts to bring EFA to the forefront of medical and legal use. I do not promote specific vendors in “Quick Tips,” and this article is for informative purposes only. However, the EFA is currently a sole-source situation, and reviewing the studies and successes of Emerge Diagnostics is of educational benefit.
– If you want to be cutting edge, do a trial. Pick a WC case or two that is stalled without adequate determination of disability, causation, apportionment or need for surgery, etc. Work to get an EFA entered as evidence and see if the case can turn.
– If you do try EFA, let me know your results. I would like to continue related reporting on this and see how much future influence EFA might have on the larger WC landscape.
