Physicians treating in the California workers’ compensation system are required to follow the evidence-based recommendations in the DWC medical treatment utilization schedule (MTUS).
The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) launched a free online education course for physicians treating patients in the California workers’ compensation system. This online one-hour course is for treating physicians, qualified medical examiners, physician reviewers, other health care providers, as well as anyone else interested in learning how to use the MTUS.
“Caring for California’s Injured Workers: Using California’s Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule (MTUS)” is the first entry in a planned series of education modules developed for medical doctors, chiropractors and nurses. The MTUS is the primary source of guidance for treating physicians and physician reviewers for the evaluation and treatment of injured workers.
“All medical providers who treat injured California workers are required to understand and follow the MTUS. The online course is a convenient tool for providers to learn how to use the treatment guidelines designed to improve medical outcomes for injured workers,” said DWC Executive Medical Director Dr. Raymond Meister.
The module is available on the DWC website and will be available by mobile app soon.
Medical doctors, chiropractors and nurses who take the course will receive one hour of free CME credit. Qualified medical evaluators (QMEs) may report up to one hour of credit for QME reappointment. The course is also available to anyone else wishing to learn about the MTUS, and a completion certificate is available.
The education module covers:
1) What the MTUS is and how to use it
2) How to navigate the MTUS treatment guidelines and apply recommendations via case scenarios
3) When to consider recommendations outside of the MTUS guidelines for the care of your patient
4) The role of utilization review (UR) and independent medical review (IMR) physicians
Access to the physician education module can be found on the DWC website.