The Division of Workers’ Compensation has posted an order adopting regulations to update the evidence-based treatment guidelines of the Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule (MTUS).
The updates, effective for medical treatment services rendered on or after December 1, 2017, incorporate by reference the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine’s (ACOEM’s) most recent treatment guidelines to the General Approaches, Clinical Topics, and Special Topics sections of the MTUS.
“We are publishing this Administrative Order one month before its effective date to give the public, especially treating physicians and utilization review physicians, thirty days to prepare before these evidence-based updates become effective,” said George Parisotto, DWC Administrative Director.
The ACOEM guidelines that are incorporated by reference into the MTUS are:
– Initial Approaches to Treatment Guideline (ACOEM June 30, 2017)
– Opioids Guideline (ACOEM April 20, 2017)
– Chronic Pain Guideline (ACOEM May 15, 2017)
– Ankle and Foot Disorders Guideline (ACOEM September 2015)
– Occupational/Work-Related Asthma Medical Treatment Guideline (ACOEM January 4, 2016)
– Low Back Disorders Guideline (ACOEM February 24, 2016)
– Cervical and Thoracic Spine Disorders Guideline (ACOEM May 27, 2016)
– Elbow Disorders Guideline (ACOEM 2013)
– Eye Disorders Guideline (ACOEM April 1, 2017)
– Hand, Wrist, and Forearm Disorders Guideline (ACOEM June 30, 2016)
– Hip and Groin Guideline (ACOEM May 1, 2011)
– Knee Disorders Guideline (ACOEM October 28, 2015)
– Occupational Interstitial Lung Disease Guideline (ACOEM January 4, 2016)
– Shoulder Disorders Guideline (ACOEM August 1, 2016)
“DWC has incorporated the most recent ACOEM guidelines to ensure the guidelines in the MTUS contain the most recent, state-of-the-art current evidence-based recommendations,” said DWC Executive Medical Director Dr. Raymond Meister.
The administrative order consists of the order and two addendum:
1) Addendum one shows the regulatory amendments directly related to the evidence-based updates to the MTUS.
2) Addendum two contains hyperlinks to the updated ACOEM guidelines adopted and incorporated into the MTUS by reference.
Since the ACOEM guidelines contain proprietary content, a commercial license from ReedGroup, the publisher of the ACOEM guidelines, is required when physicians and entities use the MTUS for commercial purposes.