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 November 23, 2021, incorporate by reference the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine’s (ACOEM’s) most recent treatment guidelines to the Clinical Topics section of the MTUS.
The ACOEM guidelines that are incorporated by reference into the MTUS are:
– – Low Back Disorders Guideline 268 pages, (ACOEM February 13, 2020)
The administrative order consists of the order and two addenda:
– – Addendum one shows the regulatory amendments directly related to the evidence-based update to the MTUS.
– – Addendum two contains a hyperlink to the ACOEM guideline adopted and incorporated into the MTUS by reference.
A few of the more notable recommendations of the new guideline which are illustrative of new approaches are:”
– – “Patients should be encouraged to return to work as soon as possible as evidence suggests this leads to the best outcomes. This process may be facilitated with temporary modified (or alternative) duty particularly if job demands exceed patient capabilities. Full-duty work is a reasonable option for patients with low physical job demands and/or the ability to control such demands (e.g., alternate their posture) as well as for those with less severe presentations”
– – “Among the modes of exercise, aerobic exercise has the best evidence of efficacy, whether for acute, subacute, or chronic LBP patients.”
– – “Many invasive and noninvasive therapies are intended to cure or manage LBP, but no quality evidence exists that they accomplish this as successfully as therapies that focus on restoring functional ability without focusing on pain. In those cases, the traditional medical model of “curing” the patient does not work well. Instead, patients should be aware that returning to normal activities most often aids functional recovery.
– – “Patients should be encouraged to accept responsibility for managing their recovery rather than expecting the provider to provide an easy “cure.” This process promotes the use of activity and function rather than pain as a guide, making the treatment goal of return to occupational and non- occupational activities more obvious.”
Health care providers treating, evaluating (QME), or reviewing (UR or IMR) in the California workers’ compensation system may access the MTUS (ACOEM) Guidelines and MTUS Drug List at no cost by registering for an account.