Dataset Information

The effectiveness of insurer-supported safety and health engineering controls in reducing workers' compensation claims and costs.

ABSTRACT: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a program in which a workers' compensation (WC) insurer provided matching funds to insured employers to implement safety/health engineering controls.Pre- and post-intervention WC metrics were compiled for the employees designated as affected by the interventions within 468 employers for interventions occurring from 2003 to 2009. Poisson, two-part, and linear regression models with repeated measures were used to evaluate differences in pre- and post-data, controlling for time trends independent of the interventions.For affected employees, total WC claim frequency rates (both medical-only and lost-time claims) decreased 66%, lost-time WC claim frequency rates decreased 78%, WC paid cost per employee decreased 81%, and WC geometric mean paid claim cost decreased 30% post-intervention. Reductions varied by employer size, specific industry, and intervention type.The insurer-supported safety/health engineering control program was effective in reducing WC claims and costs for affected employees.

SUBMITTER: Wurzelbacher SJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4504420 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The effectiveness of insurer-supported safety and health engineering controls in reducing workers' compensation claims and costs.

Wurzelbacher Steven J SJ Bertke Stephen J SJ Lampl Michael P MP Bushnell P Timothy PT Meyers Alysha R AR Robins David C DC Al-Tarawneh Ibraheem S IS

American journal of industrial medicine 20140915 12

<h4>Background</h4>This study evaluated the effectiveness of a program in which a workers' compensation (WC) insurer provided matching funds to insured employers to implement safety/health engineering controls.<h4>Methods</h4>Pre- and post-intervention WC metrics were compiled for the employees designated as affected by the interventions within 468 employers for interventions occurring from 2003 to 2009. Poisson, two-part, and linear regression models with repeated measures were used to evaluate ...[more]

PMID: 25223846

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Project description:BackgroundUnderstanding how much physiotherapy people receive before lumbar spine surgery could give insight into what people and clinicians consider an adequate trial of non-operative management. The aim of this study was to investigate physiotherapy utilisation and costs before lumbar spine surgery under a workers' compensation claim in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.MethodsUsing data from the NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority, we audited physiotherapy billing codes used before surgery for people who received lumbar spine surgery from 2010 to 2018. We summarised, separately for fusion and decompression, the time from initiation of physiotherapy to surgery, number of physiotherapy sessions people received before surgery, total cost of physiotherapy before surgery, and time from injury date to initiation of physiotherapy. All analyses were descriptive.ResultsWe included 3070 people (800 had fusion, 2270 decompression). Mean age (standard deviation, SD) was similar between those who received fusion and decompression [42.9 (10.4) vs. 41.9 (11.6)]. Compared to people who had fusion, those who had decompression were more likely to not have any physiotherapy before surgery (28.4% vs. 15.4%), received physiotherapy for a shorter duration before surgery [median (interquartile range, IQR): 5 (3 to 11) vs. 15 (4-26) months], were less likely to have physiotherapy for ≥2 years before surgery (5.6% vs. 27.5%), had fewer physiotherapy sessions before surgery [mean (SD): 16 (21) vs. 28 (35) sessions], were less likely to have > 50 physiotherapy sessions before surgery (6.8% vs. 18.1%), and had lower total physiotherapy-related costs [mean (IQR): $1265 ($0-1808) vs. $2357 ($453-2947)]. Time from injury date to first physiotherapy session was similar between people who had fusion and decompression [median (IQR): 23 (9-66) vs.19 (7-53) days].ConclusionsThere is variation in physiotherapy utilisation and costs before lumbar spine surgery for people funded by NSW Workers' Compensation. Some people may not be receiving an adequate trial of physiotherapy before surgery, particularly before decompression surgery. Others may be receiving an excessive amount of physiotherapy before surgery, particularly before fusion.

Dataset Information

The effectiveness of insurer-supported safety and health engineering controls in reducing workers' compensation claims and costs.

Publications

The effectiveness of insurer-supported safety and health engineering controls in reducing workers' compensation claims and costs.

Similar Datasets

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