title: Application and Outcomes of Treatment Guidelines in a Utilization Review Program.
abstract: The value of treatment guidelines in improving outcomes for patients and controlling costs is significantly enhanced in Washington by incorporating guidelines into a structured UR program. This article describes: (1) how the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) UR program uses guidelines; and (2) the impact of the UR program on costs and outcomes. The impact of guideline implementation in the Washington program is considerable. In 2014, the L&I program produced net savings of $7,519,823, and the return on investment was approximately $2.00. The impact on clinical outcomes includes an overarching effect from use of best practices.
authors.affiliation: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, PO Box 44321, Olympia, WA 98504-4321, USA; University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. Electronic address: Stoh235@Lni.wa.gov.
authors.forename: Hal
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stockbridge
authors.affiliation: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, PO Box 44321, Olympia, WA 98504-4321, USA.
authors.forename: Nikki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: d'Urso
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States; D014600:Utilization Review / Q000592:standards*; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000191:economics*
keywords: Clinical outcomes; Clinical practice guideline; Cost containment; Quality of care; Treatment guideline; Utilization management; Utilization review; Workers’ compensation