California’s Division of Workers Compensation (DWC) recently added an easy-to-use search tool to help the public find Independent Medical Review (IMR) determinations quickly and efficiently. The DWC IMR search tool is available on the DWC website.
More than 300,000 IMR cases have been decided since the medical dispute resolution process was implemented on Jan. 1, 2013. Following a determination by a physician reviewer, information for each case is posted to the DWC website. The public can use the new tool to search for decisions by case number, date of injury, specialty of reviewer, and/or category of treatment request.
“The DWC IMR search tool allows the public to easily research the database of IMR decisions,” said DWC Acting Administrative Director George Parisotto. “Increased knowledge about the program’s past performance will ultimately lead to a more effective IMR process.”
Each IMR case pertains to one or more requested treatments that were denied, delayed or modified following utilization review (UR).
The IMRO’s expert reviewers use evidence-based guidelines contained in the DWC Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule (MTUS) to determine whether to uphold or overturn the UR decision. The rationale for a reviewer’s decision for each requested treatment is provided in the IMR final determination letter.
Maximus Federal Services is the current Independent Medical Review Organization (IMRO) contracted by DWC to conduct IMR.
More information about IMR is available on the DWC website.
Author Kori Shafer-Stack, Editor, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in post-injury response procedures and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: kstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.
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