CMS committee chair testifies on workers’ compensation guidelines

Thursday, November 21, 2013 11:11 AM

J. Tashof Bernton, MD, chairman of the Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury Committee (WCPIC), testified before the Division of Workers’ Compensation on behalf of CMS expressing the appreciation of the society and the physicians of the state for the division’s work on the proposed medical treatment guidelines. The use of evidence-based treatment guidelines will help assure that injured workers have timely access to necessary medical treatment, he said. The guidelines outline specific care recognized as medically necessary (and therefore typically reimbursed by payers) and help shape physicians’ understanding of optimal evidence-based practice.

Additionally, Bernton spoke about the problem of inappropriate utilization of procedures and concerns about treatment recommendations for the cervical or lumbar spine.

Click here to read the full testimony.