Just Released:
"2004 State Report Cards for Workers' Comp", based on
newly available OSHA data
Work Loss Data Institute - 7/19/04
San Diego, CA
- A new study based on data from OSHA Form 300's and 200's, covering all OSHA
recordable injuries and illnesses, provides the basis for evaluating and
benchmarking state-by-state workers' compensation outcomes. The study, called 2004
State Report Cards for Workers' Comp, was prepared by Work Loss Data
Institute (WLDI) to help employers, insurers, TPA's,
state governments, and consultants answer the questions, "Who is doing
well and why?"
Unlike the first edition of this report in March 2003, which provided data
for the year 2000 only, this report provides trending information as well as
complete information for each of three years, 2002, 2001, and 2000. As in the
first report, six different outcome measures were compared among the states for
each year: (1) Incidence Rates, (2) Cases Missing Work, (3) Median Disability
Durations, (4) Delayed Recovery Rate, (5) Key Conditions: Low Back Strain, and
(6) Key Conditions: Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome. A key requirement for production of this report was the
proprietary crosswalk program that has been developed by Work Loss Data
Institute, which converts OSHA-reported data into an ICD9 code format. More
details on the methodology used is located at http://www.odg-disability.com/pr_repsrc_methods.htm.
Alabama
was the "Most Improved" state in overall ranking, and received an
"A" in 2002. Utah
got a solid "A" in every year, and outcomes have even gotten better
over the period. Indiana
also has excellent outcomes, especially in minimizing missed work, and they
have been consistently good, also earning "A"s in every year. Minnesota
is again one of our winners, not only being among nine states receiving an
"A" in 2002, but also receiving "A"s consistently for all three years. Other "A"s were received in 2002 by Georgia,
Iowa, and Virginia.
New Mexico has the unfortunate
distinction of being the "Biggest Decliner" during the period of 2000
to 2003. In 2000 they got a "B+"; in 2002 they received a
"D". Texas has actually
made some improvement, going from an "F" to a "D-". This
improvement is primarily due to an excellent performance in prevention and
safety (keeping the incidence rate of cases low compared to the population as a
whole). However, when it comes to return-to-work (delayed recovery and median
disability durations), Texas
remains last. California, the
largest state, received a flunking grade for all three years. Performance was
not good on all measures, but is close to the bottom when it comes to getting
workers back on the job and preventing outliers, especially for carpal tunnel
syndrome. New York has gotten
even worse. They received "F"s in all three
years, but they went from being in the middle of the "F"s,
to being in last place as a state (second to last after Puerto Rico).
Other "F"s were received by Delaware,
Hawaii, Oklahoma,
Rhode Island, West
Virginia, and Wyoming.
A summary of each grade for all states is shown on a U.S. Map Showing Grades by
State, located at http://www.odg-disability.com/pr_repsrc_us.htm.
Also new for 2004, this report analyzes
the association of specific managed care
programs to outcomes by comparing the average ranking for those participating
states with the program to the average ranking for those participating states
without the program. Participating states with a state workers' compensation
insurance fund did slightly worse than states with no state fund, with a
decline in ranking of 1.2 points. Limiting provider choice seems to result in a
very large positive difference in ranking, with states going up in the ranking
by 9.5 points when provider choice is limited. Use of a fee schedule indicates
a decline in the ranking by 3.4 points, and use of state-specific treatment
guidelines manifests a decline of 5.9 points.
The WLDI special report, entitled 2004 State Report Cards for Workers'
Comp provides complete detail on all cases for the 45 participating states
and territories, based on all cases reported to OSHA for the year 2002, 2001,
and 2000, as an 83-page report with narrative, plus over 50 spreadsheet files
with complete detailed backup data that is referenced in the narrative. It is
available in both electronic and hardcopy formats for $225 each. Note: The
electronic format is recommended to facilitate links to the electronic
spreadsheet files and the supporting data.
Work Loss Data Institute is an independent database development company
focused on workplace health and productivity, and publisher of Official
Disability Guidelines, ODG Treatment in Workers' Comp, the ACOEM
Guidelines on the Web and Employer Health Register.
To purchase the 2004 State Report Cards for Workers' Comp ($225),
visit www.disabilitydurations.com/specreportorder.htm or contact
WLDI at 800-488-5548 (361-883-5000).
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Work Loss Data Institute (WLDI) publisher of Official
Disability Guidelines will be one of the Supporting Organizations at IBF * International Business Forum's Annual Employers'
Workers Compensation Comparative Conference - scheduled for the end
of January 2005 in San Francisco, California.
This will be the only national conference that will provide you with
comparative examples of best practices and in-depth industry experiences. You
can expect to interact with many of your colleagues. You will receive thought
leadership which will contribute to your knowledge base and with the decisions
you face.
This event will bring together risk, workers compensation, claims, safety,
and employee benefit managers from private
organizations as well as state and local governments, in addition to
representatives from insurers, and consultants.
For information on Sponsorship, Speaking, Exhibiting or Attending
please contact:
Jennifer Fauci, IBF - Executive Conference Producer
at (516) 765-9005, ext. 19 or jennifer@ibfconferences.com.
Please visit IBF's website at
www.ibfconferences.com