California's Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) has published its intended modifications to the state's medical treatment utilization schedule (MTUS) regulations. The proposed revisions reaffirm that the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine's (ACOEM's) Occupational Medicine Practice Guidelines: Evaluation and Management of Common Health Problems and Functional Recovery in Workers, 2nd Edition, are the foundation for the State's Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule.

The draft regulation also proposes to adopt ACOEM's new strength-of-evidence rating methodology. Other revisions in this draft of the regulations include the following:

• A definition for the term "functional improvement" has been added to the regulations. The definition is adapted from the medical treatment philosophy that is incorporated in the ACOEM Guidelines.
• Acupuncture treatment guidelines have been adopted based on the medical treatment guidelines from the state of Colorado, Division of Workers' Compensation.
• A larger medical evidence evaluation advisory committee to better represent all treatment procedures and modalities commonly performed in workers' compensation cases. The proposal requires the committee to use the ACOEM methodology to evaluate evidence when making recommendations to the DWC.

Additional Resources:

California Division of Workers' Compensation

Occupational Medicine Practice Guidelines: Evaluation and Management of Common Health Problems and Functional Recovery in Workers, 2nd Edition

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