ICBC offers free access to the ODG web site

Issue: BCMJ, vol. 49, No. 10, December 2007, Page 552 ICBC
By: Anita Gill,

ICBC supports the use of evidence-based guidelines for patient treatment and disability duration. To support physicians in caring for ICBC claimants, ICBC is offering BC physicians free access to the Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) web site. It’s an online resource that provides return-to-work guidelines and treatment data that are updated annually using scientific medical literature reviews, survey data analysis, and expert panel validation. 

ICBC believes that the Official Dis­ability Guidelines are a useful resource that may assist physicians in their management of the injured individual’s recovery plan. When dealing with patients whose treatment needs and recovery period fall outside the norm, the ODG may assist with re-evaluating the treatment plan and help identify other resources to support the individual’s return to work.

Disability duration guidelines, of which the ODG is one, are reference materials that provide an estimate of how long an injured individual can reasonably be expected to be away from work for a given injury or medical condition. Rather than being rigid time frames, they are points in time when a treating practitioner may consider re-evaluating the current treatment plan or identify other resources that may assist the injured individual’s recovery or return to work.

As noted in ICBC’s June article in the BCMJ, online searches can take time and the information may be limited by the scope of available research. But online databases can also be great tools for clinical decision making and for directing the care of complex medical cases typical to some types of personal injury claims. 

Benefits of evidence-based disability duration guidelines:
• Improved patient outcomes.
• Reduction in delayed recovery rates.
• Open and informed communication between physician, insurer, and patient.
• Resumption of regular activities in a reasonable time frame.

The ODG provides benchmarks for comparing the patient’s progress against evidence-based standards. 

ODG features
• Return-to-work guidelines for every reportable condition—based on sever­ity, treatment, and job type. 
• Job/activity modifications. 
• Procedure summaries evaluating the efficacy of options, with links to supporting medical evidence in abstract form.
• Up-to-date medical treatment guidelines for conditions commonly associated with the workplace. 

On occasion, an ICBC adjuster may contact the attending physician re­garding a patient’s treatment plan or disability duration. ICBC adjusters welcome calls from physicians to discuss treatment plans and will pay the consult fee in accordance with the BCMA fee code A00098.

More about the ODG
• Developed by the Work Loss Data Institute, an independent US database development company.
• Based on over 3 million cases from the US Center for Disease Control and Occupational Health and Safety Administration.

To use the ODG, you will need ICBC’s user ID and password to log onto the web site at www.odgtreatment.com. 

Please contact Anita Gill at 604 647-6134 or anita.gill@icbc.com for ac­cess, or visit the members-only section of the BCMA web site. ICBC would like your feedback on this resource. Your opinion of the usefulness of this resource is of interest to ICBC. 

—Anita Gill
Manager, Injury, Technical, and Professional Support, ICBC

Anita Gill,. ICBC offers free access to the ODG web site. BCMJ, Vol. 49, No. 10, December, 2007, Page(s) 552 - ICBC.


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