Recently, I attended the 2010 Health and Productivity Forum jointly sponsored by the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) and the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) in San Antonio. I had been invited to participate in a panel discussion by Gary Anderberg, of Broadspire, who, as I have written previously, is one of the smartest people I’m fortunate to know.
With me on the panel were Dan Shaughnessy, Director of Disability Programs, Textron, Inc., and Mike Machanich, Chief Executive Officer, Workers’ Comp Solutions. Gary’s charge to us was to discuss the effect of national health care reform on workers’ compensation. Thanks a bunch, Gary. But we had a stimulating discussion as we opened that colossal can of worms. I’ll write more about this in another post. One of the issues our panel tossed around was chronic pain. We’ve written about chronic pain many times over the last few years. Here are links to a couple of the relevant posts:Workers Comp Drugs: Paying too much…For the Wrong Medicines!; The Pain Conundrum.
Our concern is that the treatment of chronic pain often involves what is to us a highly problematic overutilization of narcotics. So, I was a bit surprised to learn of Broadspire’s well thought out and relatively holistic approach to treating this debilitating and often times life-changing medical condition. With that in mind, I invited Broadspire’s medical team to submit a guest blog post for the Insider. Our one requirement was that it be informative to our readers, but not a self-serving advertisement for Broadspire. The company accepted our invitation, and what follows is Broadspire’s approach to the treatment of chronic pain. I’d be remiss if I didn’t add that Broadspire is not a client of Lynch Ryan’s and our publication of this guest blog post does not constitute an endorsement of the company’s products or services.
Chronic Pain Management Matters
Candy Raphan RN, BSN, ARNP, MAOM and Dr Jacob Lazarovic, MD, FAAFP, Broadspire
In 2006, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its 30th annual report on the health status of America, “Health, United States, 2006” which found that the overall health of the nation seemed to be improving or holding steady, but highlighted one particular condition as needing further attention: pain.
Pain is a common and troubling condition around the world. In a 2005 European study, it was estimated that 20% of the world’s population deals with some form of chronic pain. In Europe, chronic pain accounts for over 30 billion euros in lost productivity. In 2002, an American study found common pain conditions caused 13% of workers to experience a loss of productivity over a two-week period. The estimated cost to corporate America was $61.2 billion dollars that year. In fact, pain has been such a prominent health care issue that the 106th U.S. Congress passed Title VI, Sec. 1603, of H.R. 3244, declaring the period between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2010 the “Decade of Pain Control and Research.”
Solutions
Conventional treatment of chronic pain is time-consuming and often very expensive, particularly for those claims that continue without resolution over the course of several years. For this reason, it is important that employers and payers understand the dynamics and drivers of the costs associated with chronic pain. By employing a focused, multi-disciplinary clinical approach very costly segments can be targeted. It is then possible to effectively manage chronic pain from the overall costs associated with medical care and treatment as well as loss of a productive workforce.
Using evidence-based medicine to create a plan of action for those individuals with inadequately managed chronic pain promotes optimum results. Medical management programs can provide information and resources to the claimant’s current treating doctors, clinics and hospitals. These types of consultations with providers help achieve the following objectives:
- Safe, rational and effective management of the chronic pain population
- Maximized functionality and return to work
- Management of medical costs
- Focused and designated processes/people to reduce internal duplication of effort
- Documented and measurable results and ROI metrics
How It Works
Broadspire’s Chronic Pain Program, for example, uses a defined and rigorous process. After an initial eligibility assessment, a team of specialty physicians and nurses reviews the medical and psychosocial aspects of each case. The team establishes a list set of customized strategies in the form of recommendations to ultimately achieve the goals and objectives for each case. The team then monitors the impact of interventions during subsequent meetings and follows the case through to timely resolution.
The key to the program is the expertise clinical and claim professionals bring to each claim. A highly experienced staff performs the data analysis, oversight and management of the process. An expert panel of specialized pain physicians (anesthesiologists, physiatrists, orthopedists, and psychologists or psychiatrists) provides guidance. Other contracted resources such as selected, accredited pain management facilities and urine drug monitoring labs help ensure that patients are compliant with prescribed regimens.
A Chronic Pain Program has the power to make a sizable difference. With proven methods, resources, and expertise it can provide the support and control to help employees beat pain back and return to productivity.
Tags: opioids, pain, prescription drugs, productivity
