First Step in Treatment Guidelines Focuses on Opioids, Chronic Pain

Facing a legislative mandate to implement treatment guidelines before the end of the year, the Arizona Industrial Commission is starting small. A working group is developing a multi-level utilization review process to ensure that treatment of chronic pain and the use of opioids follows evidence-based treatment guidelines developed by the Work Loss Data Institute. The final product may serve as something of a pilot program that, if successful, could be expanded to other areas of medical treatment. House Bill 2368, passed in 2012, requires the Industrial Commission to adopt state-specific medi...