Rising MS White Paper Explores Approaches to Psych Component in Claims

Although psychosocial issues in workers’ comp claims are receiving greater attention recently, “psych” doesn’t necessarily mean issues such as schizophrenia, personality disorders or major depressive disorders. According to Dr. Marcos Iglesias, medical director at The Hartford, the psych issue may be as simple as fear that physical movement will worsen an injury or cause pain. Analysis of claims at The Hartford found that the presence of the word “fear” in claim notes was more predictive of poor outcomes than lumbar fusion surgery. That’s on...