ICA Going to Rulemaking for UR Program as Pilot Fizzles

A pilot project to test the utilization review process to ensure medical treatment requests in Arizona accord with evidence-based guidelines has fizzled out because of disagreements on how to proceed. As a result, the Industrial Commission of Arizona is now drafting rules to implement the utilization review process it endorsed last year. The commission in March 2014 adopted the chronic pain section of the Official Disability Guidelines published by the Work Loss Data Institute to satisfy a legislative mandate that it adopt treatment guidelines. In December, the commission approved the utiliz...