L&I Intends to Adopt New Rules on Stimulators, Drug Pumps

The Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry announced Thursday that it intends to adopt rule amendments that would require physicians to more carefully screen patients before using spinal cord stimulators or intrathecal drug delivery systems to treat patients suffering from chronic pain.The department said in a Statement of Need and Reasonableness that after reviewing scientific literature, its Medical Services Review Board found "inconsistent evidence" that SCS and IDDS are effective. The board concluded that most studies suggest that patients should be carefully screened before treatmen...