 | | The Occupational Health Services Project | | 
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Centers of Occupational Health & Education (COHE) |
The Occupational Health Services (OHS) Project is a partnership between the L&I and community healthcare organizations to expand occupational healthcare expertise and improve injured worker outcomes.
Washington’s workers’ compensation system spends about $500 million annually on medical care for injured workers. Making sure that money is spent on effective, high quality health care is a top priority at the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I). To ensure best practices are followed in the delivery of occupational health care to injured workers, L&I has participated in a number of projects to test various healthcare delivery systems.
Building on those experiences, L&I worked in collaboration with business and labor organizations, community health care leaders and a University of Washington (UW) research team to develop a community-based approach to health care that has been implemented through Centers of Occupational Health and Education (COHE) in Renton and Eastern Washington.
Major components of the project appear to substantially reduce disability among injured workers while maintaining a high level of satisfaction with the care they receive.
Source: L&I/OHS 12/3/2006
- Reduce disability and help injured workers return to work when medically appropriate;
- Early identification of high-risk claims and improved coordination of care;
- Foster adoption of occupational health best practices among providers, particularly in the areas of carpal tunnel syndrome, lower back sprains and fractures;
- Increase employer, worker and provider satisfaction with the workers’ compensation system; and
- Sustain and enhance quality outcomes for injured workers over time.
COHEs are administered by Valley Medical Center in Renton and St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute in Spokane. The two centers offer providers:
- Occupational health expertise
- Free continuing medical education
- Health services coordination
- Up-to-date information from new electronic tracking systems to assist with return-to-work process
- Financial incentives to use occupational health best practices
The Renton COHE began enrolling providers in 2002 and serves part of two counties in Western Washington. The UW completed an evaluation of the Renton COHE in June 2005.
The Spokane COHE opened in 2003 in three Counties, and in 2005 expanded to provide the same services in 16 Central and Eastern Washington counties. The UW completed an evaluation of the Eastern Washington COHE in June 2006.
During the evaluation year, the COHEs together treated approximately 15% of all State Fund injured workers. A combined study of both COHEs by the UW was released in the spring of 2007.
In 2007, the Everett Clinic and Harborview Medical Center were awarded contracts with L&I for smaller COHE projects.
Our current challenge: Double the COHE effect on disability prevention. Project participants (COHEs, business, labor, community leaders, UW research team and L&I) are committed to reach this goal by:
- Focusing on quality improvement of occupational health best practices
- Sustaining positive outcomes
- Continuing to use evidence and research to guide decisions about the future of the project.
After approximately six years of piloting the Centers of Occupational Health & Education and conducting a comprehensive collaborative process with the Workers' Compensation Advisory Committee Healthcare Subcommittee, a proposal is being considered for future policy implications. Extensive program evaluation by the University of Washington and additional performance measures maintatined by L&I show this approach to increasing the use of occupational health best practices has been beneficial to workers, employers and healthcare providers. It is time to move forward with a deliberate and efficient plan to increase the use of occupational health best practices throughout Washington State.
Source: L&I/OHS 10/23/2008 (In Process)