Press Releases

 Cambridge, MA (PRWEB) October 26, 2015

Join Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) executive director, Dr. John Ruser, and Dr. Jon Lurie of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice for a one-hour webinar on Thursday, Nov. 12 , 2015 at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT, 12 noon MT, and 11 a.m. PT) to discuss geographic variation in surgery rates.

Dr. Ruser will discuss major findings from WCRI’s study, Why Surgery Rates Vary, which identified factors associated with variation across local areas in the probability that an injured worker receives back surgery for work-related back pain. Among the study’s many findings are that more surgery-intensive local practice norms, higher reimbursement rates for surgery, and more surgeons in an area each independently were associated with higher likelihoods that an injured worker had back surgery.

Dr. Lurie will discuss the Dartmouth Atlas Project’s research on variations in how medical resources are distributed and used in the United States using Medicare data to provide information and analysis about national, regional, and local markets, as well as hospitals and their affiliated physicians. This research can help policymakers, the media, health care analysts and others improve their understanding of our health care system and forms the foundation for many of the ongoing efforts to improve health and health systems across America.

Things you will learn:

        What factors are associated with the likelihood that an injured worker undergoes surgery for back pain?
        Is the number of surgeons in a local area associated with surgery rates?
        Did surgeons perform more surgery on injured workers in areas where surgeons were paid relatively more by workers’ compensation payors to do back surgery?
        What impact does access to nonsurgical, alternative medicine (as proxied by the number of chiropractors in the area) have on back surgery rates?
        What impact do physician and patient preferences (i.e., enthusiasm for the procedure, etc.) have on surgery rates?
        What is shared decision-making and what impact does it have on whether a patient gets surgery?

Attendance is limited to 100 people and all attendees receive a free copy of the slides. Webinars are $39 for WCRI members; $79 for non-members; and no charge for members of the press, legislators as well as their staff, and state public officials who make policy decisions impacting their state’s workers’ compensation system. Click on the following link to register now: https://goo.gl/indc8q.

ABOUT WCRI:

The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization based in Cambridge, MA. Organized in late 1983, the Institute does not take positions on the issues it researches; rather, it provides information obtained through studies and data collection efforts, which conform to recognized scientific methods. Objectivity is further ensured through rigorous, unbiased peer review procedures. WCRI's diverse membership includes employers; insurers; governmental entities; managed care companies; health care providers; insurance regulators; state labor organizations; and state administrative agencies in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.