Cusimano-Reaston MaryRose, Carney Brendan
IDI-DX, Inc.
Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2011;2011:7570-3. doi: 10.1109/IEMBS.2011.6091866.
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) often classified as sprains and strains to the low back, neck, shoulder or knee are the leading cost drivers in the workers compensation system. In 2009, soft tissue muscle injuries accounted for 40% of total injury cases requiring days away from work. The demand on U.S. employers to comply with all applicable mandates has exponentially increased as the regulatory landscape grows more complex evidenced by recent legislation from Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), American With Disability Act 2.0 and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Mandatory Reporting Act. Employers should revisit their return to work policies and engage in the interactive process to stay in compliance and avoid legal quagmire. EFA Soft Tissue Management (STM) is a comprehensive and compliant risk management program for objective diagnosis of work-related injuries that directs timely and proper allocation of resources to optimize injured worker (IW) outcomes. This bookend solution comparing pre- and post-loss data is a best practice to accurately determine between compensable acute workplace injury and exacerbation of a preexisting injury from chronic unrelated conditions. The EFA is an evidenced-based objective tool to assist in measuring functional status of the IW and make return to work determinations.
肌肉骨骼疾病（MSD）通常被归类为下背部、颈部、肩部或膝盖的扭伤和拉伤，是工伤赔偿系统中主要的成本驱动因素。2009年，软组织肌肉损伤占需要休假的总伤害案例的40%。随着监管环境变得更加复杂，美国雇主遵守所有适用规定的要求呈指数级增长，这一点从平等就业机会委员会（EEOC）、《美国残疾人法案2.0》以及医疗保险和医疗补助服务中心（CMS）强制报告法案等近期立法中可见一斑。雇主应重新审视其重返工作岗位政策，并参与互动过程以保持合规，避免陷入法律困境。EFA软组织管理（STM）是一个全面且合规的风险管理项目，用于对与工作相关的伤害进行客观诊断，指导及时、合理地分配资源，以优化受伤工人（IW）的康复效果。这种比较损失前后数据的首尾解决方案是一种最佳实践，可准确判断工伤赔偿范围内的急性工作场所伤害与慢性无关疾病导致的既往损伤加重情况。EFA是一种基于证据的客观工具，可协助评估受伤工人的功能状态并做出重返工作岗位的决定。
