Impact of clinical quality on employee choice of providers for workers' compensation-related medical care.

Abstract

The study examined the relationship between onsite occupational health practice characteristics, provider choice, and workers' compensation outcome metrics. Cross-sectional survey of 140 medical center occupational health clinics within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Multivariate regression models examined how specific clinical quality factors influenced provider choice and workers' compensation measures. Several practice characteristics were associated with higher rates of in-house care selection-longer hours of operation, greater availability of workers' compensation-related medical services, clinic administration by a board certified physician, physician tenure, and adherence to clinical practice guidelines. Access to onsite, occupational and environmental medicine certified physician-directed care was associated with reductions in disability duration among injured healthcare workers. These findings suggest that occupational medicine board certification can positively impact provider choice among fully insured patients, which may have implications for other healthcare systems.