“Low Back Pain: A Step-By-Step Guide to Better Outcomes,” moderated by MedRisk Chief Clinical and Product Officer Mary O’Donoghue, RN, will take place September 7 at 8 am during the California Workers Compensation & Risk Conference.
“Low back pain is a leading reason for workplace disability,” O’Donoghue says, in a media release from King of Prussia, Pa-based MedRisk. “It accounts for $100 billion in overall healthcare costs each year, and healthcare costs for people with back pain are 60 percent higher than those for people without it.”
During the session, scheduled to take place during the CWC & Risk Conference, to be held September 6 to 8 at the Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, Calif, panelists will discuss the latest research on LBP treatment, including the unintended consequences of prescribing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests for non-complicated cases.
They will also question whether MRIs can trigger psychosocial risk factors, including catastrophic thinking and disability beliefs. In addition, they will suggest ways to frame discussions with injured employees to avoid triggering psychosocial issues. Using case studies, panelists will weigh the pros and cons of conservative care and the value of an integrated, patient-centric approach to diagnosing and treating LBP.
Panelists who will participate in the presentation are: Angela DeBortoli, program manager, workers’ compensation, University of California; Jennifer Christian, MD, president and Chief Medical Officer of Webility Corporation; Michael Rosenthal, PT, San Diego State University; and Matthew Walsworth, MD, PT, an interventional radiologist, West Los Angeles VA medical and faculty member, University of California, Los Angeles, per the release.
[Source(s): MedRisk, Business Wire]
