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April 25, 2024
California Department of Industrial Relations and Cal/OSHA Will Honor Workers’ Memorial Day at Four Events in California on April 28th-29th 2024. Cal/OSHA Joining Partners in Arcadia, Richmond, San Diego and San Francisco.

April 23, 2024
California Division of Workers' Compensation Launches Online Portal for Submission of QME Medical-Legal Reports

April 22, 2024
California Division of Workers’ Compensation Posts Updated Time of Hire Notice

April 22, 2024
Sullivan on Comp Launches ChatSOC. It's an Innovative Chatbot for California Workers' Compensation Professionals Integrated with an Authoritative Legal Treatise

The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) is pleased to announce the release of the fourth edition of thePhysician’s Guide to Medical Practice in the California Workers’ Compensation System. This comprehensive guide helps physicians and other health care providers dispense optimal care to injured workers.

“The physician’s guide was last revised in 2001, and much has happened in the last 15 years,” said DWC Acting Administrative Director George Parisotto. “The guide provides up-to-date information that will help practitioners apply the reforms set forth in SB 863.”

“Physician understanding of the workers’ compensation system is critical to helping deliver appropriate care to injured workers," said DWC Acting Executive Medical Director Dr. Raymond Meister.

The manual contains 16 chapters, revising material from the third edition and providing new chapters on the following subjects:

• Parties to the System
• Benefits and Payments to Employees
• Reports and Timelines in the System
• Evidence-Based Medicine and the MTUS
• Utilization Review and IMR
• Physician Payment and the OMFS

The Physician’s Guide is intended as an educational and reference tool to supplement the reader’s professional experience. While intended primarily for treating providers, others in the workers’ compensation community may also find the information helpful, particularly Qualified Medical Evaluators (QMEs) and those preparing for the QME certification exam.

The physician’s guide is posted on the DWC website.

California Department of Industrial Relations, www.dir.ca.gov