Next Step Medical Advisory Program

Success Story #2

Three year old case with no documentation of increased function

• 55 year-old Male, non-English speaking, Diabetic

• Date Referred to Next Step: 2009
• Date of injury: August 14, 2007

• Body Part Effected: Lumbar Spine

• Current Condition: Requiring walker, multiple medications

• New Symptoms: Rapid muscle wasting and weakness of both lower extremities and chronic low back pain

• New Treatment: Primary treating physician prescribes doses of opioids to combat lower back pain. Diagnosis of rapid muscle wasting is unknown. Physician recommends aggressive invasive procedures.

• Obstacles: Old case without recent progress, poly pharmacy, chronic musculoskeletal pain, new symptoms, recommendations for new invasive procedures

• Outcomes: Case is accurately diagnosed, injured worker is accurately treated, back pain is cared for by Workers’ Compensation and medical costs saved due to accurate diagnosis and determination that rapid, progressive muscle wasting was not secondary to the work injury.

Cost of Savings due to Next StepIntervention:
Cost of Spinal Surgery - $55,000 - $120,000