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For a law firm in Great Falls, their specialty lies in dealing with workmen's compensation cases and they criticized a particular report that originated from the legislature's Audit Committee on the state Workmen's Compensation Division. On a yearly basis, the state agency spends millions of dollars to pay workers for job related illness and injury and this is why there is a document serving to contend the audit which focused too much on the unfavorable aspects of their operations. What this audit report contained are allegations of abuses by division officials, lawyers, and doctors in the handling of workmen's compensation cases. It is the author of a pamphlet which was submitted to the legislature's Select Committee on Workmen's Compensation which is also part of this firm as a lawyer. According to him and another lawyer, the report should have concentrated more on finding ways to help working men and women. The Workmen's Compensation audit is an intensive...

Study Design: Data were reviewed from the Ohio Bureau of Workman's Compensation (BWC) files. Statistics from 1998 through 2002 were reviewed to determine trends in health care case reviewing and the effect on overall costs. Objectives: To determine the reason for a rise in the cost of care in the aforementioned system, and its relationship to decreased use of chiropractic providers. Summary of Background Data: In 1998, the Ohio BWC began using a health care review system, which statistically has been shown to gear "back pain patients," specifically chronic pain patients, away from chiropractic providers. Data reviewed showed a significant increase in prescription drug costs, vocational rehabilitation costs and hospital costs, with a minor increase in medical provider costs. Methods: Data were collected from Ohio BWC statistics. Presented at the "Symposium on Rising Health-Care Cost" in January 2003. Results: Over a four-year period (1998-2002), the general cost ...