THE SUCCESS OF THE WASHINGTON-DEPARTMENT-OF-LABOR AND INDUSTRIES-MANAGED-CARE PILOT PROJECT - THE OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE-BASED DELIVERY MODEL

The Washington State Managed Care Pilot Project (MCP) tested the effec ts of experience-rated capitation on medical and disability costs, qua lity of care, worker satisfaction with medical care, and employer sati sfaction in MCP-covered workers, compared with matched fee-for-service controls, In the MCP, medical costs were reduced by approximately 27% , functional outcomes remained the same, workers were less satisfied w ith their treatment and access to care initially, and employers were m uch more satisfied with the quality and speed of the information recei ved from the providers, The authors believe that it was the occupation al medicine-based delivery model, working in conjunction with the meth od of reimbursement and the cultural context of managed care, that was the most significant innovation leading to the MCP successes, This ar ticle describes the occupational medicine-based delivery model impleme nted for the MCP.