§ 9792.24.2. Chronic Pain Medical Treatment Guidelines.

(a) The Chronic Pain Medical Treatment Guidelines (May, 2009), consisting of two parts, are adopted and incorporated by reference into the MTUS. Part 1 is entitled Introduction. Part 2 is entitled Pain Interventions and Treatments. These guidelines replace Chapter 6 of the ACOEM Practice Guidelines, 2nd Edition (2004). Where the clinical topic sections of the MTUS in the series of sections commencing with 9792.23.1 et seq., make reference to Chapter 6 or when there is a reference to the “pain chapter,” or “pain assessment,” the chronic pain medical treatment guidelines will apply instead of Chapter 6. A copy of the chronic pain medical treatment guidelines may be obtained from the Medical Unit, Division of Workers' Compensation, P.O. Box 71010, Oakland, CA 94612-1486, or from the DWC web site at http://www.dwc.ca.gov.

(b) The chronic pain medical treatment guidelines apply when the patient has chronic pain as determined by following the clinical topics.

(c) When a patient is diagnosed with chronic pain and the treatment for the condition is covered in the clinical topics sections but is not addressed in the chronic pain medical treatment guidelines, the clinical topics section applies to that treatment.

(d) When the treatment is addressed in both the chronic pain medical treatment guidelines and the specific guideline found in the clinical topics section of the MTUS, the chronic pain medical treatment guideline shall apply.

(e) Appendix D -Chronic Pain Medical Treatment Guidelines-Division of Workers' Compensation and Official Disability Guidelines References (May, 2009) -is incorporated by reference into the MTUS as supplemental part of the Chronic Pain Medical Treatment Guidelines. A copy of Appendix D may be obtained from the Medical Unit, Division of Workers' Compensation, P.O. Box 71010, Oakland, CA 94612-1486, or from the DWC web site at http://www.dwc.ca.gov.

HISTORY

1. New section filed 6-18-2009; operative 7-18-2009 (Register 2009, No. 25).

2. Editorial correction of operative date in History 1 (Register 2009, No. 30).

Note

Note: Authority cited: Sections 133, 4603.5, 5307.3 and 5307.27, Labor Code. Reference: Sections 77.5, 4600, 4604.5 and 5307.27, Labor Code.