Seattle - Qualis Health announced today the award of a contract by California's Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC), to provide the state with workers' compensation utilization review investigation services.

Under the direction of the DWC, Qualis Health's care management staff will investigate the responses of utilization review organizations (UROs) to provider treatment requests to help ensure injured workers are receiving treatment that is medically necessary. Qualis Health will examine the timeliness of review determinations, as well as the content and distribution of associated notices, as a part of its investigation. Randomly selected cases will also be evaluated to ensure compliance with the applicable California codes that regulate workers' compensation utilization review processes.

"We believe that this new contract will allow us to help the DWC fulfill its mission to minimize the adverse impact of work-related injuries on California employees and employers," said Qualis Health's President and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan R. Sugarman, MD, MPH. "The contract also builds upon our workers' compensation expertise while demonstrating our skill in improving utilization review programs and processes."

Qualis Health, which is accredited by the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC) in health utilization management, case management and independent review, has provided comprehensive care management services for 33 years to clients such as employers, health plans, trusts, third party administrators, workers' compensation organizations and government agencies. Qualis Health currently covers nearly four million lives nationally with its suite of care management products.