Montana to implement ACOEM's APG-I on-line practice guideline system

Montana's Department of Labor and Industry has announced that it will implement a system of Utilization and Treatment Guidelines using the on-line infrastructure and selected content provided by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

ACOEM's APG-I system, which offers state-of-the-art information technology to help physicians access practice guideline information on line, will serve as the core delivery system for Montana's Utilization and Treatment Guidelines. ACOEM will develop a custom integration of the Colorado Medical Treatment Guidelines and additional information from ACOEM's extensive Occupational Medicine Practice Guidelines, Third Edition, which is due to be published later this year.

The development of utilization and treatment guidelines for workers has been underway in Montana for nearly two years, with the state conducting an extensive review of top national guidelines and delivery systems. Among the vendors who proposed to build the custom integration, ACOEM received the highest scores, according to Montana officials.

"Montana put an emphasis on choosing a developer with a strong track record and commitment to evidence-based methodology in creating its guidelines," said ACOEM President Natalie Hartenbaum, MD. "We're proud of our work over more than a decade in providing guidelines for occupational physicians and are delighted to be entering this new partnership with Montana."

ACOEM's APG-I system allows a cost-effective, customized web application to be developed specifically for Montana, bringing the state an individualized web-publishing technology foundation to serve the current and future needs of Montana physicians, insurers, employers, and other individuals and organizations involved in health and safety in the workplace. This freely available web site is expected to be released later this year.

SOURCE American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM)