Pain Killer-An Alternative for Claims Practitioners

It is often said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But what if there is no alternative?
For the management of pain, there has, for many years, been no alternative to conventional Pain Management Programmes. This is about to change.

Research undertaken by the US Pain Management Society reports "in over 50% of cases that were referred to a Pain Management Programme, benefits were reported in less than 40% of participants."

This would suggest that our current approach to Pain Management is broke and now is the time to fix it.

Claims Practitioners are busy people. Perhaps it is not surprising then, that, when a Pain Management Programme is recommended by a Case Manager, it is invariably applied. But, if the US experience is ours too, is it not time to try an alternative?

An alternative is now available. In fact, it has been available for thousands of years, but is now accessible to Claims Practitioners at a saving of one-third of the cost of current programmes.

Thanks to "modern" research, (commencing in 1924 with studies by Dr. Nuno Teixeira) an age old remedy for treating chronic pain has been brought to the attention of the wider medical community. Contained in the biogenic carbonate sands of the island of Porto Santo (off Madeira) are unique minerals which have, over the past 5 years, been subjected to extensive trials funded by Norwegian Insurers.

The trials have demonstrated that in up to 75% of cases, chronic pain has been successfully managed both in the short and longer term, enabling participants to return to work.

It is unusual in life for a win-win-win situation to present itself, but it has. If Claimants can experience a sustained period of pain free life, then they will be able to return to work, which, it is well known, is rehabilitative in itself. Once back at work, the work ethic can re-establish itself, avoiding the path of permanent absence and its associated cost to the Insurer.

What about the malingerer, I hear you say? Well, this is no remedy for the malingerer, but then nor is a conventional Pain Management Programme.

This week a large party of claimants sponsored by Norwegian Insurers will visit the Porto Santo clinic for a two week Programme. Lucky them, I hear you say. Lucky for the Insurers, too.

If your experience with existing Pain Management initiatives is providing all you could hope for, then clearly no alternative is necessary. If not, maybe its time to try that alternative.

Article Legal and Medical

Chronic Pain. Another Way

The chances are that, unless you suffer from Chronic Pain yourself, or care for someone that does, you probably do not give the matter much thought. A person who might, however, is the Claims Practitioner, who has a more than passing interest in the subject.

Speaking as a person who spent 20 years handling PI claims, I can empathise with the very difficult task of quantifying, for damages purposes, a notoriously unquantifiable condition.

So, where should we start in examining firstly, the nature of chronic pain, and, secondly, its relevance to the Claims Practitioner charged with the difficult task of bringing claims with this element, to a fair settlement?

Clearly, chronic pain is associated with many injuries and, therefore features in many claims for compensation, so how can this element of a claim be separated for further examination?

Firstly, a look at the problem from the point of view of its characteristics might be useful. Chronic pain is, of course, a most unfortunate consequence of injury, and words alone simply cannot describe the sensation and its debilitating impact on all aspects of life, post accident. One of the most significant characteristics of Chronic Pain is the devastating effect it has on the ability of the claimant to function normally, and depending on the degree of pain, to return to work.

Since the advent of Rehabilitation in the claims process, over the past 10 years or so, it has been necessary for the PI Claims Professional to look at the issue of Chronic Pain in a new light. The issue of pain becomes a subject, not simply of assessment for the purpose of damages, but as a crucial element in the Rehabilitation process, intended, wherever possible, to assist the claimant in retuning to work in one form of occupation or another.

Our second question is how Chronic Pain can be managed, an issue traditionally outside the immediate concern of the person charged with the assessment of damages, pre-Rehabilitation, but one very much of interest from the point of view of Return to Work and its impact on claims for loss of earnings.

So, having examined two aspects of Chronic Pain, what can we do about it, and how should we approach it? In the UK the conventional approach to managing chronic pain, within a rehabilitation programme, is the Pain Management Programme, typically comprising physiotherapy, exercise, prescribed drugs, and instruction to the individual and family on how to live with pain.

Whilst the content of these Programmes may not be the cause of surprise, what might be is the fact that there is, overwhelmingly, a lack of any evidence that these Programmes have a positive effect one of the main issues, namely, Return to Work. Indeed, research undertaken by the US Pain Society in 2006 concluded that "in only 50% of cases referred to Pain Management Programs, benefits of no more than 40% improvement were reported."

So, 50% of those referred to a Pain Management Programme received no benefit and 50% reported only some improvement. If we bought a new car and it started only half the time and worked to only 40% effectiveness when it did, might we consider using an alternative form of transport? Without doubt, we would.

Perhaps, then, it is time for another solution to present itself. Increasingly, people are looking towards alternative methods of treating health, and these include those who are affected by Chronic Pain. A major UK Insurer conducted extensive research on the impact of treatments elected by the claimant themselves as being suitable for treating pain, as opposed to the traditional, prescriptive methods. The conclusions were overwhelming. Those electing treatments which they believed would work for them achieved significantly better success rates than those following prescriptive treatment programmes. As a consequence, the Insurer adopts a policy of giving the claimant options within their regime of care, achieving reduced claims ratios as a direct result.

This Insurer, for one, has decided that, if the car doesn't work, then scrap it. In the arena of Chronic Pain, its effect on Return to Work and its impact on claims settlements, perhaps now is the time to seek a more effective alternative.

David Drew ACII is CEO of Chillout Rehabilitation Services,
www.chilloutrehabservices.com

Legal and medical article

Ends Words 711.

Cutting the Cost of Pain Management

The inward groan from the Claims Handler as yet another case needing a Pain Management Programme hit the desk was almost audible across the entire office. Of course it was necessary, the Case Manager was right, but why were the outcomes always so uncertain. What was the benefit, would it help the claimant return to work?

In these tough economic times, all claims costs and outcomes are under the spotlight. Timely, then, that a new Pain Management solution should emerge, with a saving of more than one third, on the cost of a conventional programme. Want to know more?

In April 2008 David Drew (ex Claims Manager) and Katherine Cooper, founders of Chillout Rehabilitation Services were invited to the Portuguese Embassy for a presentation of a remarkable new facility in Pain Management: A new Geomedicine Centre created by Dr Roberto Luis Monteiro, in Porto Santo, Madeira.

Dr Monteiro had developed a Pain Management Programme in which, under extensive clinical trials paid for by Scandanavian Insurance Companies, 75% of participants reported being pain free without their medication. Whilst some residual pain remained, considerable improvement was reported with no return to the intensity experienced before the treatments.

Now, here is the bit that’s new. Minerals contained in the sand of Porto Santo have high quantities of minerals essential to pain management and recovery from injury. Applied through the skin, under heat, the minerals replace those lost in the body with remarkable effectiveness. The minerals include calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and strontium and are particularly effective in managing back pain, neck pain, whiplash, RSI/HAV, Osteoarthritis, muscular skeletal and articular conditions. The sands are unique in Europe, and, not surprisingly, the Portuguese are not about to allow them to be taken off the island.

Can it be true, you ask? Well, the Portuguese are not known for jumping to rash conclusions, and the wealth of published information following the Clinical Trials paid for by Insurers involved in the research says, it is.

So, on the face of it, we have a Pain Management solution. But there’s more. If this process can aid recovery and/or manage pain successfully it will significantly increase the likelihood of a claimant returning to work. Good news for Insurers, good news for the claimant, good news for the economy. All this at an inclusive cost 1 third less than a typical conventional pain management programme, with all costs covered, including flights, treatments, transfers, accommodation, meals; partner or carer included.

Too good to be true? In these tough economic times, it has to be worth a look.

For more information and costings contact at

info@chilloutrehabservices.com

Or through their web site: www.chilloutrehabservices.com

David Drew ACII is co-founder of Chillout Rehabilitation Services.