After a 16-month pilot, Insurance & Care NSW (icare) has adopted guidelines to help injured people return to work more quickly.

The Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) use evidence-based methodology that enables icare to make faster decisions, streamline medical treatment and provide support.

Chief Medical Officer Chris Colquhoun says the guidelines will align with icare’s new claims model, to be introduced in January.

He says the ODG “will ensure injured workers receive the optimal treatment they need as soon as possible. It will also more accurately identify the right level of support a worker needs to get back to work in good physical and mental health.”

The guidelines have been tested and customised using “de-identified” NSW claims-specific data and Australian health-related codes, to ensure they fit into the Australian context.

Insurers and other jurisdictions have also reported positive experiences with the pilot.

icare is the first workers’ compensation scheme operator to use the guidelines.