Wisconsin Administrative Code › Department of Workforce Development › DWD 80-81 - Worker's Compensation › Chapter DWD 81 - Worker's compensation treatment guidelines › Section DWD 81.03 - Definitions

Current through June 24, 2024
Unless otherwise provided, in this chapter:
(1) "Active treatment" means treatment
				specified in ss.
				DWD
				81.06(4),
				81.07(4),
				81.08(4),
				81.09(4), and
				81.10(2) that
				requires active patient participation in a therapeutic program to increase
				flexibility, strength, endurance, or awareness of proper body
				mechanics.
(2) "Chronic pain" means
				complaint of persistent pain beyond 12 weeks of appropriate treatment provided
				under this chapter. It is persistent with verbal and nonverbal pain behaviors
				that exceed the identifiable pathology and medical condition. It is pain that
				interferes with physical, psychological, social, or vocational
				functioning.
(3) "Condition" means
				the symptoms, physical signs, clinical findings, and functional status that
				characterize a person's complaint, illness, or injury related to a current
				claim for compensation.
(4) "Day"
				means calendar day.
(5) "Emergency
				treatment" means treatment that is required for the immediate diagnosis and
				treatment of a medical condition that, if not immediately diagnosed and
				treated, could lead to serious physical or mental disability or death, or is
				immediately necessary to alleviate severe pain. Emergency treatment includes
				treatment delivered in response to symptoms that may or may not represent an
				actual emergency but that is necessary to determine whether an emergency
				exists.
(6) "Etiology" means the
				anatomic alteration, physiologic dysfunction, or other biological or
				psychological abnormality that is considered a cause of the patient's
				condition.
(7) "Functional status"
				means the ability of an individual to engage in activities of daily living and
				other social, recreational, and vocational activities.
(8) "Initial nonsurgical management or
				treatment" is initial treatment provided after an injury that includes passive
				treatment, active treatment, injections, and durable medical equipment under
				ss.
				DWD 81.06(3), (4), (5), and
				(8), and
				81.07(3), (4), (5),
				(8), and
				81.08(3), (4),
				(5), (8), and
				81.09(3), (4), (5),
				(8), and
				81.10(2). Scheduled
				and nonscheduled medication may be a part of initial nonsurgical treatment.
				Initial nonsurgical management does not include surgery or chronic management
				modalities under s.
				DWD
				81.13.
(9)
				"Medical imaging procedure" is a technique, process, or technology used to
				create a visual image of the body or its function. Medical imaging includes
				X-rays, tomography, angiography, venography, myelography, computed tomography
				scanning, magnetic resonance imaging scanning, ultrasound imaging, nuclear
				isotope imaging, positron emission tomography scanning, and
				thermography.
(10) "Medically
				necessary treatment" means those health services for a compensable injury that
				are reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis and to cure or relieve a
				condition consistent with any applicable treatment guidelines in this chapter.
				If ss.
				DWD
				81.04 to do not 81.13 apply, the treatment must be
				reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis and to cure or relieve a condition
				consistent with the current accepted standards of practice within the scope of
				the provider's license or certification.
(11) "Neurologic deficit" means a loss of
				function secondary to involvement of the central or peripheral nervous system.
				This includes motor loss; spasticity; loss of reflex; radicular or anatomic
				sensory loss; loss of bowel, bladder or erectile function; impairment of
				special senses, including vision, hearing, taste, or smell; or deficits in
				cognitive or memory function.
(12)
				"Progressive neurologic deficit" means any neurologic deficit that has become
				worse by history or been noted by repeated examination since onset.
(13) "Passive treatment" is any treatment
				modality specified in ss.
				DWD
				81.06(3),
				81.07(3),
				81.08(3),
				81.09(3), and
				81.10(2). Passive
				treatment modalities include bedrest, thermal treatment, traction, acupuncture,
				electrical muscle stimulation, braces, manual and mechanical therapy, massage,
				and adjustments.
(14) "Static
				neurologic deficit" means any neurologic deficit that has remained the same by
				history or been noted by repeated examination since onset.
(15) "Therapeutic injection" is any injection
				modality specified in ss.
				DWD
				81.06(5),
				81.07(5),
				81.08(5),
				81.09(5), and
				81.10(2). Therapeutic
				injections include trigger point injections, sacroiliac injections, facet joint
				injections, facet nerve blocks, nerve root blocks, epidural injections, soft
				tissue injections, peripheral nerve blocks, injections for peripheral nerve
				entrapment, and sympathetic blocks.
(16) "Week" means calendar week.