As seen on cnbc.com
Publication Date: June 26, 2008

CMR's study, "Back Surgery: A Costly Fortune 500 Burden," found one out of three workers recommended for back surgery by their doctor said they avoided an unnecessary procedure after being given independent, high-quality medical research on their diagnosis and treatment options. In addition, those patients who refused surgery and opted for alternative and less invasive procedures to treat their back pain reported healthier and more personally satisfying outcomes.

As seen in Austin Business Journal
Publication Date: June 26, 2008

Fortune 500 companies spend $500 million a year on workers' back surgeries and lose as much as $1.5 billion in productivity, according to a study released this week. Many of those surgeries are avoidable by giving injured workers more information on their treatment options, according to Pembroke-based Consumer's Medical Resource (CMR), the company that conducted the study.

As seen in Buffalo Business Journal
Publication Date: June 26, 2008

A study says that many surgeries are avoidable by giving injured workers more information on their treatment options, according to Pembroke, Massachusetts-based Consumer’s Medical Resource, the company that conducted the study. The study was conducted through survey responses and interviews with 300 injured workers of Fortune 500 companies.

As seen in Atlanta Business Chronicle
Publication Date: June 25, 2008

Fortune 500 companies spend $500 million a year on workers' back surgeries and lose as much as $1.5 billion in productivity, according to a study released Tuesday.

Many of those surgeries are avoidable by giving injured workers more information on their treatment options, according to Pembroke, Mass.-based Consumer's Medical Resource (CMR). The study was conducted through survey responses and interviews with 300 injured workers of Fortune 500 companies.

As seen in reuters.com
Publication Date: June 24, 2008

Fortune 500s spend over $500 million a year on avoidable back surgeries for their workers and lose as much as $1.5 billion in indirect costs associated with these procedures in the form of missed work and lost productivity, according to a two-year study by Consumer's Medical Resource (CMR).

"Our research concludes Fortune 500 companies are wasting $500 million each year from more than 13,000 unnecessary back surgeries performed on their employees in the U.S. each year," David Hines, president of CMR, said in a statement.

As seen on boston.com
Publication Date: June 24, 2008

"Our research concludes Fortune 500 companies are wasting $500 million each year from more than 13,000 unnecessary back surgeries performed on their employees in the U.S. each year," said David Hines, president and founder of CMR. "Productivity losses associated with back surgery indicate the figure is exponentially higher. We estimate these companies are losing $1.5 billion in worker productivity, as well."

As seen in Business Insurance
Publication Date: March 24, 2008

Seeking ways to improve the efficiency of health care benefits, benefit managers are requiring health care providers to commit to a range of performance guarantees and customize their product offerings. Providers of health care products and services say they welcome tough requests from their employer clients, but they also say clients should have reasonable expectations and be ready to partner with their vendors to achieve their health care objectives.

Employers must have reasonable expectations for return on investment. David Hines, president of Pembroke, Massachusetts-based Consumer's Medical Resource (CMR), expressed concern about vendors that make unrealistic promises on the cost benefits of their programs, such as achieving a 7:1 return on investment.

"I don’t believe that those numbers are real," said Mr. Hines, who company provides decision support services. "I think that doesn't serve (vendors) well and it doesn't serve customers well."

As seen in Business Insurance
Publication Date: March 10, 2008

Companies that advise employees are gaining popularity among benefits managers for their ability to empower employees to take control over health care decisions while avoiding costly, unnecessary or inadequate treatment. When employees call Consumer's Medical Resource (CMR) with questions or concerns about a medical condition, it researches the condition or treatment plan and creates a package of information sent directly to the patient rather than interacting with their doctor or reviewing their medical records.

"We're trying to change the way employees participate in health care decisions throughout the health care process," said David Hines, president of the Pembroke, Mass-based company. With the information they receive, employees "now feel they're back in the driver's seat and they're able to participate with their doctors in a meaningful way.”

In 2006, 19% of the people who called CMR for information changed treatment procedures to follow best practices, 16% changed doctors, 10% discontinued some form of care while 2% found out they were misdiagnosed, Mr. Hines said.