. 2007 Nov 21;23(1):37–44. doi: 10.1007/s11606-007-0440-9

Table 1.

Inclusion Criteria for Guidelines Receiving Further Evaluation

Criterion	Definition	Source
A guideline	“Systematically developed statements that assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances.”	Based on literature⁹
Evidence-based, peer-reviewed	Interpreted to mean based, at a minimum, on a systematic review of literature published in medical journals included in MEDLINE	Specified in legislation¹⁶^–¹⁸
Nationally recognized	Interpreted to mean accepted by the National Guidelines Clearinghouse; published in a peer-reviewed U.S. medical journal; developed, endorsed, or disseminated by an organization based in two or more U.S. states; currently used by one or more U.S. state governments; or in wide use in two or more U.S. states	Specified in legislation¹⁶^–¹⁸
Cover common and costly tests and therapies for disorders of spine, arm, and leg	Guidelines that covered several of the most common and costly tests and therapies in the California workers’ compensation system: magnetic resonance imaging of the spine, spinal injections, spinal surgery, physical therapy, chiropractic manipulation, surgery for nerve compression syndromes, shoulder surgery, and knee surgery¹⁹	Selected with policymakers²⁰
Reviewed or updated at least every 3 yrs	Reviewed or updated between June 2001 and June 2004, and we confirmed a plan for updating at 3-yr intervals or less	Based on literature,⁴³ selected with policymakers²⁰
Developed by a multidisciplinary clinical team	A clinical team including at least 3 major types of providers that care for injured workers	Based on literature,⁹^,¹¹ selected with policymakers²⁰
Cost less than $500 per individual user in California		Developed with policymakers²⁰