A task force organized by the New York State Insurance Department has proposed a set of guidelines for treating workers injured on the job.

Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo said the plan, put in place as a result of the 2007 Workers' Compensation Reform Act, will help to hold down the cost of workers' compensation insurance.

The guidelines will focus on the treatment of injuries of the lower back, cervical spine, knee and shoulder. The Workers' Compensation Research Institute recently reported that such injuries account for nearly 60 percent of total medical costs in New York.

"Putting medical treatment guidelines in place will mean injured workers get faster and more effective medical care at a lower cost to employers," Dinallo said in a statement. "These guidelines will standardize treatments so injured workers get quality and appropriate care for their condition. Without guidelines, disputes and inappropriate treatments can lead to higher cost but not better care."

The proposal has been sent to the Workers' Compensation Board for consideration.

Officials said previously enacted changes in accordance with earlier legislation have resulted in an employer cost reduction for workers' compensation of more than 20 percent, a savings of about $1 billion per year. The reforms are expected to reduce the time required to resolve disputed workers' compensation claims by more than half, getting benefits to injured workers much more quickly.

The medical treatment guidelines were developed by the Insurance Department's Workers' Compensation Reform Task Force, headed by Executive Director Bruce Topman and Project Manager Dr. Elain Sobol Berger, and made up of representatives of labor, business and other state agencies.