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Workers Compensation Fee Schedules Win Again – WCRI’s Free Study

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Workers Compensation Fee Schedules = Less Costly Claims and Premiums

Virtually all Workers Compensation Fee Schedules cut comp costs across the board.  Check out this search for fee schedules articles on this website.   WCRI  just published a massive study on workers compensation fee schedules. The study covers 87% of the workers comp benefits paid  in the US.

pic of student studying workers compensation fee schedules
Public Use License Wikimedia Gnarlycraig

WCRI Says Freebies On This One

Dr. Rebecca Yang and Dr. Olesya Fomenko’s extremely comprehensive study covers 35 states. These two researchers are data geniuses along with all the staff at WCRI.

For many years (over 11) I have written numerous articles on fee schedules.  Why?- because they are governmental interventions that usually totally works to reduce the cost to employers, carriers, and all other parties.   Next week,  I will cover the hidden side of fee schedules that are just as important. 

Virginia just enacted a fee schedule.  For some reason, I thought Virginia would never have a fee schedule.  Some tweaks will likely be needed for their fee schedule.

From the WCRI press release and website:

The study, WCRI Medical Price Index for Workers’ Compensation, 10th Edition (MPI-WC), compares medical prices paid in 35 states and tracks price changes in most states over a 10-year span from 2008 to 2017 for professional services billed by physicians, physical therapists, and chiropractors. The medical services fall into eight groups: evaluation and management, physical medicine, surgery, major radiology, minor radiology, neurological testing, pain management injections, and emergency care.

One interesting development pointed out by WCRI is the following states had major fee schedule changes:

  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Illinois
  • Kentucky
  • Massachusetts
  • North Carolina
  • Texas.
Woman workers compensation fee schedules using computer
by StockUnlimited

The rating bureaus such as NCCI (most of nation) and WCIRB (California) both provided numerous articles on fee schedules reducing costs.

The following is a sample of the WCRI study’s findings: (directly from their website)

  • Prices paid for a similar set of professional services varied significantly across states, ranging from 26 percent below the 35-state median in Florida to 158 percent above the 35-state median in Wisconsin in 2017.
  • States with no fee schedules for professional services had higher prices paid compared with states with fee schedules—39 to 168 percent higher than the median of the study states with fee schedules in 2017.
  • Changes in prices paid for professional services exhibited variation across states, spanning between a 17 percent decrease in Illinois and a 39 percent increase in Wisconsin over the time period from 2008 to 2017.
  • Most states with no fee schedules experienced faster growth in prices paid for professional services compared with states with fee schedules—the median growth rate among the non-fee schedule states was 30 percent from 2008 to 2017, compared with the median growth rate of 6 percent among the fee schedule states.

I think we can draw a direct conclusion from the studies by NCCI, WCIRB, and especially WCRI.   States can only help themselves by enacting and properly adjusting their workers compensation fee schedules.

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James J Moore - Workers Comp Expert

Raleigh, NC, United States

About The Author...

James founded a Workers’ Compensation consulting firm, J&L Risk Management Consultants, Inc. in 1996. J&L’s mission is to reduce our clients’ Workers Compensation premiums by using time-tested techniques. J&L’s claims, premium, reserve and Experience Mod reviews have saved employers over $9.8 million in earned premiums over the last three years. J&L has saved numerous companies from bankruptcy proceedings as a result of insurance overpayments.

James has over 27 years of experience in insurance claims, audit, and underwriting, specializing in Workers’ Compensation. He has supervised, and managed the administration of Workers’ Compensation claims, and underwriting in over 45 states. His professional experience includes being the Director of Risk Management for the North Carolina School Boards Association. He created a very successful Workers’ Compensation Injury Rehabilitation Unit for school personnel.

James’s educational background, which centered on computer technology, culminated in earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA); an Associate in Claims designation (AIC); and an Associate in Risk Management designation (ARM). He is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and a licensed financial advisor. The NC Department of Insurance has certified him as an insurance instructor. He also possesses a Bachelors’ Degree in Actuarial Science.

LexisNexis has twice recognized his blog as one of the Top 25 Blogs on Workers’ Compensation. J&L has been listed in AM Best’s Preferred Providers Directory for Insurance Experts – Workers Compensation for over eight years. He recently won the prestigious Baucom Shine Lifetime Achievement Award for his volunteer contributions to the area of risk management and safety. James was recently named as an instructor for the prestigious Insurance Academy.

James is on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the North Carolina Mid-State Safety Council. He has published two manuals on Workers’ Compensation and three different claims processing manuals. He has also written and has been quoted in numerous articles on reducing Workers’ Compensation costs for public and private employers. James publishes a weekly newsletter with 7,000 readers.

He currently possess press credentials and am invited to various national Workers Compensation conferences as a reporter.

James’s articles or interviews on Workers’ Compensation have appeared in the following publications or websites:

  • Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
  • Entrepreneur Magazine
  • Bloomberg Business News
  • WorkCompCentral.com
  • Claims Magazine
  • Risk & Insurance Magazine
  • Insurance Journal
  • Workers Compensation.com
  • LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites
  • Various trade publications

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