MEDICAL PRICES AND GROWTH IN INDIANA'S WORKERS' COMPENSATION SYSTEM AMONG THE HIGHEST IN WCRI'S
MEDICAL PRICE INDEX

Cambridge, MA, November 11, 2011 – According to a recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), Indiana had the third highest prices paid among the 25 states studied and growth nearly 30 percent over 9 years.

The study, Medical Price Index for Workers’ Compensation, Third Edition (MPI-WC), shows that the price for non-hospital services in Indiana in 2010 was the third highest of the 25 study states, more than 50 percent higher than the typical prices paid in the study states with fee schedule regulation. The nearly 30 percent growth in Indiana was much faster than the typical growth rate of 11 percent in states with fee schedules.

“If you are a policy maker or other stakeholder in Indiana and want to understand the growth of medical prices for injured workers in your state as well as how that compares to other states, this is the tool for you,” said Ramona Tanabe, WCRI Counsel and Deputy Director.

The MPI-WC tracks medical prices paid in 25 large states from calendar year 2002 through June 2010 for non-hospital, non-facility services billed by physicians, physical therapists, and chiropractors. The medical services fall into eight major groups: evaluation and management, physical medicine, surgery, major radiology, minor radiology, neurological testing, pain management injections, and emergency care.

The 25 states included in the MPI-WC, which represent more than three quarters of the workers' compensation benefits paid in the United States, are: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Click here to download a free copy of this report.

ABOUT WCRI:

The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization based in Cambridge, MA. Since 1983, WCRI has been a catalyst for significant improvements in workers' compensation systems around the world with its objective, credible, and high-quality research. WCRI's members include employers; insurers; governmental entities; managed care companies; health care providers; insurance regulators; state labor organizations; and state administrative agencies in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.