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New WCRI
Publications
Comparing Outcomes for Injured Workers
in Michigan
When compared to
ten other states, we found that Michigan provided a better value
proposition for employers and injured workers. Employers paid lower
than average medical costs per claim with more than 7 days of lost
time and workers reported outcomes that were generally in the middle
of the group of 11 states.
The
study compared Michigan with other study states in the areas of
recovery of health and functioning, return to work, and access to
and satisfaction with health care. The other states in the study are
California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.
read the
abstract
order this report
Did the Florida Reforms Reduce Attorney Involvement?
One of
the most controversial provisions of the 2003 Florida reforms was
the change in how workers’ attorneys fees were computed.
A
pre-publication version of this report that contained the final
results was made available to policymakers and stakeholders prior to
legislative hearings on the recently passed bill that addressed
attorney fee issues raised in the Murray decision.
In
Emma Murray v. Mariner Health and Ace USA, the petitioners
argued that the 2003 reforms made it very difficult for workers to
hire attorneys, especially in cases that would generate small
attorney fees. This study provides new evidence on this
question.
read the abstract
download the free PDF
Information Requested by
Medicare to Support Decision-making on Medicare
Secondary Payer Regulations
A
new WCRI FlashReport, prepared in response to a
request for information from the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services/Office of Financial
Management (CMS/OFM) provides information about the
size of medical payments per workers' compensation
claim. This information was requested to inform a
decision for setting a threshold for the mandatory
reporting requirements from claims organizations for
Section 111 of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP
Extension Act of 2007.
download the free PDF
Recent Research
Updated Baseline for Evaluating the Impact of the
2007 Reforms in New York
This report provides updated baseline performance
metrics for the benefit delivery system in New York
prior to the reforms, reporting on the immediate
pre-reform period.
More than 75
baseline measures are reported, spanning a variety of areas that are
frequently the focus of public policy debates:
·
Time
from injury to notice of injury and first payment.
·
Benefit payments and claim costs.
·
Benefit delivery expenses and attorney involvement.
·
Duration of disability.
·
Nature and cost of medical care provided to injured workers.
abstract
order this report
CompScope™ Benchmarks,
9th Edition
Published annually, CompScope™ Benchmark studies provide policymakers
and others with a tool to monitor changes in state trends and system
performance by providing detailed benchmark information on two
questions:
How does the performance of a state system compare with that of
other states? How is a state system changing over time?
CompScope™ provides the most meaningful comparisons currently
available for more than 60 system performance measures for fourteen
large states (California,
Florida,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Louisiana,
Maryland,
Massachusetts,
Michigan,
North Carolina,
Pennsylvania,
Tennessee,
Texas, and
Wisconsin). The study uses data
from claims from injury years 2001 through 2006, evaluated as of
mid-2007 from WCRI’s Detailed Benchmarking/Evaluation (DBE) database
containing over 25 million claims.
To
order a state report, click on the state name above.
WCRI
Medical Price Index for Workers' Compensation, Second Edition
(MPI-WC)
This study quantifies trends in workers' compensation medical price
inflation, providing a useful tool that annually will help decision
makers track price trends and evaluate the effectiveness of public
policy initiatives. The index not only tracks changes in prices over
time within a state, but makes interstate comparisons in actual
prices paid for the latest year (in this edition, 2006).
Download the free PDF
Interstate Variations in Medical Practice Patterns for Low Back
Conditions
Annually in the United States, over $15 billion is spent for the
treatment of low back related pain and disorders, and approximately
15 percent of the costs in workers’ compensation medical care are
for low back pain cases. Overall, we found workers with similar low
back conditions received very different patterns of care, depending
on the state. In addition, we identified several areas of service
and a number of states where the patterns of care were inconsistent
with evidence-based treatment guidelines.
read the abstract
order this report |
WCRI CompScope™
Briefings Scheduled This Spring
WCRI researchers will present key findings from WCRI’s benchmark
studies, including new CompScope™ Medical Benchmarks, during
April–June in twelve states: California, Florida, Illinois,
Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.
WCRI
benchmark studies provide the objective data that can serve as a
framework for decisions about workers’ compensation, whether you are
handling claims, involved
in strategic decisions, or examining medical costs, prices and
utilization of the medical care provided to injured workers.
For information on dates and locations, go to
Conferences &
Seminars.
In the News
WCRI's recent media releases
Articles referencing WCRI research.
The
New York Times
For Injured
Workers, a Costly Legal Swamp
The
hurt workers wait on benches at the Queens office of the New York
State Workers’ Compensation Board.
full
article
Risk & Insurance
Workers'
Compensation Rates to Drop by Nearly 6 Percent,
Officials Say
Employers in Oregon will pay nearly 6 percent less on average for
workers' compensation coverage in 2009, according to the state's
Department of Consumer and Business Services.
full article
WCRI Mailing List
Would you like to be notified when a new study is published, a web
briefing is being offered, a public briefing is scheduled, or new
information on our conference is available? Join WCRI's
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