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Overview of Workers’ Compensation Claims Composition—A WCRI FlashReport

This new WCRI FlashReport provides comprehensive information for system stakeholders to evaluate shifts in claim characteristics from 2017 to 2022, a period of notable economic and workforce disruptions in the United States. The study provides a series of tables and graphs that characterize claims in terms of age, gender, and tenure at the time of injury, as well as the distribution of injuries… Read More >>

Interstate Variation and Trends in Workers’ Compensation Drug Payments, 5th Edition—A WCRI FlashReport

This study provides a high-level view of the changing costs of prescription drugs in workers’ compensation in recent years through the first quarter of 2023 across 28 states. It categorizes prescription drugs into several key groups (dermatological agents, NSAIDs, opioids, anticonvulsants, etc.), which account for the majority of all payments for prescription drugs in workers'… Read More >>

An Alternative Grouping of Complex Conditions in Workers’ Compensation

There is anecdotal evidence that more serious and complex injuries lead to higher medical costs, longer duration of disability, and suboptimal outcomes. Examining this relationship necessitates a more specific injury classification. Despite previous efforts to classify injuries and illnesses with the goal of facilitating injury research and outcome predictions, injury classifications that are… Read More >>

Medical Payments in Workers’ Compensation During the Recent Inflationary Period—A WCRI FlashReport

In recent years, inflation in the workers’ compensation system has been a concern, as inflation in the overall economy spiked at 9 percent in June 2022. This new report examines the most recent trends in medical inflation to assess whether there was any accelerated medical price growth in workers’ compensation due to a potential lagged effect of the overall inflationary trends. The study… Read More >>

Hospital Outpatient Payment Index: Interstate Variations and Policy Analysis, 13th Edition

With rising hospital costs a focus of public policy debates across the country, this study compares hospital outpatient payments across states and monitors the impact of fee schedule reforms from 2005 to 2022. It also includes a benchmark comparing workers’ compensation hospital outpatient payments and Medicare rates. The study captures payments for services provided and billed by hospitals.… Read More >>

Webinar: Trends in Workers’ Compensation Drug Payments Across States

Waltham, MA, July 10, 2024 ― The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) will host a 30-minute webinar on Thursday, August 1, 2024, at 2 p.m. ET on its study, Interstate Variation and Trends in Workers’ Compensation Drug Payments, 5th Edition. Dr. Vennela Thumula will discuss the study's key findings and take audience questions. “This study provides an overview of the trends… Read More >>

WCRI Webinar: The Impact of Excessive Heat on Workplace Injuries

Waltham, MA, May 21, 2024—The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) will host a 30-minute webinar on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at 2 p.m. ET to discuss findings from the Institute’s new study on how excessive heat affects workplace injuries. “This is a highly relevant topic, especially as U.S. officials prepare for another summer of extreme heat. The study’s insights can help… Read More >>

Webinar to Discuss Impact of Vertical Integration on Prices, Medical Utilization, and Outcomes

Waltham, MA, April 4, 2024—The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) will hold an hour-long webinar on the impact of vertical integration on prices, medical utilization, and outcomes, based on published WCRI reports. The date of the webinar is Thursday, May 2, 2024, at 2pm ET. “Medical markets are increasingly concentrated, meaning patients are more likely to be treated by… Read More >>

WCRI Conference Includes Session on Psychological Risk Factors and Functional Recovery

Cambridge, MA, Jan. 18, 2024―Today, the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) announced that a session on “Psychological Risk Factors and Functional Recovery” will be held at its 2024 WCRI Issues & Research Conference, March 5-6 in Boston, MA. WCRI Policy Analyst Vennela Thumula will present the Institute’s latest research on the topic. “This session provides insights… Read More >>

Excessive Heat and Work-Related Injuries to Be a Focus at WCRI Conference

Cambridge, MA, Jan. 11, 2024―Today, the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) announced that a session on “Excessive Heat and Work-Related Injuries” will be held at its 2024 WCRI Issues & Research Conference, March 5-6 in Boston, MA. WCRI Vice President of Research Sebastian Negrusa and Washington State Department of Labor and Industries Research Director David Bonauto will… Read More >>

Younger workers injured more often than those nearing retirement: Study

The proportion of work-related injuries among newly hired workers increased from 2017 to 2022, with workers under 25 reporting more frequent injuries than those 55 and older, according to a report released Thursday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. Read More >>

WCRI: Half of All Injuries Occurred in the First Two Years of Workers’ Tenure with At-Injury Employer

Waltham, MA, July 18, 2024 ― A new FlashReport from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found that the proportion of injuries among newly hired workers increased over the study period of 2017 to 2022. The upward trend started pre-pandemic and accelerated during the pandemic years. “This report provides comprehensive information for system stakeholders to evaluate shifts in… Read More >>

Viewpoint: Need for heat safety rising

For employers and insurers, the effects of rising heat-related illnesses and claims are a growing concern. California’s insurance department reports that in the past decade, extreme heat waves have cost the state at least $7.7 billion in lost labor productivity, costs related to power outages, infrastructure repairs and premature deaths. In the workplace, the probability of work-related… Read More >>

Webinar: Trends in Workers’ Compensation Drug Payments Across States

Farmworkers in the US cultivate their own heat safety standards

Yet, Constible said, "the research has kept piling up that heat is not only potentially deadly to workers, but also drastically affects their productivity – billions of work hours lost in the U.S. and around the world because it's too darn hot." The probability of work-related accidents rises by nearly 6% when temperatures pass 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius),… Read More >>

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WCRI Study Explores Excessive Heat’s Influence on Workplace Injuries

Save the date for next year’s conference, March 6-7, 2025, in Phoenix, AZ.

Psychosocial Factors Can Act as Barriers to Recovery Following a Work-Related Injury

Post-Pandemic Economic Changes Drove Rapid Increase in Indemnity Benefits for Workers’ Compensation Claims in 2022

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