In the last decade or so, many medical services for injured workers have shifted from hospitals to nonhospital providers, including ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). These changes are an important factor underlying the trends in medical payments per claim. 

Cambridge, MA, Oct. 31, 2018―Today, the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) announced Prof. Alan Krueger―among the 50 highest-ranked economists in the world―will be the keynote speaker at its 35th Annual Issues & Research Conference, February 28 and March 1, 2019, at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown in Phoenix, AZ.

Recently, we had the pleasure of speaking with a member of our research committee—Kevin Brady, Senior Vice President and Chief Actuary for the PMA Companies—about how he came to know WCRI.

Kevin has more than 30 years of actuarial experience, with the last 10 plus years being responsible for the overall actuarial function at PMA. The PMA Companies are industry leaders of workers' compensation, casualty insurance, and TPA & risk services with over 100 years of experience.

Research on the impact of Pennsylvania’s physician dispensing reform was the focus of a one-hour webinar on Thursday, September 27, 2018. Hosting the webinar was Vennela Thumula and Dongchun Wang of the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).

Cambridge, MA, December 6, 2018 – Medical payments per workers' compensation claim in Texas decreased from 2014 to 2016 for claims with more than seven days of lost time, evaluated as of 2017. This followed several years of increasing medical costs, according to a recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).

Cambridge, MA, Nov. 29, 2018 ― Today, the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) released three new state reports that compare outcomes of injured workers in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee with outcomes in 12 other states. The outcomes examined include recovery of physical health and functioning, return to work, earnings recovery, access to medical care, and satisfaction with medical care. 

Cambridge, MA, November 15, 2018 ― The payments for similar knee and shoulder surgeries performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) were lower compared with hospital outpatient departments in many study states, with few exceptions, according to a new FlashReport from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).

In keeping with the theme ("Breaking Down Barriers to Improve Injured Workers’ Outcomes") of our 35th Annual Issues & Research Conference, Feb. 28 and Mar. 1 in Phoenix, AZ , Dr. Cameron Mustard, president and chief scientist at the Institute for Work & Health, will present his research on the challenges and successes in implementing a comprehensive and collaborative return-to-work program for a large acute-care hospital system employing 4,000 people.