Waltham, MA, May 20, 2025 —The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) has released the 2025 edition of its annual study, WCRI Medical Price Index for Workers’ Compensation, 17th Edition (MPI-WC). This analysis compares prices paid for workers’ compensation medical services across 36 states and over time, while also showing how rising inflation has affected the system in recent years.

"This study found that many states experienced faster growth in prices paid for workers’ compensation medical professional services from 2021 to 2024 compared with earlier years," said Ramona Tanabe, WCRI’s president and CEO. “This trend is due to, among other things, higher inflation in the general economy over the last few years. This was especially the case for states that update their fee schedules based on all-price indexes, rather than on medical price indexes.”

The study focuses on comparing prices paid for medical professional services across states, helping policymakers and stakeholders assess whether price growth is a national trend or specific to their state. Services analyzed include evaluation and management, physical medicine, surgery, radiology, neurological testing, pain management injections, and emergency care—typically billed by physicians, physical therapists, and chiropractors. Additionally, the study examines how fee schedules and network participation influence price trends, providing valuable insights into price regulation.

Other key findings from the study include:

• Price Variations Across States: Prices for professional services varied significantly, ranging from 33 percent below the 36-state median in Florida to 172 percent above the median in Wisconsin in 2024.
• Impact of Fee Schedules: States with no fee schedules had prices 35 to 177 percent higher than states with fee schedules in 2024.
• Price Growth Trends: Most states without fee schedules saw faster growth in prices for professional services from 2008 to 2024, with a median growth rate of 40 percent, compared with 15 percent in states with fee schedules.
• Fee Schedule Changes: The study provides insights on price changes following major fee schedule updates, examining both overall price shifts and changes by service type.

This edition expands the growth rate analysis over a 17-year period, from 2008 to 2024, and presents price index comparisons for 2023 and 2024 across the 36 study states. The 2024 results are based on price data collected from the first half of the year, up until June 30, 2024. The 36 states included represent 88 percent of workers' compensation benefits paid in the United States.

To download a free copy of the report, visit WCRI’s website at www.wcrinet.org. The study was authored by Dr. Rebecca Yang and Dr. Olesya Fomenko.

About WCRI

The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization based in Waltham, MA. Organized in 1983, the Institute does not take positions on the issues it researches. It provides information obtained through studies and data collection efforts that conform to recognized scientific methods. Objectivity is further ensured through rigorous, unbiased peer review procedures. WCRI's diverse membership includes 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.

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