Findings from WCRI's CompScope™ Medical Benchmarks for Louisiana, 22nd Edition were referenced by Louisiana State Rep. Larry Frieman, and Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) Secretary Ava Cates and Assistant Secretary Sheral Kellar at a recent hearing about changing Louisiana’s workers’ compensation medical fee schedule, which has not been updated in 27 years. Rep. Frieman, who is a member of the House Committee on Labor & Industrial Relations, called for the hearing. In an article in the Louisiana Illuminator, Assistant Secretary Kellar said the current fee schedule does not account for many of today’s modern medical procedures nor the shift to outpatient surgical operations. If a billing code does not exist for a certain piece of equipment or procedure, the state allows providers to collect up to 90% of any amount they bill. The outdated fees can also lead to underpayments for certain procedures, particularly those in hospitals and inpatient clinics. The LWC is working with Fair Health to update its fee schedule. Click here to watch a recording of this hearing.

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