This study provides baseline data for monitoring the impact of the California reform legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 863, effective on January 1, 2013. It reviews the reform provisions that are related to medical reimbursement and treatment, as well as the medical-legal process. It discusses the trends in medical payments per claim and their components, such as prices paid for and utilization of different types of services and providers in California before SB 863, as well as how California compares with other study states (Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin) on the key metrics pre-reform, using data with experience through March 2013.

CompScope™ Medical Benchmarks for California, 15th Edition. Rui Yang. October 2014. WC-14-35.