This study assists policymakers and stakeholders in Illinois’s workers’ compensation system by identifying current cost drivers and emerging trends in payments, prices, and utilization of medical services among both nonhospital and hospital providers.

It compares these medical payment metrics in Illinois with those in 17 other states and analyzes changes from 2018 to 2023 (evaluated as of March 31, 2024). It also monitors the impact of regulatory changes on the system, including the annual updates to the rates set by the state’s workers' compensation fee schedule. In some instances, we include data from before 2018 to provide historical context for key metrics. Additionally, we draw on findings from other WCRI studies to create a more comprehensive overview of the system in Illinois.

The study also provides an overview of how recent system changes, shifts in the composition of workers’ compensation claims, and external factors—such as the economy, inflation, and medical care—have likely affected medical payments and treatment since 2018. Some of these changes were prompted or accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The results reflect experience with non-COVID-19 claims.

CompScope™ Medical Benchmarks for Illinois, 2025 Edition. Evelina Radeva. October 2025. WC-25-30.