Over recent years the costs of medical treatment per claim for workers’ compensation injuries have been growing rapidly due to growing medical prices in some jurisdictions. To help policy and business decision makers better understand this growth, the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) has created the Medical Price Index for Workers’ Compensation, Third Edition (MPI-WC).

Without the information the MPI-WC provides, states cannot accurately understand how prices for medical care for injured workers in their state compare with other states and know if prices in their state are rising rapidly or relatively slowly.  States will also not know if the reason for rapid growth in their state is part of a national phenomenon or whether the causes are unique to their state and hence, subject to local management or reform.

The MPI-WC tracks medical prices paid in 25 large states from calendar year 2002 through June 2010 for non-hospital, non-facility services billed by physicians, physical therapists, and chiropractors.  The medical services fall into eight major groups: evaluation and management, physical medicine, surgery, major radiology, minor radiology, neurological testing, pain management injections, and emergency care.   

The 25 states included in the MPI-WC, which represent more than three quarters of the workers' compensation benefits paid in the United States, are: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. 

WCRI Medical Price Index for Workers’ Compensation, Third Edition (MPI-WC).  Rui Yang with the assistance of Juxiang Liu. August 2011. WC-11-37.

Copyright: WCRI