NCCI Finishing Study on Increased Billing after Fee Schedules Are Cut

By Heather Scofield, ReporterInsurance industry actuaries have long assumed that doctors perform more medical procedures when states reduce workers' compensation system fees for their services. The assumption is based on a 1998 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services study that some have complained is outdated and not specific to injured worker care systems.But now, the National Council on Compensation Insurance is conducting fresh research on the matter, with the results expected to be published later this year.Karen Ayres, an NCCI actuary who recently presented a loss-cost rate reduct...