UR Exemption Bill Could Carry high Price Tag

A bill that would prohibit California workers' compensation carriers from using utilization review on requests for medical treatments specified in a final award by the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board could cost more than $13 million to implement and more than $12 million a year to operate, according to a fiscal analysis prepared for the Senate Appropriations Committee. But the cost to employers could be higher still, as the committee report analyzes only costs to the state and state agencies, according to the California Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber labeled Senate Bill 563 as a...