UR a Battleground in Comp Reform Effort

By Greg Jones, Western Bureau ChiefAs California lawmakers prepare to launch another reform effort, battle lines are being drawn about whether utilization review is a necessary tool to shave unnecessary costs or an expensive bludgeon that insurers and employers use to deny care that applicants need to recover from their injuries.Supporters of UR say the process of reviewing requests for medical treatment protects injured workers from undergoing and employers from paying for unnecessary procedures. When used correctly, utilization review does not create unnecessary delays or costs, they say.Inj...