WCRI Finds Little Connection Between Provider Pay, Worker Outcomes

Paying medical providers more to treat injured workers doesn’t substantially improve worker outcomes, but it does seem to increase the amount of care provided, according to a study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The study focused on payments to primary care providers, where prices paid under workers’ compensation may play more of a role in determining whether a doctor wants to treat injured workers. Specialists, in contrast, are paid more in workers’ comp than in group health in many states, said WCRI public policy analyst Bogdan Savych, who authored t...