WCIRB Considers Excluding IMR, IBR from cost-containment Expenses

The Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau is considering a change to its reporting rules that would end the practice of classifying payments for independent medical review and independent bill review as medical cost-containment expenses for California carriers. Insurers have reported IMR and IBR payments as cost-containment expenses since the programs created by Senate Bill 863 started in January 2013, the idea being that IMR is an offshoot of utilization review and IBR is a continuation of bill review. But the WCIRB's Classification and Rating Committee on May 5 recommended I...