Eliminating Pass-Through Could Create Significant Medical Savings

With 14 spinal procedures accounting for roughly $1 of every $5 spent by California carriers for inpatient hospital care, elimination of the pass-through provision on hardware used in these surgeries could put a significant dent in overall medical costs, according to the lead medical researcher for the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau. Greg Johnson, director of medical analytics, said the total amount paid by carriers on implant bills dropped to $14.1 million for dates of service in the second half of 2013 after the pass-through was eliminated for all but seven procedures. Th...