WCRI: Fee Schedule Helped Reduce State's Medical Cost Per Claim

Medical payments per workers’ compensation claim in North Carolina have decreased 6% per year since 2013, according to a study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute, which attributed the decrease in part to a focus on hospital costs. The recent decrease is in contrast to previous trends in the state, WCRI said. Medical payments per claim increased 4% to 6% per year from 2004 to 2010 at all claim maturities, and then changed little from 2010 to 2013. “Policy changes in recent years have targeted a key cost driver of workers’ compensation claims in North Carolina...