Unique IMR Applications Down 16.1% in 2020

The number of unique applications for independent medical review was down 16.1% in 2020 compared to 2019 and down more than 25% from the high set in 2018, according to a new report by the California Division of Workers’ Compensation. The DWC reports 148,713 unique applications were filed in 2020, compared to 177,204 in 2019 and 199,956 in 2018, the most in any year since IMR launched in 2013. The division reports 9,277 of the unique applications filed in 2020 were ineligible for review. The majority of applications, 3,994, were deemed ineligible because the treating physician did not p...