Commission Narrowly Rejects Increased Medical Reimbursements

The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission voted 5-4 on Wednesday to defeat a proposal that would have raised medical reimbursements on evaluation and management services by 30%. Health care providers argued that payments for six current procedural terminology codes were lower in Illinois than in the surrounding states of Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin. Medical costs overall in Illinois are significantly higher than the rest of the region, according to the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The commission took testimony from medical providers, the Illinois Manufacturers’ A...