State's Medical Costs Per Claim Creeping Up, WCRI Finds

After falling in the years following implementation of Senate Bill 863, medical costs per lost-time claim in California’s workers’ comp system have increased 4%, according to a new report from the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The 4% increase applies to 2017 claims with more than seven days of lost time, evaluated in 2018, WCRI said. The increase follows decreases in medical payments per lost-time claim ranging from 3% to 7% per year, depending on claim maturity, after SB 863 took effect at the start of 2013, WCRI said. A growth in indemnity benefits per claim in C...