DWC Calls for Scrapping Medicare in New Outpatient Fee Schedule

By Michael Whiteley, Eastern Bureau ChiefThe Florida Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) will ask the state Three-Member Panel next month to scrap plans for an outpatient hospital fee schedule based on Medicare's Prospective Hospital Payment system in lieu of a system based on 18 months of medical billing data collected by the agency.The new plan is designed to end three years of debate with the Florida Hospital Association over how employers and workers' compensation carriers should pay for outpatient services.DWC and FHA have been in and out of court over attempts to satisfy ...