WCIRB: IMR, Fraud Enforcement Effect on Med Costs Likely Significant

Independent medical review and new rules for lien filers in Senate Bill 863 helped drive down medical costs and contributed to a series of pure premium rate decreases totaling 40%, according to the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau. The WCIRB said efforts to investigate and prosecute provider fraud is also likely having a significant effect on costs in California, the bureau said during a Thursday webinar outlining the results of its studies on medical fraud prosecution and cumulative trauma claims. According to the WCIRB, cumulative trauma claims are in...