CWCI: Growing Use of Unlisted Codes Drives Comp Medical Inflation

California’s fee schedules keep inflation in check for most medical services, but a new California Workers’ Compensation Institute study finds that treatment is being billed more frequently under codes outside the pricing controls, a new source of medical cost growth. The CWCI study uses data from its Industry Research Information System database to examine medical payments from 2017 through 2024. Though professional services and facility fees make up about 70% of all California workers’ comp medical spending, the strongest inflationary pressure comes from pro...