CWCI Says Medical Benefits Now Exceed Pre-Reform Levels

The California Workers' Compensation Institute said on Monday that the average amount paid per claim for treatment, prescriptions and durable medical equipment, medical management and cost-containment programs, and med-legal reports have exceeded levels that preceded reform legislation passed in 2002 through 2004.The institute looked at 1.96 million work injury claims for injury dates between January 2002 and September 2010 and payments through December 2010. The analysis determined that since declining 14.3% from $6,399 to a low of $5,484 in 2005, the average first-year medical payments o...