DWC Proposing Separate Maximum Physician Fees in 32 Regions

A proposal to add a geographic index to physician section of California’s Official Medical Fee Schedule that set different prices for 32 distinct regions would increase fees by nearly 10% in some areas, and decrease them by more than 5% in others. The Division of Workers’ Compensation announced the proposed change late Friday. It scheduled an April 17 public hearing to take comments.  The division said a 2017 update to Medicare’s physician fee schedule updated California’s geographic regions based on current market conditions for the first time since 1997. Us...