Network Charges Cluster Near Medicare Rates

A survey by the Texas Department of Insurance showed that payments for services by workers' compensation health care network providers clustered in the range of 101% to 115% of Medicare charges, with higher payments for surgery and emergency medicine services. That's considerably less than the 137% of Medicare rate for non-network providers in an informal draft rules proposal by the Division of Workers' Compensation. The DWC proposes to pay 172% of the Medicare rate for specialty surgery. The current fee schedule pays 125% of the Medicare rate for most services. But Michael Reed, dire...