Back to Columns | Print Column | ||
State: Ntl. Paduda: Price, Network Penetration Drive Costs: [2021-05-21] |
||
|
||
That’s the conclusion I reached after reviewing WCRI’s latest treasure trove of research on medical prices paid for professional services in workers’ comp. Sure, utilization is a very important driver, but the biggest difference in medical costs across states is price. Rebecca Yang and Olesya Fomenko have outdone themselves with this edition, cementing their reputation as two of the most knowledgeable experts in the nation on medical costs in workers’ comp. Kudos to the Workers Compensation Research Institute for including data from the first half of 2020 in the report. The fine folks in Boston have done a great job speeding up data collection and analysis to the point where we have data that is less than a year old. This is helpful indeed for anyone trying to understand what’s happening and why and what to do about it. Takeaways:
What does this mean for you? This is extremely useful information, with many nuggets buried in the 190-page report. If you aren’t a WCRI member, join now. Joseph Paduda is co-owner of CompPharma, a consulting firm focused on improving pharmacy programs in workers’ compensation. This column is republished with his permission from his Managed Care Matters blog. |