According to a recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute, Virginia had higher prices paid and faster growth compared to study states with fee schedule regulations.
The study, Medical Price Index for Workers’ Compensation, Third Edition (MPI-WC), shows that the price for non-hospital services in Virginia in 2010 was nearly 30 percent higher than the median price in states with fee schedules. Over the nine years covered in this study, the prices in Virginia grew nearly 30 percent, much faster than the typical growth rate of 11 percent in states with fee schedules.
“If you are a policy maker or other stakeholder in Virginia and want to understand the growth of medical prices for injured workers in your state as well as how that compares to other states, this is the tool for you,” said Ramona Tanabe, WCRI counsel and deputy director.
The MPI-WC tracks medical prices paid in 25 large states from calendar year 2002 through June 2010 for non-hospital, non-facility services billed by physicians, physical therapists, and chiropractors. The medical services fall into eight major groups: evaluation and management, physical medicine, surgery, major radiology, minor radiology, neurological testing, pain management injections, and emergency care.
The 25 states included in the MPI-WC, which represent more than three quarters of the workers’ compensation benefits paid in the United States, are: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
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