While claim frequency is declining, severity is increasing, with injured workers receiving more care or more complex treatment.
While claim frequency is declining, severity is increasing, with injured workers receiving more care or more complex treatment.
Claim costs increased 6% per year from 2022-2025 in the median study state, with state-level variations.
Prescription drug list prices increased 23% in the last year, far outpacing inflation.
About 1 in 100 workers injured in rural areas with more than seven days of lost time had air ambulance services.
A new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute found that injured workers treated in medical provider networks have lower medical and total claim costs, faster access to care, and improved disability outcomes.
While opioid utilization has decreased, overall spend on pain management has increased, in part due to the use of high-cost topical medications.
Both claims reach costs of $1 million or more, but at different points in time after injury.
Claims exceeding $1 million in costs saw a projected home health share of medical costs reach 20.1%.
Average medical equipment costs increased 87% from 2012-2024, with medical equipment representing 8.3% of total workers’ comp medical spend.
Using data representing 60% of workers’ comp benefits nationwide, these reports examine trends in payments, prices, and utilization.
The webinar covered topics ranging from claims costs to drug payments, heat-related injuries, and more.
Only 42.8% of injured workers on FRPs had a chronic pain diagnosis, even though clinical guidelines recommend FRPs only for these cases.
Reviewing 194,000 claims, the report found that claims with degenerative comorbid conditions are 58% more likely to become a high-cost claim.
While overall medical inflation remains low, certain tariffs are still pending, which could impact long-term costs.
Medical costs went up 8% in 2024, driven by increased utilization, fee schedule inflation, and growth in medical-legal services.
