Cambridge, MA, October 13, 2022 ― Medical payments per claim decreased 5 percent in Florida for 2020 injuries with experience through March 2021, according to a recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). This likely reflects factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the earlier period from 2015 to 2019, medical payments per claim grew 4–5 percent per year.

“The recent decreases in medical payments per claim in Florida and many other states reflect some impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as postponed or avoided medical care due to concerns about COVID-19, temporary suspensions of non-emergency surgeries during the early months of the pandemic, and declined usage of hospital care because of limitations to conserve hospital capacity,” said Ramona Tanabe, executive vice president and counsel for WCRI.

The study, CompScope™ Medical Benchmarks for Florida, 23rd Edition, examined medical payments, prices, and utilization for various types of medical services in Florida and compared them with 17 other states. It also examined how these metrics of medical payments and care have changed, mainly for injuries from 2015 to 2020. Since the report reflects experience on claims through March 2021, it provides a look at how the pandemic may have impacted non-COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims in the early months of the pandemic. 

In addition, the interstate comparison analysis in this study highlights some contrasting results in Florida. While prices paid for nonhospital professional services in Florida were the lowest of the study states, Florida had the highest payments per service for hospital outpatient care, likely reflecting features of the fee schedules for different types of providers in the state.

Click here to learn more about this study or to purchase a copy. Rebecca Yang authored this study.

About WCRI

The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization based in Cambridge, MA. Organized in 1983, the Institute does not take positions on the issues it researches; rather, it provides information obtained through studies and data collection efforts, which conform to recognized scientific methods. Objectivity is further ensured through rigorous, unbiased peer review procedures. WCRI's diverse membership includes employers; insurers; governmental entities; managed care companies; health care providers; insurance regulators; state labor organizations; and state administrative agencies in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

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