Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) News

Workers’ Compensation Research Study Shows No Treatment Delays Due to COVID

COVID-19 did not delay medical treatment for workers’ compensation claimants, but did decrease the amount of emergency care and other services provided to injured workers, a study released by the Workers’ Compensation Institute concludes. Research by WCRI economist Olesya Fomenko …

No Delays Found in Medical Care for Workers’ Compensation Claimants During COVID

Despite potential obstacles posed by the coronavirus pandemic, injured workers experienced no meaningful delays in access to medical treatment under their employers’ workers’ compensation programs during the pandemic. Research from the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) also shows that states …

How COVID Effect on Workers’ Compensation Claims Has Varied by State, Industry

The percentage of COVID-19 claims among all workers’ compensation paid claims has varied greatly among states and occupations, as has the decrease in non-COVID claims, new research shows. The percentage of COVID-19 claims among all workers’ compensation paid claims ranged …

Expansion of Workers’ Compensation for COVID-19 in 6 States Created Narrow Benefit

While at least 17 states have passed laws or issued orders that expanded access to workers’ compensation benefits for employees who contract COVID-19, many of those directives are creating new exposure for only a sliver of the workforce, new research …

As Doctors Prescribe Fewer Opioids for Injured Workers, What Do They Offer Instead?

The good news is that doctors are less likely to prescribe opioids to injured workers than they were years ago. They have come to recognize that the pain medications have been overprescribed, causing addictions and deaths including suicides. The bad …

Analysis: How a Recession Affects Return to Work by Injured Workers

With the COVID-19 virus causing economic disruption, the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute would like to share the findings from a study it published in 2010 that sheds light on how a typical recession affects the return to work of injured …

WCRI: Workers’ Comp Medical Payments in Minnesota Stable

Minnesota workers’ compensation medical payments per claim remained stable from 2012 to 2017, according to a recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). The study, CompScope Medical Benchmarks for Minnesota, 20th Edition, compared Minnesota with workers’ compensation systems …

States Vary Widely in How They Control Workers’ Comp Medical Costs: WCRI

Workers’ compensation medical costs vary widely among the states both in terms of price and how often services are used. The differences appear to relate closely to which cost-drivers each state legislature tried to control and which were overlooked, according …

States with Fee Schedules Have Lower Medical Costs for Injured Workers, WCRI Finds

Medical treatment for injured workers costs more and prices are growing faster in states that don’t have fee schedules, concludes a new study. The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute studied 30 states without fee schedules and found the prices paid in …

Different Rates of Opioid Prescriptions Linked to Worker, Employer, Injury Traits

Injured workers in mining and construction, those in rural counties or those who suffer fractures, carpal tunnel and neurologic spine pain are among those more likely to receive prescriptions for opioids than workers in other industries or locations or with …