Fee Not Afraid
Sep
28
…Or did Pope Saint John Paul II say, “Be not afraid”? Nevermind.
The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) is a valuable resource for high-quality and objective information useful to our industry. They publish papers and studies about costs, outcomes and system improvements. A recent WCRI study analyzed hospital outpatient surgery costs for injured workers. As you might expect, costs vary greatly from state to state.
Insurance Journal recently published an article summarizing the WCRI’s work and here is what they found for common procedures:
- Variations by state ranged from 69% to 142% of the country’s median averages (Alabama low, New York high);
- Variations to Medicare ranged from 27% below to 430% above (Louisiana);
- Fee schedule states were consistently lower;
- Percent-of-charge-based fees were consistently higher.
The regulators and legislators in many of the jurisdictions where we practice have implemented fee schedules. These protocols allow us to do better in controlling costs.
If you are in a non fee schedule state, you may have to work a little smarter and a little harder to manage your costs. It’s what we do every day.
Call us. We can do better.
William Faris, JD
Chief Executive Officer
502-495-5040
william.faris@omca.biz
www.omca.biz
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