Studies Published

• CompScope™ Benchmarks, 2026 Edition
• Hospital Outpatient Payment Index: Interstate Variations and Policy Analysis, 2026 Edition
• Impact of Hospital Closures on Access to Care and Claim Outcomes
• Interstate Variation and Trends in Workers’ Compensation Drug Payments, 6th Edition—A WCRI FlashReport
• Use and Cost of Air Ambulance Transport Services in Workers’ Compensation—A WCRI FlashReport
• WCRI Medical Price Index for Workers’ Compensation, 2026 Edition (MPI-WC)

Research Used

• Alaska – WCRI’s workers’ compensation laws data was used by the Alaska Legislative Audit Division in its audit of the state’s workers’ compensation system, including an evaluation of benefit adequacy.
• Louisiana – Findings from CompScope™ Benchmarks for Louisiana, 2025 Edition were referenced during legislative discussions on Senate Bill 408, which was enacted into law and is intended to update the state's workers’ compensation medical fee schedule.
• Oregon – WCRI’s study, Chiropractic Care for Workers with Low Back Pain, was cited in testimony supporting House Bill 4040, which was enacted into law and grants nurse practitioners and physician associates the same treatment authority as physicians and surgeons in Oregon’s workers’ compensation system.

Webinars

This quarter, we hosted two live webinars and released one on-demand webinar:

• CompScope™ Benchmarks, 2026 Edition
• Latest WCRI Research on Fee Schedules and Medical Prices
• Use and Cost of Air Ambulance Transport Services in Workers’ Compensation—A WCRI FlashReport (on-demand webinar)

Research Cited

WCRI research was cited in a dozen academic, policy, and industry publications, including:

• Chiropractic & Manual Therapies
• Journal of Human Resources
• National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working papers
• PLOS ONE
• RAND research reports

Presentations and Research Briefings

During the quarter, WCRI researchers briefed state agencies, workers' compensation organizations, employer associations, and academic stakeholders in Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin.

We were also invited to present our research at the following conferences and meetings:

• ASHEcon Annual Conference
• NIOSH Center for Workers' Compensation Studies Quarterly Meeting
• PCRB & DCRB Workers Compensation Symposium

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