Quarterly Newsletter: October 1 - December 31, 2020
Where Our Work Was Used

  • National: A study published by the National Academy of Social Insurance ─ Workers’ Compensation: Benefits, Costs, and Coverage (2018 Data) ─ cited multiple WCRI studies, including Permanent Partial Disability Benefits: Interstate Differences; Do Higher Fee Schedules Increase the Number of Workers' Compensation Cases?; Workers' Compensation: Where Have We Come From? Where Are We Going?; and Will the Affordable Care Act Shift Claims to Workers' Compensation Payors?
  • National: Our study Correlates of Opioid Dispensing is being used in a new training program (Opioid Hazard Awareness Training for Sand, Stone, and Gravel Workers) available to Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) trainers and safety directors across the United States. 
  • California: The Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California cited our study ─The Timing of Physical Therapy for Low Back Pain: Does It Matter in Workers’ Compensation? ─ in a study they published titled Cost Impacts of Medical Care Delays in the California Workers’ Compensation System.
  • Illinois: A motion was submitted to the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission Medical Fee Advisory Board to raise the reimbursement rate in the Illinois Medical Fee Schedule for evaluation & management billing codes by 30 percent. The motion cited multiple WCRI studies: CompScope™ Medical Benchmarks for Illinois, 21st Edition; Designing Workers’ Compensation Medical Fee Schedules, 2019; WCRI Medical Price Index for Workers’ Compensation, 11th Edition; and Comparing Outcomes for Workers, 2019 Interviews.
  • Texas: Findings from WCRI's CompScope™ Medical Benchmarks for Texas, 21st Edition were included in the Biennial Report of the Texas Department of Insurance to the 87th Legislature. 
Recorded Webinars ​

Over the last three months, we held two webinars: one on our study The Timing of Physical Therapy for Low Back Pain: Does It Matter in Workers’ Compensation? and the other on Monitoring Trends in the New York Workers’ Compensation System, 2020 Edition. The first webinar is free for members and available to nonmembers for a nominal fee. The second webinar is free for everyone.

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WCRI Conference

We are pleased to have Dr. Katharine Abraham, former U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner and member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, deliver the opening keynote at the 37th Annual WCRI Issues & Research Conference, which is being held virtually March 23 and 24, 2021. Dr. Abraham will discuss the economic impact of COVID-19.
Educating Diverse Groups

Over the last three months, we were invited to share our research findings with a diverse group of policymakers and other stakeholders at large conferences and smaller briefings. Below is a sample.

Briefings:
  • Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission and Insurance Department
  • Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNNEST)
  • Northeastern University
  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • U.S. Government Accountability Office
  • University of Maryland School of Medicine
  • Worker’s Compensation Board of Indiana

Conferences/Meetings:
  • 2020 Comp Laude® Gala
  • 2020 AMCOMP Annual Meeting
  • 27th Annual LASIE Conference
  • Illinois Chamber of Commerce's 13th Annual Virtual Workers' Compensation & Safety Conference
Member Spotlight

We recently had the pleasure of talking to one of our members ─ Chairman Michael Brennan of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC). The Chairman oversees the work of the IWCC, which is to resolve claims made by injured workers for injuries arising out of and in the course of employment.