Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) News

Who Is Tough Enough for a Conference in Wintry Boston?

It was 78 degrees and sunny yesterday when Tammy Perdue was packing her suitcase and the local forecast called for more of the same all week. Perdue, general counsel for Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) in Tallahassee, is on her …

Study Finds Workplace Trust a Predictor of Comp Outcomes in Arkansas

A new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) identified new predictors of worker outcomes that can help public officials, payors, and health care providers in Arkansas improve the treatment and communication an injured worker receives after an injury …

Study Finds New Predictors of Workers’ Comp Outcomes in Iowa

A new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) identified new predictors of worker outcomes that can help public officials, payors, and health care providers in Iowa improve the treatment and communication an injured worker receives after an injury …

Pill Mill Law Shifts Prescriptions From Opioids to Weaker Meds: WCRI

A law banning physicians from dispensing certain strong opioids discouraged the doctors from prescribing those drugs at all, according to a new study, which also found that the doctors dispensed weaker nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and other medications to injured …

Workers’ Comp Medical Payment Costs Fall in Illinois: Study

Reforms enacted in 2011 continue to drive down the cost of medical care for injured workers in Illinois, according to a new study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). According to the report, CompScope Medical Benchmarks for Illinois, 15th …

Firing Fear Among New Predictors of Workers’ Comp Outcomes: WCRI

Workers’ compensation researchers have identified anxiety over being fired and other new predictors of worker outcomes that they say can help public officials, payors and health care providers improve the treatment and communication an injured worker receives after an injury …

Medical Payments per Claim for Injured Workers in Louisiana Rising

Payments per claim for the medical care of injured workers in Louisiana were higher and growing faster than in most states, according to a 16-state study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). The WCRI study, CompScope Medical Benchmarks for …

Injured Worker Cost Per Claim Rises in Texas

Payments per claim for the medical care of injured workers in Texas grew nearly 8 percent in 2011, largely the effect of price increases from earlier reforms, according to a 16-state study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). The …

Workers’ Comp Needs to Catch Up with Healthcare Changes: Economist Gruber

Workers’ compensation must align itself with the rest of the changing healthcare system to avoid increased cost-shifting by workers and medical providers, according to an economist involved in the Massachusetts and Obama administration healthcare reforms. Jonathan Gruber, professor of economics …

Clingman to Join Workers’ Comp Research Group in Oklahoma

The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) announced that Michael Clingman will be joining WCRI in January as a regional director. He will be based in Oklahoma. Clingman most recently served as administrator of the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court. Prior to …