Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the release of a new study from the CA WCIRB that examines how delayed medical care utilization, based on historical claim information, affected workers’ comp claim costs in the long term. The study also touches the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical care delays and future claim outcomes.
Key findings included that claims with soft tissue injuries that had a month delay before receiving the first medical service had significantly higher indemnity and medical costs than similar claims without medical care delays, with the cost differential persisting for years after injury. Soft tissue claims with delayed care were also more likely to stay open longer, have a longer duration of temporary disability and involve permanent disability. The long-term cost implications of delayed medical care were similar for claims with other leading medical diagnoses as well.
Find out more (including a link to the free report!) by clicking here!