Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the release of a new study from NCCI that examines and compares differences in physician service utilization across states, extending research that was presented at its Annual Insights Symposium that examined changes in the utilization of physician services over time.
Topics covered in the new report include an overview and background on utilization and factors that contribute to utilization differences across states, including: injury mix, including body system and diagnosis; and medical treatment, such as surgery rate and service intensity. Key findings included that utilization variations reflect state differences in injury mix, likelihood of major surgery, and service intensity; interstate variations bigger than +/–10% are mainly driven by differences in the intensity of nonsurgical medical services. The report is also accompanied by a webinar recording with Raji H. Chadarevian, Executive Director of Actuarial Research.