In the News
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Well that was fast.
Three years ago Jeff Rush of CJPIA, Jill Leonard of LWCC and I presented a session entitled “Rising Temps, Rising Risks: Climate Change &…
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Report Shows Excessive Heat Pushes Worker Injury Risk Sky High
It may come as no surprise that heat-related worker injury claims rise on hot days, but the magnitude of the increase is an eye-opener.As…
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Study Highlights Specific Factors Driving High-Cost Rotator Cuff Disorder Claims
Waltham, MA – July 8, 2025 – A new study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) identifies detailed factors associated with…
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WCRI: New Hires Account for Largest Share of Claims
Short-tenure workers with less than two years of experience continue to account for the largest share of workers' compensation claims in New…
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WCRI’s New Studies
WCRI is on the ball. A webinar on Heat-Related Illnesses in the Workplace is scheduled for June 26; register here. Space is limited so don’t get…
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Moore: 187 Pages of WCRI State Stats
One of the best free workers' comp info sources on medical pricing nationwide was published in May by the Workers Compensation Research…
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Heat Illness Prevention: California Worker Protection Laws in 2025
According to the National Safety Council, the Workers Compensation Research Institute found a pattern of heat-related illness incidents across the…
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WCRI Releases 2025 Edition of Free Medical Price Index for Workers’ Comp (MPI-WC)
Waltham, MA – The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) recently released the 2025 edition of its annual study, WCRI Medical Price Index…
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WCRI Reports Cost Trends Mostly Linked to Wages
The Workers Compensation Research Institute said recent changes in overall costs per claim in Florida in 2022 and 2023 were largely the result of…
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WCRI Finds Increase in Frequency After States Allow Recreational Cannabis
Claim frequency increased by an average of 7.7% in states after the adoption of recreational cannabis laws, according to a new study by the Workers…
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WorkCompRecap: Comparing Costs!
Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the release of the latest edition of WCRI’s CompScope Benchmarks reports, which provide ongoing annual…
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Navigating the Heat: Workplace Safety to Rising Temperatures
Recent studies by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) and the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) shed light on the…
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WCRI notes rising comp claims costs in most of the country
Indemnity benefits and medical costs per workers compensation claim grew in most states since 2021, according to research reports released Monday…
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State of the States: April 25, 2025
The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) released its 2025 Annual Report. This report highlights WCRI’s studies, which helped guide…
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Comp Spotlight with Sebastian Negrusa of WCRI
Sebastian Negrusa, vice president of research for the Workers Compensation Research Institute, discusses the latest research studies on injured…
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WCRI Releases 2025 Annual Report
The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) recently announced the release of its 2025 Annual Report. The report highlights WCRI’s studies…
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Physical Therapy Can Lead Innovation in Workers’ Compensation Medical Care
The landscape of workers’ compensation has shifted significantly in recent years, impacted by technology, advances in medical treatments, and a…
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WCRI 2025 Conference: Informative, Impartial Success
Last week, the daisyBill team had the pleasure of attending the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) Annual Issues & Research…
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WCRI Panel Explores Shifting Dynamics in Medical Workforce and Workers’ Compensation
At the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) Annual Conference in Phoenix yesterday, researchers presented findings on how changes in…
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WCRI Report Inspects Impact of Pandemic on Medical Utilization
The Workers Compensation Research Institute released a new report exploring variations in medical utilization trends during the COVID-19 pandemic…
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State of the States Jan. 31, 2025
The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) released its Changes in the Medical Workforce and Impact on Claims report. This report…
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Comp sees increase in advanced medical practitioners treating workers
The workers compensation industry has seen a steady rise in the number of nurse practitioners and physician assistants tending to injured workers…
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WCRI Study Explores Lifecycle of Claim
The Workers Compensation Research Institute on Thursday released a new study offering an in-depth look at the lifecycle of a work comp claim in New…
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WCRI Study Shows Impact of Attorney Representation on Workers’ Comp Payments
Attorney involvement in workers’ compensation claims substantially increases total indemnity benefits paid to workers, a new study of nearly 1…
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Racked by Extreme Heat, One Worker Died on the Job. His Story Is a Warning.
As heat increases, so does risk for some workers. The probability of work-related accidents grows by 5% to 6% when maximum daily temperatures rise…
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Dept. of Workforce Development: Insurance premiums for worker’s compensation continue to decline
The worker’s compensation program covers medical expenses and lost wages for employees injured on the job. The independent, nonprofit Workers…
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Younger workers injured more often than those nearing retirement: Study
The proportion of work-related injuries among newly hired workers increased from 2017 to 2022, with workers under 25 reporting more frequent…
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Viewpoint: Need for heat safety rising
For employers and insurers, the effects of rising heat-related illnesses and claims are a growing concern. California’s insurance department…
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Farmworkers in the US cultivate their own heat safety standards
Yet, Constible said, "the research has kept piling up that heat is not only potentially deadly to workers, but also drastically affects their…
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Biden Administration to Announce First National Heat Protections for Workers
One recent study found that the probability of work-related accidents increases by 5 percent to 6 percent when the maximum daily temperature rises…
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Solving pain – opioids, NSAIDs, and better options
WCRI’s latest report on drugs in workers’ comp has some excellent news...opioid usage dropped 29% from Q1 2021 to Q1 2023.
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Map Shows ‘Extreme’ Heat Risk Warning as Florida Braces
A study released last week by the Workers Compensation Research Institute found that excessive heat leads to a significant increase in workplace…
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High Temperatures Increase Work-Related Injury Risk
As the frequency of extremely hot days increases, so does the number of heat-related illness and work injuries, according to researchers at the…
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Heat and Virtue Signaling.
Aside from a few very recent studies (kudos to WCRI and NCCI) and rare conference sessions the industry has ignored – and continues to ignore –…
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Lowering the Temperature on Workers’ Comp Claims, Literally
The probability of work-related accidents increases by 5 to 6% when the temperature rises above 90 degrees compared to 65-70 degrees, according to…
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New study details heat risks for workers
After Florida lawmakers this year barred local heat protections for workers, a new study cites "strong and robust evidence that excessive heat…
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Florida Saw Jump in Workers’ Comp Cost per Claim in 2022-23, WCRI Report Shows
Employers and insurers in Florida saw a 7% increase in total cost per workers’ compensation claim in 2022 and 2023, to just over $30,000 on…
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New Insights: How A Worker’s Mental State Influences Injury Recovery
Guest Vennela Thumula, Ph.D., works at the Workers’ Compensation Research Institution – a nonprofit, objective provider of research and…
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Good news Friday – Ukraine, more insurance coverage, and 54 years in jail for work comp fraud.
WCRI’s just released in-depth analyses in its CompScope series…this year they’ve added details on COVID’s impact in 17 states.
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WCRI study: Injured workers face greater psychosocial risks during recovery
Injured workers are more likely to experience psychosocial risk factors that can lead to “poorer functional recovery,” according to a recent…
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Study tracks rapid comp indemnity growth post-pandemic
Indemnity benefits per workers compensation claim grew at a “rapid” pace of 6% or more in 2022 in 16 out of 17 states analyzed by the Workers…
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AI not a ‘substitute,’ but can benefit insurance industry: Experts
“If anything, it makes our jobs more efficient,” said Ramona Tanabe, president and CEO of the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Workers…
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Comp Spotlight with Ramona Tanabe of WCRI
Ramona Tanabe, president and CEO of the Workers Compensation Research Institute, talks about fee schedules in workers comp.
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SC High Court Strikes ‘Troubling’ Denial of Comp Claim, Says Can’t Be Based on Stats
The case now goes back to the appellate panel to calculate the benefits due to the worker. As of 2022, South Carolina law allows injured workers…
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Deconstructing Comp - Ramona Tanabe: In Data We Trust
Ramona Tanabe is our latest guest, right on the heals of the 40th Annual WCRI Issues & Research Conference, March 5-6, 2024, in Boston, MA.…
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Ramona Tanabe on WCRI’s annual confab.
Ramona Tanabe, CEO of WCRI – a most excellent workers’ comp research organization – was kind enough to carve out a few minutes on the eve of…
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Indiana Bill Would Allow Employees to Select Physician in Workers’ Comp Cases
A study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute published in 2017 found little evidence of average cost difference in between states where…
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Excessive Heat and Work-Related Injuries to Be a Focus at WCRI Conference
Cambridge, MA, Jan. 11, 2024―Today, the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) announced that a session on “Excessive Heat and…
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Provider consolidation = Higher workers’ comp costs, longer disability
Olesya Fomenko and Bogdan Savich collaborated on a very well done study of vertical integration of providers’ impact on work comp, and their…
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WCRI: Consolidation of Health Care Leads to Higher Costs, Longer Disability Duration
Consolidation of health care services into large corporations that own hospitals, clinics and physician practices may hold the promise of more…
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Florida Weekly Wage and Max Workers’ Comp Benefit See Biggest Jump Since 1980
Florida comp insurers and employers are somewhat shielded from the full impact of higher wages on the cost of benefits. State law limits temporary…
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Comorbidities affect workers’ recovery from back pain: report
“Identifying these comorbidities and understanding their impact on recovery may help workers’ compensation stakeholders better understand which…
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During Pandemic, Surgeries Delayed, but Care on Track for Injured Workers: WCRI
A new Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) FlashReport examined the time from injury to first medical service among workers’…
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WCRI Report Examines Challenges of Low Back Pain and Comorbid Health Issues
Workers’ compensation patients who report comorbidities, especially mental health comorbidities (anxiety, depression, sleep dysfunction), had a…
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Study finds no pattern of ER delays for injured workers during pandemic
While there were some delays for injured workers who needed surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Workers’ Compensation Research Institute…
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Long COVID And Workers’ Comp, A Deep Dive Into A Real Issue
Did we ever learn a lot during the once-in-a-generation health event that was COVID! Guest Dr. Bogdan Savych of the Workers Comp Research Institute…
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Getting smarter about PT.
Why does a therapist’s treatment duration vary for patients with the same diagnosis? What conditions have the most impact on patient recovery?…
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CompScope is up…medical costs are not.
It’s that time of year…when the brilliant minds at WCRI release the latest CompScope report. The top finding…is likely to surprise many…
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Georgia Law Officers Call for Full Salary Benefits Under Workers’ Comp
The workers’ compensation system in Georgia was established in 1920, around the time that most other states’ comp systems were born. As in most…
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Louisiana Contractor Gets Max Fine After Fatal Fall at Georgia Hyundai Plant Site
Georgia law provides workers’ compensation death benefits to dependents that are greater than some surrounding states, less than others. The…
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Medical Costs for Injured Workers in Delaware Fell During Pandemic: WCRI Study
A new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found that total costs per claim with more than seven days of lost time in…
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Dr. Tate Rice: The Importance of the Physical Therapist in Addressing the Physical and Behavioral Health of Injured Worker Patients
In a Workers’ Compensation Research Institute study, patients who initiated PT more than 30 days after injury had worse health outcomes than…
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WCRI: 6% of COVID Claimants Treated for Long COVID
A national study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute found that 6% of workers who filed claims for COVID-19 suffered long COVID,…
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What Employers Should Know About Workers Who Have Long COVID-19
An August report from the nonprofit Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found that care for long COVID can be costly. Many workers who…
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All Changed, Changed Utterly
That line, from W.B. Yeats’ great poem, “Easter, 1916”, comes to mind when we look back on what COVID has done to the US workforce in a scant…
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What’s Up, Long COVID?
For the other news, we turn to a new report from the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), Long COVID in the Workers’ Compensation…
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Joe Paduda: Medical inflation in work comp…
Isn’t a problem. In most states. Today. That is the headline takeaway from WCRI’s presentation last week…
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Alternatives to the High Cost of Topicals for Pain Management
Hamm’s assertion that high-cost topicals are unnecessarily driving up costs is backed by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI),…
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Impact of long COVID on the workplace in Massachusetts
A recent report looked at the prevalence of long COVID and how it is affecting the worker compensation system. The report, by the Cambridge-based…
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Talking Points: State seeks federal money for four big transportation projects
Six percent of workers who filed workers’ compensation claims for catching COVID-19 between March 2020 and September 2021 have also received care…
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Workers’ comp researchers examine long COVID
Six percent of workers who filed workers’ compensation claims for catching COVID-19 between March 2020 and September 2021 have also received care…
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Long COVID is real, “social inflation” is not.
WCRI’s report on long COVID’s impact on work comp was release, examining claims with an average of 18 months post-infection…my takeaways…
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Long COVID present in 6% of comp claims: study
Six percent of workers with compensation claims for COVID-19 developed long COVID, according to a study released Thursday by the Workers…
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CCC: Shifting Treatment Patterns Bringing More Expensive Auto Injury Treatments Earlier On
The Workers Compensation Research Institute reported earlier this month that the cost of medical care in workers’ comp dipped during the…
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WI DWD: Worker’s Compensation Premiums Continue to Decline
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development recently announced that Wisconsin companies will pay 8.4% less in worker’s compensation…
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Physician dispensing in work comp is roaring back
mostly because insurers and employers have a been asleep at the switch.
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WCRI: Inflation Not a Big Deal for Workers’ Comp, Yet
While fast-rising prices in the past year drove up claim costs for auto and property insurers, inflation has been a more ho-hum affair for the…
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Lower worker’s comp rates will save state employers $148M
Wisconsin companies will pay 8.4% less in worker’s compensation insurance rates starting Oct. 1, benefiting businesses around the state,…
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No evidence overall inflation effected comp medical costs: Report
While consumer prices for energy, food and housing between 2021 and 2022 saw drastic increases, there’s little evidence such inflationary…
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The Grand Bargain: Delving into the Evolution of Workers’ Compensation
Earlier this year, the Workers' Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) served as the backdrop for a comprehensive and illuminating…
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Upcoming lower worker’s compensation rates to save Wisconsin employers $148M
Wisconsin companies will pay 8.4% less in worker’s compensation insurance rates starting Oct. 1, benefiting businesses around the state,…
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Alabama Firefighter Dies, Another Wounded After Attack at Fire House
An Alabama firefighter who was shot inside his fire station will be laid to rest today, providing a small measure of closure after what authorities…
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Extended Use of Physical Medicine for Low Back Pain: A Comprehensive Study by Workers’ Compensation Research Institute
In March 2023, Dongchun Wang from the Workers' Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) presented a study on the extended use of physical…
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If a worker dies on the job, many states limit surviving spouse workers’ compensation
Tennessee’s workers’ compensation laws are now similar to a number of other states, said Karen Rothkin with the Workers Compensation…
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View from the top: Ramona Tanabe, Workers Compensation Research Institute
In May, Ramona Tanabe became president and CEO of the Workers Compensation Research Institute, where she began working in 1996. During her tenure,…
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WCRI: COVID-19 Pandemic Likely Contributed to Indemnity Benefit Trends in MA
Cambridge, MA – Indemnity benefits per claim in Massachusetts decreased 7 percent in 2021 following a sizeable increase in the previous year.…
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WCRI Releases 2023 Annual Report
Cambridge, MA – The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) recently announced that its 2023 WCRI Annual Report is now available on its…
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that giant sucking sound…v3
WCRI’s latest research report on hospital costs is a must-read for anyone involved in work comp claims, medical management and actuarial…
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Medicare pricing changes could cost comp
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently updated its reimbursement rates for medical services, and experts are monitoring how the…
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WCRI to Discuss Findings From Back Pain Study in June 22 Webinar
The Workers Compensation Research Institute will discuss findings from a recent study about back pain during an hour-long webinar June 22.
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Physician consolidations can both hurt and help comp: Experts
As health care system mergers become more commonplace, workers compensation experts are monitoring how physician consolidations might affect issues…
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WCRI’s new leader speaks
One of my favorite people in workers’ comp is now heading up WCRI…I connected with Ramona Tanabe who was named President and CEO. making her…
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Medical services pricing in comp varies among states: Study
States that don’t have workers compensation medical fee schedules for professional services tend to have much higher prices compared with states…
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WCRI: Pandemic Potentially Influencing TD Trends
Recent changes in the duration of temporary disability in Texas could reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic conditions,…
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Seven Percent of Workers with COVID-19 Claims Developed Long COVID
A recent study, "Long COVID in the Workers' Compensation System Early in the Pandemic" from the Workers Compensation Research…
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WCRI Webinar to Examine Workers’ Compensation Medical Fee Schedule Design
Cambridge, MA – The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) recently announced that it will be hosting a 30-minute webinar on Thursday,…
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7 Questions for WCRI’s New CEO Ramona Tanabe
Ramona Tanabe assumed the role of WCRI’s CEO in May 2023. She shares her thoughts, her goals and career wins that have led her to this position.
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Employers Grappling With Changing Workplace Where Labor Is Scarce & Workers Feel Isolated
A national labor shortage has created ideal conditions for skilled workers to negotiate for better pay and more flexible work schedules, but also…
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WCRI: Total Costs per Workers’ Comp Claim in IL Changed Little During Pandemic
Cambridge, MA – The average total cost per claim in Illinois changed little between 2019 and 2021 for injuries evaluated as of the first quarter…
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Illinois comp medical utilization dropped in 2020: Study
The utilization of nonhospital and hospital outpatient services in the Illinois workers compensation system decreased in 2020, the drop attributed…
