WCRI Reports Compare Hospital And Ambulatory Surgical Center Fee Schedules

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Information to assist policymakers and other system stakeholders in understanding and comparing hospital and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) is presented in two new studies released by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).

Publication of the studies comes as inpatient and outpatient ASC costs have been the subject of much concern amid rapid growth in medical costs in several state workers' compensation systems, according to Cambridge, Mass.-based WCRI.

Policymakers in many states have considered various means of cost containment in the workers' compensation arena. Often included are updates to or implementation of hospital and ambulatory surgical center workers' compensation fee schedules.

These fee schedules vary greatly across the nation and many stakeholders have expressed frustration at obtaining information regarding the various forms and implementations of hospital and ASC fee schedules, according to WCRI.

As a result, the National Inventory of Workers' Compensation Fee Schedules for Hospitals and Ambulatory Surgical Centers has been created along with the accompanying Fee Schedules for Hospitals and Ambulatory Surgical Centers: A Guide for Policymakers.

The objective of the Inventory is to provide a handy reference book for those who want to know the approach and specifics of a given state or to compare the regulatory approaches of several states. It includes detailed information about the nature of the laws and regulations, organized by state, as well as Web links to the actual regulations.

The accompanying Guide provides information for policymakers as well as others who are not experts in this complex subject. The goals of the Guide are to articulate lessons for policymakers, educate non-experts, document the strategic design choices faced by regulators, and describe how different states have addressed these decisions.

WCRI reports that the material in these volumes does not attempt to answer questions related to the effects of regulation in areas such as system costs or patient care. Interested readers should consult other WCRI publications for a broader understanding of state workers' compensation systems.

WCRI studies that may be of interest are: the CompScope™ Benchmarks studies; CompScope™ Medical Benchmarks studies; and the worker outcomes studies.

The Workers Compensation Research Institute is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization conducting public policy research on workers' compensation, health care and disability issues. Its members include employers, insurers, and governmental entities, insurance regulators and state administrative agencies, as well as several state labor organizations.

To order these reports, visit the WCRI website: www.wcrinet.org.

Source: Workers Compensation Research Institute

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