Who Knew Medical Travel Could Drive Costs So High For Workers’ Comp?

A study conducted by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), and reviewed in a session entitled “Crossing State Lines for Medical Care” at their annual convention in Boston recently, showed that New York based injured workers who engaged in medical travel to New Jersey experienced orthopedic surgery costs at more than twice the allowable rates permissible in New York. This is apparently because, while New York maintains a fee schedule that dictates what surgeons may charge, there is not a statutory provision dictating or limiting what out of state providers may charge New York employers.