Average medical payments per claim in Delaware fell by about 33% between 2014 and 2017 because of legislative changes to the state’s medical reimbursement system, the Workers Compensation Research Institute said Wednesday.
A WCRI study attributes the decrease to changes enacted by House Bill 373 that were intended to cut medical costs and create a more efficient workers comp system in Delaware.
The study also found that total costs per claim continued to decline after 2017 following a series of medical fee schedule reductions called for in the legislation. Indemnity benefits per claim were mostly stable from 2015 to 2020, according to the study, and benefit delivery expenses per claim decreased during the same period in amounts that varied according to their maturity.
The WCRI said data used for its study excluded COVID-19 claims.
