Paying Providers More May Help Workers Recover Faster

Mar 30, 2015 | WC & Other Laws

paying providers for timely treatment of work injury

Workers Recover Faster – It’s old news that workers’ compensation systems differ between states. Everything from compensation amounts for missing limbs to the amount of choice workers have for their doctors can be different between Colorado and, for example, New Mexico. That’s why it’s so important for a disabled worker in Denver to seek out a Denver disability attorney or Denver disability lawyer for his or her disability claim.

Help Workers Recover Faster

Recently, some state workers’ compensation systems have increased the incentive for doctors to see and provide treatment for injured workers in a timely manner. This incentive can manifest in a number of ways, from the dollar amount workers’ compensation systems are willing to pay out to providers to the amount of visits workers are allowed for physical therapy after the primary treatment has occurred. In North Carolina, provider reimbursements will increase in July in an attempt to reduce treatment delays and allow injured workers to recover sooner.

Related: Would’a, Should’a, Could’a Doesn’t Matter When It Comes to Health Insurance

Delaying treatment, as any Denver disability lawyer worth his or her degree will tell you, can often prolong a workers’ compensation claim and force workers to suffer through their injuries while increasing frustration with the entire system. Under the new rule in North Carolina, the largest amount a professional service can be billed for will be between 40 and 95 percent more than the current base amounts for Medicare. Before this increase, the fee schedule was based on the reimbursement rates for Medicare outlined in 1995.

This step taking effect in North Carolina and potentially in Arizona is a grand leap forward for ensuring workers receive treatment in as timely a manner as possible and helping injured workers get back to work sooner. Other states considering similar increases include Florida, Montana, Indiana, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and New Hampshire. Increases in reimbursement for providers are, of course, not the only factor that influences access to care for injured workers. The choice of provider, especially in rural areas, is an enormous factor, in addition to how familiar given providers are with the mass of paperwork workers’ compensation entails.

We can help

Workers’ Compensation can be difficult, confusing, and very complex. Kaplan Morrell has helped thousands of injured workers since 1997 get the benefits they deserve. Contact us here or call us at 303-780-7329 for your free consultation.

Additional Resource: Medicare Medicaid and Workers’ Compensation