The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute’s (WCRI) Benchmarkfor North Carolina shows that medical payments per workers’ comp claim decreased significantly since 2013, falling 6 percent each year through 2016.

Between 2010 and 2013 payments per claim were relatively stable, after increasing 4 to 6 percent per year from 2004 to 2010.

They found medical payments per claim with more than seven days of lost time were 19 percent lower than the median of the 18 states studied for 2016 claims evaluated in 2017, a reflection of the fee schedule changes in North Carolina in 2015. Prior to the changes North Carolina was closer to the median state for 2014 claims at 12 and 36 months of experience.

Since 2014, medical payments per claim decreased for hospitals and were stable for nonhospital care.

The benchmark compared North Carolina’s payments per claim, prices and utilization with 17 other states. Researchers looked at the years between 2011 and 2016 and claims with experience through 2017 for injuries up to and including 2016 were analyzed.

North Carolina has undergone several policy changes toaddress hospital costs in the state. In 2013 interim fee schedule changes took effect in North Carolina with new fee schedule rules going into effect in 2015. Reimbursement is now based on a percentage of Medicare. Also in 2015, phased-in decreases for hospital and ambulatory surgery center reimbursement, as well as changes to nonhospital service reimbursements went into effect.

Read more from WorkCompWire and WCRI.