Report: Medical Costs for Workers’ Comp Rose 11% Nationally

Medical costs for workers’ compensation increased nationally 11% and first-party claims grew 5% over the last four years, a new report shows.

Enlyte’s “Quarterly Medical Price Index (MPI) Report,” based on trends from professional medical bill services from Q1 2020 to Q4 2023, examines data representing the top 200 procedures billed under coverage.

The report shows an increase of 5% in price physician charges for first-party claims over the period studied, while third-party claims rose by 17% for physician charge per unit.

The trend changes were most evident in Texas and California, which showed MPI increases of 11%. Factors contributing to those increases include rises in utilization and inflation, according to the report.

San Diego, California-based Enlyte is the parent company of Mitchell, Genex and Coventry, providers of cost-containment technology, provider and specialty networks, case management services, pharmacy benefit and disability management services.