Access to Medical Care in Texas Workers’ Comp System Improving, Study Finds

From 2005 to 2017, the number of workers’ compensation claims in Texas fell by 20 percent, resulting in a 24 percent decrease in the number of patients per participating doctor in Texas.

That’s one of the findings of a report released by the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation that looked at doctor participation and retention, and timeliness of care in the states’ workers’ comp system.

The September 2018 study from the division’s Research and Evaluation Group found that access to medical care for injured workers has improved slightly and that the number of doctors who treat workers’ comp patients has remained steady. The study focuses on the injured employees’ initial access to medical care, excluding emergency medical services.

The study found that about 84 percent of injured employees received initial care within seven days or less in 2017, up from 81 percent in 2005. The rate has remained above 83 percent since 2009. The share of claims that received their initial treatment within seven days after injury was higher among workers’ comp networks than non-networks.

The study also found that 80 percent of doctors who treat workers’ compensation patients return the following year. The total number of physicians actively practicing in Texas increased at an annual rate of 3.2 percent between 2005 and 2017.

Most active workers’ comp physicians — 78 percent — practice in the five largest metro areas in the state in 2017 and 73 percent of workers’ compensation claimants reside in the state’s large metro areas, the study shows.

The full report may be found online at https://www.tdi.texas.gov/reports/wcreg/documents/accesstc2018.pdf.