Illinois Work Comp Medical Fee Schedule Rates to Increase 1.69%

Workers’ compensation medical fee schedule rates in Illinois will increase 1.69 percent in 2013, according to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC).

The IWCC said the hike is less than half the rate of medical inflation (CPI-M). The fee schedule amounts are now running 37 percent below medical inflation over the life of the fee schedule, according to the IWCC.

Section 8.2(a) of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act provides that, each year, fee schedule rates shall increase or decrease by the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index-U (CPI-U) in the previous year.

The 2013 rates will be posted as soon as the vendor, Optum, calculates them and obtains information about new and deleted codes. The rates are usually posted at the end of the year.

A chart comparing CPI-M with CPI-U may be found on the IWCC website at http://www.iwcc.il.gov/news.htm#cpi.

Source: IWCC