Workers Compensation Research Institute - WCRI

05/29/2026

Inflation is driving faster growth in workers' compensation professional prices.

Learn more in WCRI's newly released Medical Price Index for Workers' Compensation, 2026 Edition. Watch this short video for an overview: https://youtu.be/saQpbMvaS_A

This annual study compares prices paid for medical professional services across 36 states from 2008 to 2025. It focuses on services commonly billed by physic...

05/28/2026

A new 36-state WCRI study finds that many states saw faster growth in prices paid for workers’ compensation medical professional services from 2021 to 2024, mainly reflecting higher inflation in the general economy. The study is free for download here: https://www.wcrinet.org/news/detail/inflation-drives-faster-growth-in-workers-comp-professional-prices

05/26/2026

A recent WCRI study finds that total payments per claim in Florida’s workers’ compensation system increased by about 5 percent per year from 2022 through 2025. Learn more: https://www.wcrinet.org/news/detail/wcri-florida-workers-compensation-claim-costs-rose-about-5-per-year-since-2022

05/25/2026

How fee schedule regulations are designed—and how they influence medical prices and payments across state workers’ compensation systems—will be the focus of a free, 30-minute WCRI webinar on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET.

Learn more/register: https://www.wcrinet.org/news/detail/webinar-latest-wcri-research-on-fee-schedules-and-medical-prices

05/22/2026

We’ve released the 6th edition of our WCRI FlashReport: Interstate Variation and Trends in Workers’ Compensation Drug Payments. Watch this video to learn more about the study: https://youtu.be/Tmr6zcSuNFg.

This study provides a high-level view of changing prescription drug costs in workers’ compensation across 31 states.It categorizes prescription drugs into ke...

05/21/2026

A new WCRI report finds that dermatological agents account for the largest share of workers' compensation prescription drug payments and are overwhelmingly dispensed through delivery pharmacies and physician dispensing channels.

Learn more/download the report: https://www.wcrinet.org/news/detail/wcri-delivery-pharmacies-and-physician-dispensing-drive-workers-compensation-rx-payments-for-dermatological-agents

05/20/2026

WCRI’s study on the effects of excessive heat on heat-related illnesses versus heat-related accidents was mentioned in this article in Business Insurance.

Read the article: https://www.businessinsurance.com/heat-risk-draws-fresh-scrutiny-in-workers-compensation/

To download a copy of the study, visit: https://www.wcrinet.org/reports/heat-related-illnesses-in-the-workplacea-wcri-flashreport/

Heat-related illness claims are a small slice of the overall claims picture, but rising temperatures, expanding safety regulations and growing awareness of the exposure are prompting insurers and…

05/19/2026

Total payments per workers' compensation claim in Wisconsin rose by 9 percent annually between 2022 and 2025, following a long period of stability, according to a recent WCRI study.

Read more: https://www.wcrinet.org/news/detail/wcri-wisconsin-claim-costs-rise-after-years-of-stability

05/18/2026

Debbie Dukeshire of The Standard recaps a WCRI conference session exploring how injectable therapies are reshaping workers compensation treatment and medical spending.

To download the full report, visit: https://www.wcrinet.org/reports/injectable-therapies-in-workers-compensation.



Courtesy of Standard Publishing Corporation

05/14/2026

Check out Maura Keller’s coverage of WCRI’s recent study, Impact of Hospital Closures on Access to Care and Claim Outcomes, in PropertyCasualty360: https://www.propertycasualty360.com/2026/05/13/wcri-hospital-closures-prolong-recovery-increase-costs-for-injured-workers/

Download the full report here: https://www.wcrinet.org/reports/impact-of-hospital-closures-on-access-to-care-and-claim-outcomes

More than 140 rural hospitals in the United States closed or stopped providing inpatient services between 2005 and 2023, the federal government reports.

05/12/2026

A recently released WCRI study finds that total payments per claim in California’s workers’ compensation system have risen steadily since 2021. Learn more and download the study: https://www.wcrinet.org/news/detail/wcri-california-claim-costs-continue-to-rise.