Flash Report: Medical Fee Schedules Costs Decrease by 6 Percent

Fees for physician services under the new fee schedules are falling by almost 6 percent on average between 2002 and 2004, according to data from the California Workers Compensation Institute. The decrease is yet another indication that the workers comp reforms are reducing cost drivers in the system.SB 228 mandated a new physician fee schedule be put in place by 2006 and required physicians to decrease maximum allowable payments by 5 percent starting Jan. 1, 2004. Using a mix of proced