WC Research and Evaluation Group Releases Access to Care Report
The Workers’ Compensation Research and Evaluation Group released a new report on access to care in the Texas workers’ compensation system between 2017 and 2022. This report measures the availability and accessibility of care by the:
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- Rate of physician participation in treating work-related injuries.
- Rate of physician retention.
- Timeliness of first non-emergency medical treatment.
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Key findings:
Participation rates of physicians. The total number of physicians actively practicing in Texas increased at an annual rate of 2.6% between 2017 and 2022. The total number of workers’ compensation participating physicians remained relatively stable in 2022 (17,659), resulting in a decreasing participation rate.
Physician retention. Overall, the workers’ compensation physician retention rate was high and relatively stable: 79% in 2017 and 76% in 2022.
Access to medical care by geographical area. In 2022, 79% of active physicians in Texas practiced in the five largest metro areas. Seventy-four percent of workers’ compensation participating physicians were in the largest metro areas.
Timeliness of care. About 82% of claims received initial non-emergency care in seven days or less in injury year 2022, down from 84% in 2017. The share of claims receiving same-day treatment decreased from 44% in injury year 2017 to 41% in 2022, including a slight dip from 45% in 2019 to 41% in 2020 possibly due to COVID-19.
The full report can be accessed here: https://www.tdi.texas.gov/reports/wcreg/documents/access-to-care-2024.pdf
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