Medical treatment patterns for workers compensation claims have evolved in recent years, particularly for specialty services such as major surgery and physical therapy. While aggregate trends across NCCI jurisdictions appear modest, there are substantial differences at the state level.
NCCI’s latest research examines how time to first medical treatment and treatment duration changed from Accident Year 2016 to 2023 and how the changes in these two measures relate across jurisdictions. This report reveals several shifts in when and where injured workers receive first medical treatment, as well as how treatment patterns vary.
Key Insights
- Initial medical treatment is occurring later in most jurisdictions
- From 2016 to 2023, average time to initial treatment increased by 2 days, with a larger increase of 8 days for first physical therapy and 10 days for first major surgery
- The share of claims treated on the injury date decreased from 48% to 43%
- Among claimants treated after the injury date, more received initial care in nonfacility settings, where initial treatment typically occurred later but overall medical utilization was lower
- Treatment duration remained stable overall, despite considerable variation across jurisdictions
- Average treatment duration was 217.8 days in 2016 and 218.0 days in 2023
- Although time to first medical treatment increased modestly, treatment duration did not, suggesting that slower time to initial care did not automatically translate into longer treatment pathways once care was initiated
- The relationship between changes in first treatment timing and treatment duration differs by claim cohort
- There did not appear to be a relationship between the two measures across all lost-time claims
- Positive relationships were observed for physical therapy and major surgery claims, where jurisdictions experiencing longer time to first treatment also tended to experience longer treatment duration
Taken together, the research indicates that injured workers are generally beginning treatment later, while treatment duration has remained stable overall. Notably, initial care is increasingly occurring in nonfacility settings, which tend to be associated with lower overall medical utilization, with substantial variation across jurisdictions and claim cohorts.
These findings consider where treatment begins and when specialized care is received, providing insight into opportunities to reduce medical utilization and support effective treatment and recovery for injured workers.
Every state has a story. To explore state nuances and the full findings, read the complete report.
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