DIR, DWC release report on access to medical care in California’s workers’ compensation system

NEWSLINE

The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and its Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) released a RAND research report examining injured workers' access to medical care and provider participation in California's workers' compensation system. DIR funded the study, which was conducted as required by Labor Code section 5307.2.

The report is the first in a series of four annual RAND studies that will track injured workers' access to medical care and the factors that influencing it. It establishes a baseline for ongoing monitoring.

Using medical billing and injury-report data from 2017 through 2024, the study examined several key areas, including:

• The timeliness of care and distances traveled to receive care, including how these measures vary across regions of the state.
• Whether the supply of providers participating in workers' compensation has kept pace with demand and with provider availability in the general health care system.
• Differences in provider participation by specialty, provider type and geographic region.
• The adoption of telehealth and its association with access to care, particularly behavioral health care.

The report found that access to care remained largely stable for most injured workers in recent years, although travel distances increased in rural and suburban areas. It also identified regions, including the Inland Empire and Los Angeles, where provider participation in workers' compensation was lower than expected.

The California Department of Industrial Relations' Division of Workers' Compensation monitors the administration of workers' compensation claims and provides administrative and judicial services to help resolve disputes related to claims for workers' compensation benefits.