New Fee Guidelines Take Effect

The Connecticut Worker's Compensation Commission has announced that a new version of the Practitioner Fee Schedule will go into effect for all medical services rendered after July 15, 2008. The WCC memorandum may be read in it's entirety here.

The Guidelines is an important thing for WCC claimaints to keep in mind, especially those who have left the State and are looking for medical treatment. The Guidelines establish, as a matter of law, how much a physician may charge an insurer for a given procedure in a CT worker's comp case.

Say, for example, you have moved to Florida and need a spinal fusion. Your surgeon in Florida says he will do it, but will charge you $15,000.00 That may be what you will pay, but in terms of valuing it for settlement, if the Fee Guidelines allow only $5000 for a spinal fusion, that is how the Respondent will value it, no matter what your Florida doc says it will cost. Unfair? Maybe, but that is why it is wise to consult with an experienced WC lawyer before deciding to leave the State with an open and potentially active WC matter.