The Florida Division of Workers' Compensation has issued its 2014 Results and Accomplishments Report. The report "was developed in an effort to provide meaningful workers’ compensation data" regarding Florida.
Among the highlights:
The Bureau of Compliance completed more investigations in 2013-14 than in any of the four prior years.
Stop-work orders were also higher in 2013-14. Almost $9 million in "new" premiums were generated due to these stop-work orders.
Significant penalties, almost $39 million, were assessed.
Applications for exemption from workers' compensation were also at a five-year high in 2013-14.
The Division concluded that providers had been underpaid in 86% of fee disputes in 2013-14.
The Division collected $78 million in assessments for the Administrative Trust Fund (ATF) and $46 million for the Special Disability Trust Fund (SDTF - which was sunset over a decade ago).
Total ATF income was almost $100 million, and expenditures almost $77 million.
The Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) process has continued to improve. Accepted paper claims forms have decreased from 6,316 in 2010-11 to zero in 2013-14.
Healthcare provider payments were down in 2013-14. Hospital payments were up, both inpatient and outpatient.
Pharmacy payments were up, while ambulatory surgical center payments remained consistent with 2012-13.
Payments for physician repackaged medications decreased almost $20 million from 2012-13.
The total volume of lost-time claims and the lost time claims rate per 1,000 employees were both lower in 2013-14. Each metric was the lowest last year compared to any other year in the presented data (since 2005).
The 2014 Report also provides statistics regarding what issues are being presented to Division Ombudsmen for resolution and their success rates with those issues.
