June 9, 2023
For the first time in six years, Florida has a new health care provider reimbursement manual, governing workers’ compensation fees for doctors.
But the manual already could be considered three years out of date. It also will soon face a legal challenge by insurers because of new physician dispensing rules in it.
The Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation adopted the 2020 edition of the fee schedule manual in 2021, but under state law, the Legislature must ratify the changes if it is shown that they would cost businesses in the state more than a nominal amount. Until this spring, lawmakers had declined to act on the reimbursement plan since 2016, leaving Florida doctors who treat injured workers with some of the lowest payment schedules in the United States, officials have said.