In 2023, daisyNews tackled the stories, trends, and issues that had the biggest impact on providers who treat injured workers. Below, we share the 10 most-read articles of the year.

We covered it all, from fee schedule confusion to rapacious network discounts to lousy behavior by claims administrators (and California state regulators’ failure to do much about it) and offered information, guidance, and some well-earned public shaming.

We appreciate your readership and the comments and emails many of you shared with us throughout 2023.

Happy New Year, and strap in for 2024 — there’s much more to say about workers’ comp and how to improve the system for injured workers and the providers who care for them.

daisyNews: 2023 Top 10 Articles

Below are the 10 most-read daisyNews articles of the year.

1. 5 Ways the RFA System Burdens Providers
   Obtaining authorization is one of the heaviest burdens California workers’ comp places on providers. This post showed how technology can cut through the noise (with several helpful videos).

2. Obituary: Major CA Practice Quits Workers' Comp Treatment
   As treating injured workers becomes more burdensome and less financially sustainable, some practices are calling it quits. How many providers’ doors have to close before California takes action?

3. CPT 99358 & 99359: Payable in 2023
   When the Status Code for two commonly billed procedure codes changed effective February 2023, providers needed reassurance that both remain payable. Our brief video broke down the changes so providers could bill with confidence.

4. Payer Consultant “Coming After” daisyBill CEO
   daisyNews can bring up difficult emotions for some folks, including a consultant whose strong feelings regarding our “mean blog” led to an outburst that was cringeworthy for all concerned.

5. E/M Data: CPT 99214 Reimbursement 2022
   The numbers tell the tale: data for 2022 revealed that physicians are making far less than fee schedule rates for bread-and-butter Evaluation and Management services.

6. Medical Director: CA Workers’ Comp “Subsidizes Corruption”
   When an audit revealed shockingly low revenue for treating injured workers, a practice’s Medical Director decided enough was enough — and called out the systemic issues that make workers’ comp financially unsustainable for providers.

7. Sedgwick Racks Up 79,318 DWC Audit Complaints
   Continuing the saga of Sedgwick’s long-standing, consistent, blatant failure to comply with California EDI requirements, we reported tens of thousands of violations to the (frustratingly impotent) DWC.

8. Data: CA UR Decisions 2022
   Our data revealed that a disturbing percentage of requested services were denied in 2022 — and that some claims administrators are far less likely to authorize treatment than others.

9. ACE/Sedgwick Low Payments Reveal PPO Problem
   In which we use three identical bills to demonstrate just how nonsensical (and unjustifiable) contractual reimbursement discounts can be.  

10. CA Bill Strips Workers’ Choice of Doctor
    Whew — that was a close one! California almost passed a bill that would’ve allowed MPNs to list network entities instead of individual providers, giving network discount peddlers total control of patient care.

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