Under reforms pushed by Governor Kathy Hochul, many of the obstacles that providers face to taking on workers’ comp patients are coming down.

From restrictive authorization requirements to outdated billing procedures and more, the state and its Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) are taking drastic measures to encourage provider participation and ease the administrative burden on practices.

Collectively, the initiatives on the NY WCB's list of accomplishments serve one overarching purpose: making it easier for providers to say “yes” to treating injured workers—and by extension, making it easier for injured workers to access care.

The Latest: Universal Provider Authorization

Currently, providers who want to treat injured workers must apply for approval with the WCB. Under Hochul’s “universal authorization” for providers, effective January 1, 2028, all licensed providers in good standing will be able to treat injured workers.

Dragging Comp Into the 21st Century: Mandatory e-Billing

Among the most impactful changes, New York instituted mandatory e-billing statewide in August 2025, a move that pays providers faster, reduces practice’s administrative burden, and simultaneously gives the WCB reliable data on every claim in the state.

That data allow New York to monitor the system in real time, identify problems, and measure whether reforms are actually working.

To offset the cost of adopting e-billing for practices, the WCB allows providers to charge up to $1 per e-bill using billing code CPT 99080. After some initial hesitation, the WCB responded to rampant payer refusal to pay the offset code by allowing providers to submit HP-1 forms to demand CPT 99080 reimbursements.

Residents & Fellows, Step on Up

New York also expanded the pool of eligible providers by allowing resident and fellow physicians to treat injured workers. Residents and fellows may treat workers’ comp patients subject to the following conditions:

• The resident or fellow must be in a program accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education.
• The resident or fellow may only treat injured workers under supervision by a faculty physician.

According to the Governor’s office, this adds about 20,000 new treating providers into the system across nearly 70 teaching hospitals statewide.

The move will undoubtedly expand access to treatment for injured workers, particularly in underserved areas where patients travel significant distances to find eligible providers.

Fee Schedule Increase Pending

The WCB is also pushing to increase reimbursement rates for providers who treat injured workers. According to a WCB message:

The Board has proposed new medical fee schedule regulations to significantly and meaningfully increase Evaluation and Management fees so they are competitive with private insurance. The Board will be reviewing the entire fee schedule for other necessary adjustments to make the fee schedule more competitive generally.

As New York steams forward with reforms, treating comp patients can become a meaningful part of more and more practices’ business models. That’s a massive win for injured workers and providers alike.

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