IBR

DWC Repeatedly Violates CA IBR Law
Jun 15, 2023
DWC Repeatedly Violates CA IBR Law
California fails to maintain a workers’ comp environment that’s fair and navigable for providers (you know, the people who treat the injured workers). Prime example: the Divi...
Gallagher Bassett Plays IBR Chicken With QME
May 16, 2023
Gallagher Bassett Plays IBR Chicken With QME
Gallagher Bassett seemingly tried its hand at the game of IBR Chicken, forcing a Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) to waste time, money, and resources on a needless dispute —...
SCIF Makes Mockery of IBR and the DWC
May 15, 2023
SCIF Makes Mockery of IBR and the DWC
Yet again, we face another appalling round of "IBR Chicken,” the game in which a claims administrator refuses to shell out a dime to a California provider for services render...
Sedgwick Loses IBR (But Still Wins "IBR Chicken")
Apr 21, 2023
Sedgwick Loses IBR (But Still Wins "IBR Chicken")
You can’t say we didn’t try.Earlier this month, we offered Third-Party Administrator (TPA) Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc. 100% free use of our daisyWizard f...
CPT 99358 & 99359: How to Appeal Payment Denials
Mar 15, 2023
CPT 99358 & 99359: How to Appeal Payment Denials
In workers’ comp billing, some procedure codes are trickier than others.Two of the best examples are CPT codes 99358 and 99359, used by providers to report prolonged n...
Med-Legal IBR Data: A Bad Look for Sedgwick & CA
Jan 30, 2023
Med-Legal IBR Data: A Bad Look for Sedgwick & CA
California appears to turn a willfully blind eye to what seems like an abuse of the Independent Bill Review (IBR) system for Medical-Legal disputes.Data ...
Med-Legal Data: IBR Is the QME/AME's Friend
Dec 8, 2022
Med-Legal Data: IBR Is the QME/AME's Friend
California workers’ comp presents serious challenges to physicians — and Medical-Legal physicians are no exception. Despite a recently simplified Medical-Legal Fee Sch...
CA QME Calls Out Cannon Cochran "Abuse and Insults"
Dec 8, 2022
CA QME Calls Out Cannon Cochran "Abuse and Insults"
A California Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) has had quite enough nonsensical reimbursement games from Cannon Cochran Management Services, Inc. (CCMSI).The Third-Par...
CA Providers Unite! Suggestions for the DWC
Dec 5, 2022
CA Providers Unite! Suggestions for the DWC
On December 6, 2022, California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) invites stakeholders to a public meeting to share “ideas to improve the State’s worker...
CA SCIF Baits & Switches MD Out of Payment
Sep 7, 2022
CA SCIF Baits & Switches MD Out of Payment
Once again, California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF) may profit by exploiting a flaw in California’s Independent Bill Review (IBR) system.SCIF initially d...
IBR: Sedgwick Ordered to Pay QME $20k+ for False Med-Legal Denial
Sep 7, 2022
IBR: Sedgwick Ordered to Pay QME $20k+ for False Med-Legal Denial
Sedgwick Claims Management Services just set a dubious new record. Maximus, the entity which conducts Independent Bill Review (IBR) on behalf of California’s Division of Work...
SCIF: Med-Legal IBR Chicken Champion
Jul 27, 2022
SCIF: Med-Legal IBR Chicken Champion
Welcome to another round of IBR Chicken, where California claims administrators (falsely) deny payment for the treatment of injured workers for implausible reasons — and keep...