Workers Compensation Research Institute - WCRI

10/14/2026

Tomorrow is your last chance to register! Join WCRI tomorrow, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m. ET for a free 30-minute webinar exploring what’s driving increases in workers’ compensation medical payments.

Register now to hear the latest findings from CompScope™ Medical Benchmarks, 2026 Edition. https://buff.ly/14qugR3

10/13/2026

Medical payments per claim were stable in Minnesota in 2025, according to a recently released WCRI study. This stability follows two years of cost increases. Learn more: https://www.wcrinet.org/news/detail/wcri-minnesota-medical-costs-stabilized-in-2025-following-rapid-growth

10/09/2026

Risk & Insurance highlights WCRI’s new study on mental health claims in workers’ compensation, including trends in claim frequency, common diagnoses, and how claims vary among workers.

Read the full article: https://buff.ly/SmEB9jN

Claims Remain Rare but Frequency Has Grown, With Wide Variation by State, Industry and Worker Demographics, According to the Workers Compensation Research Institute

10/08/2026

What’s driving rising medical costs in workers’ compensation?

Join WCRI researchers on Oct. 15 for a free webinar exploring the latest findings from CompScope™ Medical Benchmarks, 2026 Edition, including the factors contributing to medical payment growth.

Register: https://buff.ly/gGkoWdq

10/07/2026

What do WCRI members value most about their membership?

In this WCRI Member Spotlight, we interview Steve Wurzelbacher, Director of the Center for Workers’ Compensation Studies at NIOSH. Steve discusses his experience with WCRI, the value of its research, and how WCRI’s research supports his work.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/WiCuhIZQwh8

In this WCRI Member Spotlight, we interview Steve Wurzelbacher, Dir...

10/06/2026

From new research to upcoming events, there’s a lot happening at WCRI.

Catch up on highlights from this past quarter, including research published, how our work was used and cited, webinars hosted, member spotlight videos, and what’s ahead for our 2027 WCRI Issues & Research Conference.

Read the latest quarterly newsletter: https://conta.cc/46vUH38

09/30/2026

A new WCRI FlashReport examines how the composition of workers’ compensation injuries changed from the pre-pandemic period through the pandemic and post-pandemic years.

The analysis examines industry, age, gender, worker tenure, injury type, and major cost components, using 8 million non-COVID-19 claims across 31 states from 2019–2024.

Read the press release: https://www.wcrinet.org/news/detail/wcri-industries-accounting-for-workers-compensation-injuries-shifted-after-the-pandemic

09/29/2026

A new WCRI study examines mental health claims in workers’ compensation from 2015 to 2024, including their frequency, treatment, costs, and disability outcomes.

The study examines claims involving conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, and adjustment disorders and explores questions about which workers are more likely to have a mental health claim, how these claims are treated, and how outcomes vary across states.

Learn more: https://www.wcrinet.org/news/detail/new-wcri-study-on-mental-health-claims-in-workers-compensation

09/28/2026

Thanks to Joe Paduda for highlighting WCRI’s California workers’ compensation research and our upcoming Research & Issues Conference, March 11–12, 2027, in Boston, featuring Yale health care economist Zack Cooper, PhD, in his blog post today.

Joe also previews conference presentations from WCRI researchers Sebastian Negrusa, Bogdan Savych, Vennela Thumula, and Rebecca Yang on economic conditions, physician dispensing, pharmacy practices, access to care, fee schedules, and more.

Read Joe’s full post → https://joepaduda.substack.com/p/rowing-and-research

Had a great weekend racing in D.C.

09/25/2026

WCRI is heading to National Comp in Las Vegas!

WCRI CEO Ramona Tanabe will participate in two sessions at Mandalay Bay on September 29–30:

Tuesday, Sept. 29 | 11:00 a.m. PT
From Access to Outcomes: What Actually Drives Network Performance Today
Ramona will join Kate Farley-Agee (Enlyte) and Jean Feldman (Sentry Insurance) for a panel discussion.

Wednesday, Sept. 30 | 1:30 p.m. PT
Rotator Cuff: Small Tear, Big Decisions, Expensive Mistakes
Ramona will join David Jennings (HOMELINK) for this discussion.

Tim Hassett-Salley, WCRI’s VP of Sales, will also be attending National Comp. If you’re there, connect with Ramona and Tim to learn more about WCRI’s research and membership.