CWCI Schedules Training on the New Med-Legal Fee Schedule

The DWC has finalized revisions to the Med-Legal Fee Schedule (MLFS) regulations and submitted them to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) to be filed with the Secretary of State.  The DWC has requested that the revised MLFS take effect for services rendered on or after 4/1/21.  Among the key changes are:

• Flat fees for: (1) comprehensive initial evaluation ($2,015); (2) follow-up evaluation ($1,316.25); (3) supplemental report ($650); and (4) failed/missed appointments ($503.75).
• A prohibition on fees for supplemental reports that are issued in response to unanswered questions and/or unaddressed issues in the original report.
• Hourly billing for (1) med-legal deposition testimony (minimum of 2 hours at $455 per hour) and incremental charge thereafter; and (2) sub-rosa review ($325 per hour billed in .25-hour increments).
• Per-page record review fees ($3.00 per page) following the included base number of pages in the flat fee charge per category. 
• A requirement that those who submit records to the evaluating physician provide, under penalty of perjury, a declaration of compliance with LC §4062.2 and an attestation of page count. 
• A requirement that physicians may only bill for record review if the submitted records contain a declaration, under penalty of perjury, that the submitter has complied with LC §4062.3 and attests to the total page count of records provided for review. 

The proposed effective date for the regulations is less than a month away, so CWCI will present a webinar to help workers’ compensation professionals get up to speed on the MLFS changes.  The program, “Gearing Up for the New MLFS: A Guide for Workers’ Compensation Professionals” will be presented by CWCI Claims & Medical Director Jackie Secia, Senior Research Associate Stacy Jones, and General Counsel Ellen Sims Langille.  The one-hour session will be presented on Thursday, March 18 beginning at 9:30 a.m. (Pacific).  The program will then be offered as an on-demand webinar beginning Monday, March 22.  Both the live and on-demand sessions will be free to CWCI member company employees, $99 for nonmembers. 

The webinar is a great way to educate your remote and in-office staff on the Med-Legal Fee Schedule changes, and the on-demand feature will allow the program to be viewed in part, or in total, at the viewer’s convenience.  In addition, all registrants will receive a downloadable file of the training materials.  The program has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of California in the amount of 1.0 hour, including 1.0 hour of Legal Specialization in Workers’ Compensation, and CWCI will provide certificates of attendance upon completion of the program for submission to the Association of Hearing Representatives of California and to verify hours for those who need credit toward the Department of Insurance workers’ compensation claims adjuster certification requirements.

To Register:

Employees of CWCI member companies: Log on to www.cwci.org using your registered email address and personal password, select “Store” on the top of the home page, click seminars from the drop-down menu, then then scroll down to “Gearing Up for the New MLFS: A Guide for Workers’ Compensation Professionals” and click the Register button at the bottom of the page and complete the form.  (If you haven’t set up a member account, select “Your Account” at the top of the home page, click “Add me as a Member User” from the pull-down menu, complete the form, then use the information you enter on that form to log in and complete a registration.) 

Non-members: Go to www.cwci.org select “Store” at the top of the Home Page, click seminars from the drop-down menu, then scroll down to “Gearing Up for the New MLFS: A Guide for Workers’ Compensation Professionals” and click the Register button at the bottom of the page, which will allow you to complete the registration form, including your payment information. 

Log-in instructions will be emailed to you the week before the program.  If you have questions, call Fran Perry at (510) 251-9470.

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