New Interactive Analytic Tool

In December 2014, CWCI researchers Stacy Jones and Rena David published “Inpatient Utilization in the California Workers’ Compensation System,” an analysis of the changing nature of hospitalizations and the rate of back surgeries following the landmark reform (SB 863) that led to the repeal of “pass-through” payments for implantable hardware used in spinal surgeries. The study showed that:

• Between 2008 and 2013, California workers’ comp inpatient discharges fell 15.6 percent;
• In 2013, the first year that pass-through payments were eliminated, the number of spinal surgeries dropped 8.4 percent from 2012, the largest percentage decrease since 2008;
• Estimated savings from the elimination of spinal surgery implant pass-through payments range from $58-$92 million in 2013, and $53-$84 million in 2014. The smaller savings estimated for 2014 were attributed to a projected sustained decrease in spine surgeries.

As a companion piece to the study, CWCI members can access a special interactive application[1] to provide greater insight into three key areas:
[1] To open the interactive application, click CWCI Inpatient Hospital Application and log in with user name CWCIMEM and the password oak.

Comparative data on back surgery rates, average lengths of stay, and hospital charges for California Workers’ Compensation, Medicare, Medi-Cal and Private Coverage

Heat maps to compare back surgery rates, lengths of stay and charges across payors and counties

A hospital-specific drill-down comparison of spine surgery rates

This application builds on the Institute’s 20+ year history of providing analytic tools to members. The Inpatient Discharge Analysis application is part of an evolving CWCI public policy program to provide members and other stakeholders “distributed analytics” to enable a more comprehensive, interactive experience with CWCI research.