Bulletin No. 41-06
July 24, 2006

California Division of Workers’ Compensation introduces on line training in the use of medical fee schedules

The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has posted on line the first in a planned series of narrated PowerPoint training modules. These training sessions detail proper use of the state’s workers’ compensation medical fee schedules. The training is designed to make both payers and providers more familiar with how the fee schedules work, which in turn should allow doctors to be paid more quickly and accurately.

The first module discusses the new medical-legal fee schedule, which became effective Jul. 1, 2006. The presentation is available at http://www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/DWC_Presentations/MedicalLegalFeeScheduleTrainingModule.ppt.

“Each individual fee schedule will eventually get a module,” said DWC Medical Unit Manager Sue Honor. “The next two we post will be inpatient hospital and outpatient facility because I get more questions on those two than all the rest.”

More training modules will be added based on the number of questions received about each schedule, or to correspond with an update, as in the case of the medical-legal fee section.

The division is interested in feedback on this project and will use the feedback to refine future modules. Users should send comments or suggestions to DWC@dir.ca.gov with “medical-legal fee schedule training module” in the subject line, or send a letter to:

DWC Medical Unit
P.O. Box 420603
San Francisco CA 94142
Attn: Suzanne Honor-Vangerov

“We hope this works as a flexible and efficient way to get information out to people who need it,” said Honor.

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