CHEYENNE – The Department of Workforce Services is promulgating Chapters 9 and 10 of Workers’ Compensation rules regarding Fee Schedules and Miscellaneous Medical Protocols, and now seeks public comment on the proposed rules.
Fee schedules are both a cost containment strategy as well as a tool to ensure injured workers can obtain quality health care and that health care providers are reimbursed at a fair rate. The fee schedules are typically updated each year to adopt the most recent code published by the American Medical Association (AMA) and Optum 360.
The proposed changes to Chapter 9 also include a move towards a Resource Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS). This change will take into account the amount of work involved in each procedure, expense the practice incurs to perform each procedure, and geographic differences in the cost of malpractice insurance. This will allow Wyoming to follow industry standards and will ensure appropriate reimbursement is in line with surrounding states and the majority of payers across the nation. More information on the proposed changes to Chapter 9 are available in the Statement of Reasons.
The proposed changes to Chapter 10 include a new Section, 33, which limits preauthorization or reimbursement for surgical procedures to those performed by board certified surgeons or licensed physicians eligible for board certification as surgeons by virtue of education or training.
Further updates include new URL’s to the most up-to-date information, and updating the many terms used to refer to the injured worker to be more consistent throughout the chapter. More information on the proposed changes to Chapter 10 are available in the Statement of Reasons.
The public comment window is open through December 1, 2022. Comments may be submitted through an online form: