California Workers' Compensation Inpatient Hospitalization Trends (Research Update, published 05/18)

An updated look at the volume and types of inpatient services and procedures in California workers’ comp vs. Medicare, Medi-Cal and private coverage, based on a review of OSHPD discharge data from 2008 through 2016.  The report tracks the number of inpatient hospitalizations in workers’ compensation and the 3 other systems across the 9-year study period; gives the breakdown of surgical vs. medical (non-surgical) inpatient hospitalizations for each payer group; identifies the 10 most common inpatient diagnosis-related group codes (MS-DRGs) in California workers’ comp and what percentage of inpatient discharges they represent in the other systems; notes the top 5 Major Diagnostic Categories (MDCs) in workers’ comp as well as the distribution of the top 10 workers’ comp discharges involving musculoskeletal MDCs and what proportion of inpatient stays they represent in the other payer groups;  measures changes in the volume of implant-eligible spinal surgeries; and lists the top 10 California hospitals based on the share of their inpatient discharges that were covered by workers’ comp.