Senate task force outlines six‑pillar plan to modernize Louisiana workers' compensation fee schedule

A Louisiana Senate task force on Feb. 23, 2026, reviewed a package of proposals to modernize the state's workers' compensation medical fee schedule and improve injured workers' access to timely care.

Chairman Senator McMath opened the session by saying the group's work should center on injured workers: "At the end of every policy discussion is a person, an injured worker who needs care, needs clarity," he said, framing the task force's purpose to balance access, predictability, and fair provider payment.

Susie Shawan, secretary of Louisiana Works, told the task force she supported the focus on timely treatment and return to work. "It is our joint responsibility to make sure that people get the treatment they need as quickly as possible to return to work," she said.

Brian Blackwood, assistant secretary at Louisiana Works, reviewed the current legal framework that authorizes the agency to adopt a reimbursement schedule under the Administrative Procedure Act and directs use of the "mean of the usual and customary charges" for fees. He said the statute allows the agency to collect provider data (minimum samples and limits on any single provider's influence) but noted the schedule had not been meaningfully updated in roughly 30 years, creating mismatches between professional rates and facility charges that can produce disputes and delay care.

Senator Jay Myers (task force lead) laid out a six‑pillar reform framework intended to address those problems and to be phased in over several years. The pillars he described are:

- Professional/provider reimbursement: Anchor physician and professional fees to a transparent, nationally recognized reference (identified in the presentation as the Practice Management Information Corporation, or PMIC) at a defined percentile with routine updates (at least every two years) and strengthened prompt-pay accountability for clean claims.

- Facility reimbursement and a claims database: Create a Louisiana workers' compensation medical claims database that requires payers to report medical and pharmacy claims in a uniform, confidential format. Myers said the draft would set facility reimbursements using the most recent 24 months of paid amounts at a defined percentile and include guardrails such as published methodology, exclusions for outliers, geographic adjustments, and limits on year‑to‑year swings (no more than 5% up or down unless defined criteria are met and the legislature approves). The draft also pairs any schedule update with an actuarial impact analysis and committee review before implementation.

- Implant reimbursement reform: Require implants and other implantable devices to be reimbursed at documented cost plus a reasonable margin (the draft referenced cost plus 20%) with invoice documentation submitted with the claim to reduce disputes over true device cost.

- Authorizations and an electronic portal: Shorten authorization decision timelines and change some tacit‑denial situations into automatic approvals for basic treatments if required time frames are missed. Myers proposed building a statewide electronic authorization portal so providers, adjusters, case managers, attorneys, and injured workers can share requests and track decisions in real time.

- Electronic billing and standardized submission: Mandate electronic billing and standardized electronic medical records/submission formats with receipt confirmation to reduce delivery disputes and provide proof of submission and timing.

- Outcomes and incentives: Move the focus beyond paperwork to recovery measures, exploring outcome‑oriented ideas such as faster decision cycles and potential future incentives for providers who demonstrate durable return‑to‑work results and patient satisfaction.

Myers described a phased rollout: Year 1 (Aug. 2026–July 2027) to build infrastructure and pilot the portal and reporting standards; Year 2 (Aug. 2027–July 2028) to adopt reporting, publish early trends and begin formal rulemaking by mid‑2028 with actuarial analysis; Year 3 (Aug. 2028–July 2029) to implement updated facility schedules and implant reforms; and Year 4 (Aug. 2029–July 2030) to fine‑tune program incentives and monitoring. He said legislation would be filed shortly after the pre‑file deadline and requested the bill remain posted online for three weeks before committee scheduling to allow additional stakeholder feedback.

During public input, Patrick Robinson of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry praised Myers' work and urged a predictable reimbursement schedule that preserves access to care and keeps Louisiana competitive. "We want a fair reimbursement schedule that is predictable, that ensures access to care," Robinson said.

No formal votes or policy adoptions were taken at the meeting. Chair McMath accepted a motion by Senator Myers to adjourn the task force at the close of the public comment period.

Why it matters: Task force members say a modernized fee schedule and better data would reduce billing disputes, speed approvals and treatment, and improve access to clinicians — changes supporters argue could help injured workers recover and return to work more quickly while providing clearer cost expectations for payers and providers.