DIR, DWC releases Independent Bill Review (IBR) report for 2023 and 2024
The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and its Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) posted a progress report today on the department’s Independent Bill Review (IBR) program. IBR is a process used to resolve billing disputes for medical treatment and medical-legal services provided to injured workers.
The 2025 Independent Bill Review (IBR) Report: Analysis of 2023-2024 Application Filings summarizes the activity of an essential component of Senate Bill 863, providing an evaluation of the program during the previous two calendar years. The analysis provided in this report are as of December 2024 and accounts for all applications filed to dispute payments not resolved through Second Bill Review during this time period.
Highlights of the report include:
- The number of IBR applications received averaged 327 filings per month.
- Six of ten decided cases resulted in additional payment for the provider.
- Over $7.7 million was awarded in overturned case decisions.
“We hope the findings of this report will encourage health care providers to consider using IBR for payment disputes where the only issue is the amount of the bill,” said DWC Administrative Director George Parisotto.
The progress report is posted on the DIR website.