Top Takeaways from the 2025 National Workers’ Compensation & Disability Conference

The Workers’ Compensation industry is shifting faster than at any time in the last decade. At this year’s National Work Comp & Disability Conference, one theme echoed across payer, employer, provider, and technology conversations: the future of musculoskeletal (MSK) care will be data-driven, integrated, and outcomes-accountable.

Here are the major insights shaping what comes next.

1. MSK Remains the #1 Cost Driver — and the Most Unlockable Opportunity

Across sessions and hallway conversations, leaders reinforced what the data has shown for years: MSK claims drive the largest portion of spend, disability days, and productivity impact.

But unlike behavioral health or catastrophic injuries, MSK has clear opportunities for measurable improvement through:

• Early functional assessment
• Precise diagnosis
• Targeted pathway steering
• High-performing PT providers
• Objective recovery monitoring

The appetite for solutions that can deliver clarity up front and accountability throughout has never been higher.

2. Payers Want Predictability, Not More Paperwork

Whether it was national TPA’s, Carriers or state focused group funds, the message was consistent:

• Better data → Faster decisions
• Precision assessments → Less reliance on standardized utilization review
• Early functional insights → Better return-to-work forecasting

There is a real shift happening away from purely administrative controls and toward clinical intelligence and objective measures.
The question payers kept asking:

“How can we avoid unnecessary MRIs, opioids, or surgery by knowing what’s actually happening functionally?”

MSK data standards and objective movement assessments are quickly becoming the answer.

3. PT-Led Pathways Are Gaining National Momentum

Many states and carriers are now actively testing PT-first models — especially in:

• Utah: Senate Bill 196 allows for direct access to physical therapists as the primary treating provider.
• Montana: Senate Bill 109 similarly allows for direct access to physical therapists as the primary treating provider for workers’ compensation cases.

The overarching insight: PT-first models work, but only when the assessments are standardized, reimbursable, and easy to deploy at scale.

4. The Industry Is Hungry for a True MSK Data Standard

One of the most consistent themes:
Workers’ comp needs a unified framework to measure MSK function—reliable, objective, and universally interpretable.

The industry is asking for a standard that can:Diagnose functional impairment

• Track recovery
• Compare providers
• Reduce unnecessary Prior Authorization and Utilization Review
• Predict readiness for return-to-work
• Support value-based care models

The shift is toward MSK as a vital sign—similar to how cardiology has EKGs and primary care has blood pressure.

This standardization is essential for:

• Faster care authorization
• Better payer-provider alignment
• Reduced imaging and specialist overuse
• Improved patient trust in PT-first pathways

This idea is moving from “aspirational” to “inevitable.”

5. Predictive → Prescriptive Models Are the Future

Thought leaders like Brett Windsor, Senior Vice President of Clinical Services and Excellence at PRN emphasized the evolution:

Impairment → Function → Activity → Outcome Predictions → Personalized Participatory Care Pathways

The strongest organizations are building end-to-end frameworks that don’t just describe the injury—they recommend the next best step. And, they aren’t relying on traditional subjective assessments to create the future framework.
The industry is poised to embrace tools that can:

• Predict the appropriate level of care
• Prescribe recommended care pathways
• Support claims and case managers with objective insights for improved decision-making

This is where MSK data becomes not just descriptive, but actionable.

6. Employers Want Simplicity, Visibility, and Speed

Large employers—particularly those with high MSK volumes—are demanding:

• Faster scheduling
• Clearer status updates
• Objective benchmarks
• Consistency across multi-state provider networks

The message is simple:

“Give us clarity, reduce friction, and show us where each injured worker stands.”

The Bottom Line

NWCD made one thing clear:

The next era of workers’ compensation will be defined by objective MSK data, standardized assessments, and payer-provider alignment.

The organizations that embrace precision measurement and integrated workflows will lead.

The ones who don’t will get left behind.