In 1997 the procedure for counting contacts changed so the earlier counts cannot be compared to the recent counts. As Figure 1 below shows, there were over five times as many contacts in 1996 as in 1988. From 1997 to 2000 contacts have increased over 10 percent a year. The contacts primarily come from injured workers, but are also initiated by attorneys, insurance companies, employers and a variety of other sources. Table 1 shows inquiries from different groups as a percent of total inquiries from 1999 through 2000.
Most inquiries result in multiple contacts.
Table 1 shows that inquiries come predominantly from injured workers. In 1999 there were 8,300 new inquiries from injured workers, out of a total of 9,490, or almost 88 percent. In 2000 inquiries by injured workers increased 18.0 percent to 9,798. Next in importance are inquiries from miscellaneous sources and medical providers. In 1999 there were 153 from medical providers, while in 2000 these actually decreased to 109.