• The average total claimed PIP economic loss, consisting primarily of medical expenses, increased 18 percent in three years, from $8,289 in 2002 to $9,769 in 2005. The general rate of inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 9 percent during this same period and medical care inflation increased 13 percent during this time.

• The average total PIP claim payment also increased significantly faster than the CPI. From 2002 to 2005, the average total PIP payment increased 24 percent to $5,712, compared with $4,606.

• Chiropractors were the most common medical provider submitting charges for treatment of PIP claimants. The percentage of PIP claims with chiropractor charges reached 44 percent, an increase from 33 percent in 2002. In addition, the average total amount charged by chiropractors increased 35 percent over three years, from $4,837 in 2002 to $6,510 in 2005.

• An increased percentage of PIP claimants hired attorneys. More than four in ten PIP claimants (45 percent) hired attorneys in 2005, compared with 34 percent in 2002. The percentage of PIP claimants who qualified for a tort claim steadily increased from 199 to 2005. In 2005, half (50 percent) of PIP claimants qualified for a Bodily Injury tort recovery under Florida's no-fault regulation, compared with 42 percent in 2002 and 34 percent in 1997.

• The proportion of PIP claimants who had an MRI rose from 26 percent of all PIP claimants in 2002, to 33 percent in 2005. Another key cost driver is the rapid growth in the cost of computerized tomography (CT) services. The average total CT charge for PIP claimants increased 31 percent, from $2,755 in 2002, to $3,601 in 2005.

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