What does 1918 have to do with Ebola and work comp in 2014? Unfortunately a great deal. In 1918, the final year of World War I, the world saw a pandemic of influenza with the most deaths of any single event in world history – estimated to be 50,000,000 world wide, with 800,000+ in the...
Read more
OSHA Dialogue on Hazardous Work Chemical Exposures
Workplace exposure to hazardous chemicals is something no employer can take for granted. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently announced it is launching a national dialogue with stakeholders on ways to prevent work-related illness caused by exposure to hazardous substances. The first stage of this dialogue is a request for information on...
Read more
Consequences of Failing to Report & Respond to Work Injuries
Over the years, state and federal governments have enacted a number of safety regulations in workers’ compensation programs to provide for a safe working environment. Even for the best employers following workplace safety guidelines, accidents do happen. When they do, it is important to follow recognized procedures when responding to work injuries. Failure to properly...
Read more
Physician dispensing in work comp; two victories!
I know, you are as tired of reading about physician dispensing in work comp as I am writing about it. At last, there’s some very good news. Quick refresher – docs dispensing drugs adds about a billion dollars in excess drug costs – plus increases disability duration by 10 percent, medical costs, and total claims...
Read more
Ebola and workers’ comp
Spoiler alert – no news here, and there won’t be. Sure, there may well be a lot of hysterical nonsense about the potential problems for health care workers and first responders, flight attendants and TSA screeners. But there won’t be a crisis, a disaster, or even a problem. And no, hordes of Ebola-infected suicide germ-bombers...
Read more
Drug formularies – much needed in workers comp
By comparing the drugs dispensed in the Golden State to what would have been allowed by Texas or Washington, Swedlow et al have determined that employers and taxpayers are overpaying somewhere between $102 million and $541 million annually – with no negative effects. … Formularies provide better care and tighter control without compromising. Controlling drug...
Read more
The Daily Battle Facing Your Work Comp Claim Adjuster
Workers compensation claim adjusters handle a loss from initial reporting through final disposition. The cost of each claim cost has a direct financial impact on the employer. This makes it imperative that proper claim disposition reaches the most cost effective level possible. The adjuster must accomplish this despite statutory time constraints, state compensation department interface,...
Read more
Use Vocational Coordination When Employees Are Unable To Return to Work
The Need: There are the claims where the employee will not be able to return to the original job they held at the time of injury. This may be due to physical disabilities, environmental conditions, or medical restrictions. As soon as this becomes evident there is need for vocational rehabilitation coordination. All jurisdictions have some...
Read more
Bypassing Pharmacies Boosts Prescription Costs And Other Top News Tidbits
(Edited by The Insurance 411) Bypassing pharmacies boosts workers’ comp prescription costs in Pa. Nearly half of what Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation program pays for prescription drugs goes to physicians who dispense them directly to patients, bypassing pharmacies, a lucrative practice that is limited by many states and not reimbursed at all by private insurance, Medicare...
Read more
A very busy week…
And only one post…clearly I’ve been slacking. Time to catch up! Workers Comp There’s been much discussion of the implications of the demise of the APAX-Coventry Work Comp Services deal; CWCS staff seem to have mixed views, but most are concerned that parent Aetna will continue its non-investment “strategy”, allowing the business to slowly fade....
Read more
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- Next Page »