OSHA Issues Final Beryllium Exposure Rules
A new rule issued today by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration dramatically lowers workplace exposure to beryllium, a strategically important material that can...
View Article¿Dónde Están Mis Beneficios? Workers’ Compensation Claims By Undocumented...
By: Gary L. Wickert Following an election cycle in which illegal immigration became a touchstone issue, it seems only appropriate that claims handlers and subrogation professionals have a clear...
View ArticleEssential Updates: Comp Medical News for January
Welcome to this month’s Comp Medical News update. Black lung, gun violence, and the ACA “deathwatch” are your headlines as we begin 2017. Primary Care Physicians Identify Antibiotics and Opioids as...
View ArticleJapanese Insurance Company to Replace Claim Reps with Artificial Intelligence...
By: Robert Wilson A Japanese insurance company is about to thrust the insurance industry into the future, as well as the ongoing debate over how much technology will really alter our industry. I’ve...
View ArticleHappy New Year! Here’s Some Things to Watch For in 2017
BY: Tom Swiatek UR Nation UR Nation wishes everyone in the workers’ comp industry a happy 2017. We hope 2017 will be the best year yet for all our readers. What follows is a list of news stories that...
View ArticleCMS Recovery Practice Ruled Improper Under the MSP
By: Mark Popolizio In an important new case—CIGA v. Burwell, 2017 WL 58821 (C.D. California, January 5, 2017)—the court ruled that the CMS practice of seeking full reimbursement of a medical provider’s...
View ArticleMSA Optimism for the New Year Intelligence System
By: Lavonya Chapman The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the organization will be reconsidering a new policy in 2017 regarding re-reviews of otherwise approved Workers’...
View ArticleThink About it: Addressing Mental Health in the Workplace
By: Bryon Bass, SVP, Disability and Absence Practice & Compliance, Sedgwick On December 8, I hosted a webinar along with Donna Hardaker, former Director, Wellness Works Mental Health America of...
View ArticleMedicare Advantage Organization Allowed to Sue Law Firm and Lawyer Over...
A Federal Court has ruled that a Medicare Advantage Organization (MAO) is permitted under the law to sue a law firm and a lawyer for the failure to reimburse conditional medical expenses arising out of...
View ArticleHealth Wonk Review: The “Words Matter” Edition
Words matter. Right now, for good or bad, as the torch is being passed from one president to new one, one of the key platforms that PEOTUS ran on was eliminating Obamacare. But as the reality of that...
View ArticleWorkers’ Compensation’s Costly Psychosocial Issues (2)
BY: Tom Lynch First, a review. Yesterday, we described the challenges confronting claims adjusters and injured workers when psychosocial issues are present in a workers’ compensation claim. These...
View ArticleLIBERTY VERSUS TYRANNY: More States Pass Laws Outlawing Cell Phone Use While...
By: Gary L. Wickert Every year, more than 170 billion cell phone texts are sent and received. Each year, an average of 3,000 people die and 450,000 are injured in motor vehicle accidents involving...
View ArticleChesapeake Insurance Could be Starting a Trend in the Fight Against Opioid...
Chesapeake Employers Insurance Company, Maryland’s largest writer of workers’ comp insurance, has created a message kit for employers that is designed to help reduce opioid addiction. Information on...
View ArticleThe Biggest IL WC News In History That No One Is Reporting!
Synopsis: The Biggest News in Illinois Workers’ Comp History No One is Reporting—I Assure You The IL Workers’ Comp Commission Is Set To Close Thirty Days From Today! Editor’s comment: I had a reader...
View ArticleRICO Suits To Disappear As WC Bad Faith Claim
Synopsis: RICO Claims To Disappear from U.S. Workers’ Comp World And Good Riddens. Editor’s comment: If you don’t know, the Federal RICO concept was, in my opinion, created to stop Mafia folks from...
View ArticleWhat is Lost in the Debate Over Workers’ Compensation Reform?
By: Robert Wilson While perusing the news early this morning I came across several articles related to reforms pending or proposed in two key states. One such article was discussing potential reforms...
View ArticleFUN WITH TEMPORARY DISABILITY
By: Cynthia K. Karlen Despite much confusion, calculating temporary disability (TD) can be easy—and fun—if we keep a few simple rules in mind. All employees receive the maximum Temporary Disability...
View ArticleAccelerated Justice Is Problematic on Appeal
Workers' Compensation matters were intended by the legislature to be summary and remedial actions. Accelerated justice does have its consequences on appeal, and should be implemented prudently. In an...
View ArticleIn the Weeds on Marijuana and Workers’ Compensation
By: Darrell Brown, Chief Claims Officer, Sedgwick It’s a topic that gets much buzz – how will the cloud of legislation surrounding recreational and medical marijuana use impact businesses, specifically...
View ArticleCyber Risks for Public Entities
At the 2017 PARMA Conference, a panel discussed cyber liability concerns for public entities. The panel was: John Chino – Arthur J Gallagher Steven Robinson – Risk Placement Services, Inc. Elissa...
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