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Thursday, February 26, 2015 -
Top Story: Thursday, February 26, 2015
A Southern California applicants' law firm claims in court filings that Knox Ricksen "hacked" the computer network of a vendor it uses to sign up new clients to gain access to an estimated 2,000 confidential and privileged documents.
The complaint filed Friday in the Los Angeles County Superior Court by Reyes & Barsoum alleges Eric Danowitz, a partner… Read more »
Hospital outpatient costs have trended in opposite directions in two states for the past several years, according to the Workers Compensation Research Institute. In Illinois, where legislators have sought to drive down medical expenses, they have fallen. In Alabama, which has had the same reimbursement system for at least seven years, cost growth has outpaced every other state studied.
WCRI researchers released an updated version of the study on Wednesday, adding data for 2013 to the mix. In the latest year of data, the five most expensive states were again Alabama, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Florida and Virginia.
The report showed that Illinois has continued to slide… Read more »
A measure originally intended to adjust Virginia’s provider reimbursement… Read more »
An employer's decision to refuse preauthorization… Read more »
A workers' compensation insurance carrier was not eligible to transfer liability for a worker's claim for right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome to the Special Fund for Reopened Cases when the compensability of the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome in her left wrist had not yet been resolved.
Case: Hunter v. Tops Market, No. 519575, 02/11/2015, published.
Facts: Darlene Hunter established a workers' compensation claim for carpal tunnel syndrome in her right wrist in 2005. She underwent carpal tunnel release surgery in 2007, but her doctor indicated that she continued to suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome in her right hand. The doctor also diagnosed her with… Read more »
The Missouri Court of Appeals ruled that an… Read more »
Ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft would be allowed entry into Montana under a bill that seeks to deregulate the taxi cab… Read more »
The California Division of Workers' Compensation wants to hear thoughts of system users regarding the types of home health care services that should be provided and who should be allowed to provide those services during a March 3 public hearing in Oakland.
The division is also soliciting input on how to determine who would be eligible for home health care services and what appropriate reimbursement rates should be during the two-hour meeting at the state office building.
Rand Corp. in a study… Read more »
The California Department of Industrial Relations announced on Tuesday that the lower rates Maximus Federal Services proposed when bidding for its current contract to provide independent medical-review services took effect at the start of the year.
Maximus, a Reston, Virginia-based health contractor, originally secured a two-year no-bid contract to provide IMR and independent bill-review services for California's workers' compensation system through Senate Bill 863, the 2012 reform bill that created the new… Read more »
News: West
News: NORTH
- NY Court Officer Can't Get Accidental Disability Benefits for Injuries from Restraining Defendants
- NY Carrier Can't Transfer Liability for Worker's Carpal Tunnel Claim to Special Fund
- KS Amputation Leads to $65,900 in OSHA Penalties against Farmer's Cooperative
- NJ Pharmaceutical Plant and Temp. Staffing Firm Cited for Safety Violations
News: SOUTH
- MO Employer Must Pay for Cardiac Care Rendered to Worker with Chest Muscle Injury
- KY Lawmaker Objects to Presumption Bill, but Committee Gives it Favorable Report
- FL Man Arrested on Charges of Accepting $20K in WC Benefits while Working
- AL SBRMC Scheduled to Break Ground on Facility in Robertsdale
- FL Construction Subcontractor Cited for Willful Violation for Lack of Fall Protection
Would you like to be a California workers’ comp judge?
That was a question posed to me at a recent party by an acquaintance who has no experience with the workers’ comp field.
The answer is no. But it got me thinking.
It was a subject I recently discussed with one of the judges and several attorneys. In Oakland there is a need to replace some judge slots, and apparently a new “list” of potential applicants was formed, including some… Read more »
A Suwannee County, Florida, man has been arrested on suspicion of accepting $20,000 in workers' compensation benefits while holding a job.
The Florida Department of Financial Services announced on Tuesday the arrest of James Millard for a second-degree felony charge of workers' compensation fraud. According to the statement, Millard testified that he had no income on more than a dozen statements while collecting benefits from Dec. 9, 2012, through Feb. 7, 2014.… Read more »
PacificComp, a workers' compensation insurance subsidiary of Alleghany Corp., posted a $19.7 million loss in 2014.
The company grew its net earned premiums 73% from $38.9 million in 2013 to $67.3 million last year, according to Alleghany's fourth-quarter earnings release, but its losses and loss-adjustment expenses rose 69.7% from $31 million to $52.6 million. An additional $32 million in commissions, brokerage and other underwriting expenses brought the company's bottom line into the red.
The loss is smaller than last… Read more »
ProAssurance's first year of business in the workers' compensation insurance market brought it an extra $6.5 million in net income.
The Birmingham, Alabama-based company, which markets itself primarily as a medical professional liability insurer, acquired the workers' compensation carrier Eastern Insurance Holdings on Jan. 1, 2014.
ProAssurance's new workers'… Read more »
A Suwannee County, Florida, man has been arrested on suspicion of accepting $20,000 in workers' compensation benefits while holding a job.
The Florida Department of Financial Services announced on Tuesday the arrest of James Millard for a second-degree felony charge of workers' compensation… Read more »
MyMatrixx, a pharmacy benefit management company, will host a webinar March 26 on the cost and utility of urine drug testing as well as alternative ways to check for correct usage of the medications prescribed to injured workers.
The company's Chief Clinical Officer Phil Walls and Medical Director Steven Stanos will discuss the role that drug screening… Read more »
Featured Video
Special Report
A new report by Peter Rousmaniere titled Seismic Shifts: An Essential Guide for Practitioners and CEOs in Workers’ Comp, investigates commercial opportunities in a shrinking workers’ comp industry.
David DePaolo presents Intro to Seismic Shifts in Workers’ Comp, a 4-part series of recorded webinars. Listen to David’s Intro FREE! Register today!
(Download report)
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Feb 27, 2015
DMEC "The State of CA Workers'
Friday, February 27, 2015 DMEC San Jose Chapter Presents The State of California Workers’ Comp …
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Feb 27, 2015
Webinar: The Dirty Dozen
This program offers 1 participatory MCLE credits and 1 hour Legal Specialization credit in Workers …
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Feb 28, 2015
Advanced Litigation Skills: Pr
Join us in Los Angeles on February 28 and March 21 to learn the art of legal persuasion and litiga …
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Mar 3, 2015
Seismic Shifts Part 1/4
Part 1 of the 4-part Webinar series, "Seismic Shifts." Peter Rousmaniere discusses the bifurcation …