Workers Comp

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday that it cited a Wisconsin foundry after two employees suffered amputation injuries 11 days apart. OSHA announced it cited Marinette-based Waupaca Foundry Inc. after the two workplace incidents, which occurred in April and May, respectively. Both workers were using grinders to trim parts during a casting …

Amputations lead to citation, penalties against Wisconsin foundry Read More »

Brown & Brown Inc. announced Tuesday it has agreed to sell four third-party administrator companies to London-based claims management company Davies Group Ltd. Terms of the deal, set to close in December, were not disclosed. The companies to be acquired by Davies are: American Claims Management Inc.; Preferred Governmental Claims Services, a claims management business …

Brown & Brown agrees to sell four TPAs to Davies Read More »

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed last week to hear what experts are calling a unique case involving a medical billing agency that is suing workers compensation insurers over nonpayment for prescription medications in injured worker claims. The case centers around a dispute between Oviedo, Florida-based Elite Care RX LLC, the billing agency, and several comp …

State high court to decide whether billing agencies are comp ‘providers’ Read More »

Managing or prohibiting marijuana use in the workplace is complicated by state and federal disability and privacy laws.  Employers may fear running afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which states that workers may not be discriminated against because of medical conditions, said Brian Allen, Salt Lake City-based vice president of government affairs for Mitchell …

Employers curbing pot use navigate bias laws Read More »

Sri Sridharan, who was named CEO of MedRisk LLC in September, joined the managed care organization as chief client officer in 2022 and was appointed president earlier this year. Prior to MedRisk, Mr. Sridharan spent several years at Marsh LLC and Gallagher Bassett Services Inc. in claims management and analytics. Business Insurance Assistant Editor Louise …

View from the top: Sri Sridharan, MedRisk Read More »

The growing disparity between federal and state laws regarding the legality of marijuana has reached the point where it is a serious safety issue for many employers.  It’s been more than 25 years since California legalized medical marijuana, starting a trend among states that was expanded to include the broad legalization of recreational pot for …

Editorial: Pot disconnect threatens safety Read More »

Workplace violence represents a sizable and growing risk for employers and impacted employees. The numbers are staggering: Workplace violence costs employers more than $120 billion annually in claims, litigation, additional security, staffing, communications and other expenses, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. And according to a Department of Justice study, almost …

Perspectives: Workplace violence comp policies lacking, but we can drive improvement for all Read More »

Data on workers compensation drug spending is clear: Opioid prescriptions and costs for injured workers have plummeted over the past 10 years as employers, claims managers and others aimed to greatly reduce dangerous pain medications in comp.  Opioid utilization among injured workers declined 57.5% from 2016 to 2022, according to data gathered by myMatrixx, a …

Pain treatment becomes safer, more complex Read More »

Implementing advanced technology and frontline patient advocacy are neck and neck among the fastest-growing trends in workers compensation claims management, but the best results for patients often come from balancing the two, experts say.  Improved access to data and more efficient communication should not be allowed to sterilize the claims management process, they say.  By …

Technology aids workers comp claims advocacy Read More »

The Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board on Monday reversed a trial judge’s ruling excluding the testimony of an expert witness Coca-Cola Bottling Co. retained in a workers comp claim by an injured employee. The board found that the trial court erred in concluding that the company failed to comply with a deadline for disclosing expert …

Coca Cola’s expert in comp claim wrongly excluded: Appeals board Read More »