Cambridge, MA – Research on the impact of Pennsylvania’s physician dispensing reform will be the focus of a one-hour webinar tomorrow, Thursday, September 27, 2018, at 2 p.m. ET. Hosting the webinar are Vennela Thumula and Dongchun Wang of the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), who will discuss the research and take questions. The webinar… [Read more]
Association, Rating & Research News
Pinnacol Assurance Research Finds Common Work Injury Themes Across Industries
Denver, CO – Pinnacol Assurance recenly released new data compiling five years’ worth of claims information on injury causes across four major fields of employment in Colorado. The report shows commonalities in some fields, as well as prevalent causes for frequent injuries within the service/hospitality, professional/clerical, construction/natural resources and healthcare industries. “Some of the themes… [Read more]
TDI-DWC Research Group: Injured Employees Finding Better Access to Healthcare
Austin, TX – Access to medical care has improved for injured employees in Texas according to an September 2018 study from the Division of Workers’ Compensation’s Research and Evaluation Group. The annual study measures the effectiveness of the workers’ compensation system to deliver timely and appropriate medical care to injured employees. The study measures access… [Read more]
NAIRO Symposium Speakers to Include King v. CompPartners Defense Team Counsel Member Elise Klein
New Braunfels, TX – NAIRO, National Association of Independent Review Organization, announced this week that they have rounded off their 2018 speaker line-up to include a breakout session dedicated to the landmark case of King v. CompPartners. Elise Klein, partner at Lewis Brisbois and Chair of the Life Health Disability & ERISA Practice, participated on… [Read more]
NCCI Examines Minimum Wage Impacts on Workers’ Compensation
Boca Raton, FL – NCCI recently released a new Insights article that examines changes to minimum wage levels and the potential impacts on workers compensation (WC) stakeholders and NCCI ratemaking, noting that some states have implemented minimum wage increases, and there has been discussion about increasing the federal minimum wage. Impact on Workers Workers earning… [Read more]
Mitchell Issues Third Quarter 2018 Industry Trends Report
San Diego, CA – Mitchell recently released its Industry Trends Report (ITR) for the third quarter of 2018. Mitchell provides insights in the report into three industry trends: the technology-driven changing nature of insurance risk in the Age of Automation, the importance of creating an outstanding blueprint for a proper and safe automotive repair, and… [Read more]
NAIRO Expands Membership Base with New Utilization Management (UM) Focus
New Braunfels, TX – NAIRO, The National Association for Independent Review Organizations, recently announced that they have expanded the non-profit’s member scope to encompass accredited Health Utilization Management entities. NAIRO’s new initiative is a pivotal milestone for organization. NAIRO plans future expansion to include to Workers’ Compensation Utilization Management entities as members in 2019. NAIRO… [Read more]
CWCI Analysis Finds California Workers’ Comp IMR Volume Increased in 2018
Oakland, CA – The number of independent medical reviews (IMRs) used to resolve California workers’ compensation medical disputes rose 4.4 percent in the first half of 2018 compared to the first half of 2017, though once again in more than 90 percent of the cases the independent medical review physician upheld the utilization review physician’s… [Read more]
A.M. Best Affirms Credit Ratings of ProAssurance Corporation and Most Subsidiaries
Oldwick, NJ -(BusinessWire)- A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of “aa-” of the members of the ProAssurance Group. Concurrently, A.M. Best has affirmed the FSR of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICR of “a-” of PACO Assurance Company, Inc. (PACO) (Franklin,… [Read more]
NCCI Releases Research Brief on Mega Claims in Workers’ Comp
Boca Raton, FL – There are claims, and then there are mega claims. These extraordinary occurrences exceed $10M and can have a significant impact on the workers compensation industry. What’s surprising is that the number of mega claims jumped in 2016. Whether this is a one-time blip, or a new trend, remains to be seen… [Read more]