Oakland, CA – California Attorney General Rob Bonta recently announced a $5.7 billion multistate settlement agreement in principle with the retail pharmacy chain Walgreens to address its role in fueling the opioid epidemic. The settlement will resolve allegations that the company failed to appropriately oversee the dispensing of opioids at its pharmacies and could bring… [Read more]
Claims, Legal, & Compliance News
CWCI: CA WC Public Self-Insured Claim Volume, Paid & Incurred Losses Soared In FY 2021/22
Oakland, CA – California’s public self-insured workforce increased less than 1% in the 12 months ending June 30, but the total number of public self-insured work injuries and illness claims reported to the state jumped 35%, as the medical-only claim count rose 29.9% while the number of indemnity claims soared by 38.1%. A CWCI analysis… [Read more]
TRISTAR Acquires FiRMS Claims Services (FCS)
Long Beach, CA -(BusinessWire)- TRISTAR Claims Management Services (TRISTAR) recently announce it has completed its acquisition of FiRMS Claims Services (FCS), a Hawaii-domiciled third-party administrator servicing the Hawaii marketplace for the past ten years and a division of First Insurance Company of Hawaii, Ltd (FICOH). Tom Veale, President of TRISTAR, noted: “We are excited to… [Read more]
CWCI: CA DIR Announces 2023 Workers Comp User Funding Assessment Rates
Oakland, CA – The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) recently issued the 2023 assessments that workers’ compensation insurers are required to collect from policyholders to cover the budget of the state Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) and five related programs set up by state lawmakers. Insurers should apply the following rates against their… [Read more]
CA WCIRB Report Describes Duration Drivers of California Workers’ Comp Claims
Oakland, CA – The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) has released Drivers of California Claim Duration. This report describes duration drivers for California workers’ compensation claims, including how claim duration differs regionally across the state. Highlights of the report include: It takes seven years to close 90 percent of claims in California… [Read more]
Charles Taylor Acquires Ohio-based Third-Party Administrator, The Matrix Companies
Wilton, CT – Charles Taylor recently announced that it has acquired The Matrix Companies (Matrix), a third-party administrator (TPA) and risk management specialist. Founded in 2000, Matrix has established itself as a leading provider of workers’ compensation claims management in Ohio. As one of the largest TPAs in the state, Matrix has an exceptional reputation… [Read more]
Federal Court Permanently Bars Utah Physician from Issuing Opioid Prescriptions
Salt Lake City, UT – A federal judge recently entered a preliminary injunction barring a Utah physician from issuing prescriptions for controlled substances during the pendency of a civil enforcement action filed by the government. In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, the government alleges that Dr. Sean Ponce,… [Read more]
ChoiceLegal Announces its Acquisition by ExamWorks
Tampa, FL – ChoiceLegal recently announced that it has been acquired by ExamWorks, LLC. Since entering the record retrieval market in 2009, Florida-based Choice Legal has demonstrated leadership in serving insurance carriers, law firms, TPAs, and self-insured employers. Differentiated by a high level of customer service, an experienced team, and a focus on quality, Choice… [Read more]
Enlyte Releases 2022 Enlytened Trends Report
San Diego, CA – Enlyte recently announced the release of its 2022 Enlytened Trends Report to help insurance and automotive executives prepare for the coming year. The annual publication delivers valuable insights from renowned subject matter experts at Enlyte, the parent company of Mitchell, Genex and Coventry. In an extensive report covering a wide array… [Read more]
EK Health Announces New “Billtelligent” Medical Bill Review Technology
San Jose, CA – EK Health Services Inc. recently announced the launch of Billtelligent™, a proprietary technology that is taking medical bill review in workers’ compensation to the next level. Billtelligent eliminates barriers for EK Health, empowering an independence the national managed care company had not previously realized. Billtelligent leverages a unique cloud-based, modular design… [Read more]