Oakland, CA – The Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (CHSWC) has released its twenty-fourth Annual Report for 2018. The 2018 Annual Report presents information about the health and safety and workers’ compensation systems in California and makes recommendations to improve their operations. The Annual Report summarizes the state of all the relevant… [Read more]
Legislative & Regulatory News
FL Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Firefighter Cancer Benefits Bill
Tallahassee, FL – Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed CS/CS/SB 426: Firefighters, granting certain benefits to a firefighter upon receiving a diagnosis of cancer. Nationwide, 70 percent of firefighter line-of-duty deaths in 2016 were cancer-related. With the signing of this legislation, Florida joins 45 other states that provide a cancer benefit to these first responders. The… [Read more]
CA CHSWC Releases 2018 WOSHTEP Advisory Board Annual Report
Oakland, CA – The Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (CHSWC) has released the 2018 WOSHTEP Advisory Board Annual Report. WOSHTEP, the Worker Occupational Safety and Health Training and Education Program, is a statewide effort aimed at reducing job-related injuries and illnesses among California workers. This program was created as part of workers’… [Read more]
New WCRI Studies Examine Claim Costs and Trends in 18 State Workers’ Comp Systems
Cambridge, MA – Costs per claim and other metrics of 18 state workers’ compensation systems are analyzed in depth in a series of studies, CompScope™ Benchmarks, 19th Edition, released by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). “The CompScope™ studies can help policymakers and other stakeholders identify current cost drivers and emerging trends in a wide… [Read more]
Texas Expands Opioid Misuse Prevention and Treatment Efforts
Austin, TX – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced an additional $24 million in funding for Texas to supplement the State Opioid Response grant program. To date, Texas has been awarded more than $176 million in federal funding related to fighting the opioid crisis under the Texas Health and Human Services… [Read more]
NYS WCB Announces Third Revision of Workers’ Comp Drug Formulary Regulation
Schenectady, NY – The New York State Workers’ Compensation Board recently announced that it has prepared a third revision to the proposed NYS Workers’ Compensation Drug Formulary originally announced in Subject Number 046-1012, Board Announces Draft Regulations for New York State Pharmacy Formulary on December 28, 2017. The proposed revision is in the April 17,… [Read more]
TX Governor Abbott Reappoints Gonzalez to Risk Management Board
Austin, TX – Governor Greg Abbott has reappointed Tommy Gonzalez to the Risk Management Board for a term set to expire on February 1, 2023. The State Office of Risk Management administers insurance services obtained by state agencies, including the self-insured government employees workers’ compensation insurance program and the state risk management programs. Tommy Gonzalez… [Read more]
CA DWC Holding Public Hearing for Proposed Evidence-Based Updates to MTUS
San Francisco, CA – The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has issued a notice of public hearing for proposed evidence-based updates to the Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule (MTUS), which can be found at California Code of Regulations, title 8, section 9792.23. The public hearing is scheduled for Monday, May 6 at 10 a.m. in the… [Read more]
TDI Tests Artificial Intelligence to Review Policies
Austin, TX – There’s more to artificial intelligence than the algorithms that make Siri, Facebook, and Amazon work. It holds the potential to instantly scan and compare mountains of data. That’s why the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) is testing its use to review insurance policies. “Imagine being able to instantly compare every policy we’ve… [Read more]
FDA Issues Statement on New Labeling to Help Providers with Opioid Tapering
Silver Spring, MD – Douglas Throckmorton, M.D., Deputy Center Director for Regulatory Programs in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, recently released a new statement on opioid analgesic labeling changes to give providers better information for how to properly taper patients who are physically dependent on opioids: As the Department of Health and Human… [Read more]