San Francisco, CA – The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has launched an update to the online physician education course, “Evaluating California’s Injured Workers: Qualified Medical Evaluators.” This course is strongly recommended for all California Qualified Medical Evaluators (QMEs). It is available to the public and is especially valuable for attorneys, claims administrators and medical… [Read more]
Top Stories
Former Rogers Company Exec Pleads Guilty in Workers’ Comp Billing Fraud/Kickback Conspiracy
Fayetteville, AR – A former executive with a Rogers medical supply and billing company recently pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, health care fraud, fraud to obtain federal employees’ compensation, and illegal remunerations (paying kickbacks), in connection with a scheme to defraud the U.S. government and private insurance… [Read more]
WCRI Report: Prior Economic Downturn Lessons May Apply to WC in Pandemic
Cambridge, MA – The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) recently released a new FlashReport that shows how indemnity benefits and medical utilization changed during the prior economic downturn and subsequent recovery. It also presents multiple measures describing changes in the labor market that are likely to shape trends in workers’ compensation payments for injuries in… [Read more]
Industry Vets Join Forces to Launch Agile Occupational Medicine
Gardena, CA – Dr. Minh Nguyen, an esteemed physician and medical business leader in occupational medicine, has joined Agile Occupational Medicine as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Nguyen will focus on building successful practice teams and developing solutions for employers and payors that result in significant savings and superior outcomes for patients. “I am thrilled to… [Read more]
Pinnacol Assurance Announces CEO Phil Kalin to Retire in 2022
Denver, CO – Phil Kalin, President and CEO of Pinnacol Assurance, Colorado’s largest workers’ compensation insurer, will retire from that position as of March 31, 2022, after more than eight years with the company. “Phil joined Pinnacol at a pivotal time,” said Pinnacol Board Chair Joe Hoff. “After a period of reputational crisis and lackluster… [Read more]
ASSP ‘Safety 2021’ Conference Doubles Last Year’s Attendance
Park Ridge, IL – The signature event of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) celebrated its 60th year in a big way in September as attendance more than doubled from its virtual conference in 2020. ASSP’s Safety 2021 Professional Development Conference and Exposition was a hybrid experience for the first time and welcomed 4,993… [Read more]
NSC Research: Employer Vaccine Requirements Work, Most US Workers in Favor
Itasca, IL – The National Safety Council recently released a report conducted as part of its SAFER initiative — a comprehensive effort aimed at helping employers prioritize workplace safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The report comprised data from surveys and interviews conducted between June and August 2021, with responses representative of 300 U.S.-based employers and 3,785 individuals. Findings from… [Read more]
The RxProfessor: Countdown Beyond Zero – Ep9
In my continuing effort to document what it’s like to go from comfortably employed to suddenly unemployed to launching a business in very short order, Episode 9 will cover the week of September 27. You can read all of my previous Episodes on my website. Mood: My brain’s lens was both Focused (specific tasks with a… [Read more]
Safety National Webinar: The Rising Risks of Social Inflation
St. Louis, MO – Safety National recently announced a new complimentary webinar, noting that the growing emergence of higher jury awards continues to heavily impact insurance losses, particularly so in consumer-facing industries. In 2019 alone, nuclear verdicts were responsible for 74 class action settlements totaling $2 billion. In the webinar a panel of experts will… [Read more]
Origami Risk Packages Solutions for P&C Insurers, TPAs, Pools, MGAs to Administer Workers’ Comp Claims
Chicago, IL – Origami Risk recently announced it has packaged its popular online workers’ compensation claims administration solutions into a standard offering to help insurance carriers, third party administrators (TPAs), risk pools and managing general agents (MGAs) leverage built-in best practices, accelerate implementation timelines, and reduce related costs. “As the largest segment of the U.S.… [Read more]