Leaders Speak

By Phil Walls, RPh, Chief Clinical Officer, myMatrixx Breakthrough pain is typically defined as a sudden and usually brief flare-up or period of pain that occurs in a chronic pain patient that otherwise has been well managed with either narcotic or non-narcotic analgesics. In this discussion, we will focus on the use of long-acting opioids… [Read more]

By Cliff Belliveau, VP Business Intelligence, myMatrixx Historically, the steady growth of our Workers’ Compensation industry has been curated from trust, compassion and networking. As digital transformation occurs globally, our industry is embracing data and its value like never before. We have many opportunities within our system to move forward by transforming data into insights… [Read more]

By Linda Lane, President of Harbor Health Systems Many workers’ compensation (WC) programs use provider networks to leverage economical rates among those providers who agree to participate in them. Traditionally, WC programs wanted networks that were broad and deep to ensure appropriate scope and access to care. However, provider listings have arguably grown too large,… [Read more]

By Linda Lane, President of Harbor Health Systems On the whole, the workers’ compensation industry remains focused on reducing costs at the unit level. For example, prominent tactics still include negotiating a discount on fee schedules and striving to achieve a certain percentage of bill review savings. As an industry, we are aggressively working to… [Read more]

By Mary O’Donoghue, Chief Clinical and Product Officer, MedRisk Shoulder pain is one the most common musculoskeletal problems in workers’ compensation, second only to low back pain. In fact, it is even more prevalent in some industries. Like low back pain, shoulder pain has been shown to respond well to conservative care, especially physically therapy.… [Read more]

By Mary O’Donoghue, Chief Clinical and Product Officer, MedRisk Low back pain sends more patients to the doctor than most other ailments and is the leading cause of workplace disability. It accounts for $100 billion annually in health care costs, with approximately two-thirds of the costs coming from lost wages and lost productivity. Plus, both… [Read more]

By Tammy Bradly, VP Clinical Product Development, Coventry It’s often said a picture paints a thousand words. But does it tell you everything you need to know about a person? Some might argue that it depends upon the artist. After all, each person is unique. As case managers, we need to see the whole person… [Read more]

By Tammy Bradly, VP Clinical Product Development, Coventry At first it can seem like nothing. Maybe it’s a faint rattle or an occasional squeak under the hood. Yet savvy drivers know small anomalies can indicate larger trouble. It’s better to make repairs to a vehicle early on before the problem worsens. It’s much the same… [Read more]

By Vonesa Wenzel, Partner, HomeCare Connect According to a recent NCCI presentation, more than 15.3 percent of the medical dollars in $1 million-plus workers’ compensation claims is spent on home health services. To put that in perspective, the prescription drug spend on these claims was 15.6 percent and inpatient hospital cost was 27 percent. These… [Read more]

By Sandy Shtab, AVP of Advocacy & Compliance, Healthesystems As a college student, I interned with my U.S. Senator, an experience that provided an early glimpse into my future career working with lawmakers in two of the most regulated fields of healthcare and insurance. Back then my job was to clip newspaper articles and manage… [Read more]