Leaders Speak

By Nikki Wilson, Pharm.D./MBA, Mitchell Are you aware of the top medications driving cost in your pharmacy program? Although every program is inherently different, a few key categories should be afforded extra scrutiny. These relatively low volume, high impact drug categories not only have an effect on spend, but also on claims outcomes, making them… [Read more]

By Brian Allen, VP of Government Affairs Three states recently joined the cohort that has pushed to legalize marijuana over the past decade: New York, New Mexico and Virginia. A third of the U.S. has now completely decriminalized marijuana and a majority of states have partially decriminalized the drug for medicinal use. What’s next for… [Read more]

By Melissa McGarry, Director, Product Implementation, Coventry The coronavirus pandemic has taught us much about disparities in health care. We know, more than ever, that access to robust care carries profound and, indeed, life-altering consequences. For years now, we’ve understood the same holds true for helping injured workers get back on the job: quality of… [Read more]

By Lori Daugherty, Chief Executive Officer at Integrated Medical Case Solutions (IMCS) Group We are learning that COVID-19 has the potential to invoke devastating and long-lasting symptoms on all its victims, regardless of age, underlying disease or symptom severity. Some COVID-19 patients, known as “long haulers,” suffer prolonged effects of the virus, despite having only… [Read more]

By Lori Daugherty, Chief Executive Officer at Integrated Medical Case Solutions (IMCS) Group As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its second year, experts warn that even when this disease crisis has passed, the behavioral health ripple will linger far longer– maybe a decade. Why? Rapid lifestyle change, residual after-effects of the disease itself, stress from a… [Read more]

Dr. Michael Lacroix, Medical Director, The Hartford In our previous article, we reviewed The Hartford’s Mental / Behavioral Health (BH) Group Benefits (GB) Short-Term Disability (STD) claims from 2015-2018 and compared them with BH claims from The Hartford’s California WC business for the same time period. To recap: (1) in both cases, primary BH claims… [Read more]

Dr. Michael Lacroix, Medical Director, The Hartford The twin scourges of the opioid crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic have caused many in Workers’ Compensation (WC) and Disability management communities to think more broadly about the various factors that impact both impairment and return to work (RTW). Mental health and illness are getting significant attention, with… [Read more]

By Donna Bradshaw, Vice President, IME Services, Genex Services Though the COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges, workers’ compensation (WC) programs have continued to push claims forward – often with the assistance of independent medical examinations (IMEs) to help make determinations on claims, medical, and return-to-work (RTW) concerns. The objectives of an IME have remained… [Read more]

By Helen Froehlich, CRC, Senior Vice President, Utilization Management, Genex Services As 2020 began, a persistent opioid overdose epidemic was near the forefront of a list of national concerns in the United States. Some 20 million Americans (PDF) are reported to have a substance use disorder and two million of those misuse opioids. There was… [Read more]

By Michelle Despres, PT, CEAS II, REAS, CETS, Vice President of Physical Therapy, One Call When COVID-19 hit, the silver lining for many of us was the opportunity to work from home. No commute, casual wear, and the simple comforts of being in our own home made the uncertainties of the pandemic a little bit… [Read more]