By Nikki Wilson, PharmD/MBA, Director of Pharmacy Product Development, Coventry Cannabis is king, as we noted last week. It’s popping up in various forms all over the country. As marijuana and its offshoots proliferate, so too do questions over legality, efficacy, and possible fallout. These considerations are particularly important when they involve employers, employees, and… [Read more]
Leaders Speak
Nikki Wilson: As Access to Marijuana Increases, So Do the Questions We Need to Ask
By Nikki Wilson, PharmD/MBA, Director of Pharmacy Product Development, Coventry Marijuana, it seems, is everywhere. Nearly a dozen states have approved cannabis for recreational use and more than two-thirds have signed off on medical marijuana1. Marijuana’s active chemical components are becoming more widespread, too. Cannabidiol (CBD), which is derived from cannabis, has popped up seemingly… [Read more]
Dale Berry: An Arm and a Leg: Pricing a Prosthesis
By Dale Berry, CP, FAAOP, LP, Orchid Medical According to The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), the costliest lost-time workers’ compensation claims by injury are for those resulting from amputation. These injuries averaged over $95,000 per workers’ compensation claim filed in 2016. For the workers’ compensation claims professional, the question “how much does a… [Read more]
Dale Berry: Getting Back to Work After Amputation: One Step at A Time
By Dale Berry, CP, FAAOP, LP, Orchid Medical Workplace accidents involving amputations are profound, life-changing events. According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) severe injury report, there is an average of seven amputations each day in the U.S. Those who experience a catastrophic workplace accident experience physical, psychological, emotional and financial effects. An individual… [Read more]
Kirstin Marr: Data Opens New and Different Doors for Operational Efficiency
By Kirstin Marr, President, Valen Analytics The emergence of new data sources continues to drive the evolution of the workers’ compensation industry. While the sector certainly is changing — due to the availability of several data-driven underwriting resources — there’s one massive obstacle limiting its potential: the data itself. Comparing the cost of data to… [Read more]
Kirstin Marr: Data Analytics’ Growing Impact on Work Comp
By Kirstin Marr, President, Valen Analytics An increasing number of customers expect tech-forward solutions to age-old problems and one of those problems is the complexity of insurance. This very transition in customer expectations is the driving force behind the rise of InsureTechs. While we have seen some advanced solutions play out in personal lines where… [Read more]
Mark Pew: What’s Next for Pain – Not Pharma?
By Mark Pew, Senior VP, Preferred Medical Last week’s article “What’s Next for Pain – Pharma?” discussed how medications (“pharma”) can potentially be beneficial (even needed) by some patients (including injured workers) to help manage pain. That includes prescription opioids even as U.S. healthcare and workers’ compensation attempts to find the appropriate balance between too… [Read more]
Mark Pew: What’s Next for Pain – Pharma?
By Mark Pew, Senior VP, Preferred Medical Most of the United States has come to the conclusion that prescription opioids may not be the best choice for long-term treatment of non-malignant chronic pain. And, in some cases, not the best option for acute pain either. While they can work for some individuals (defined as providing… [Read more]
Christie Britt: Horns of a Dilemma, Part 2: Settlement Strategies Where Medicare is Involved
By Christie Britt, Senior VP of Operations, ExamWorks Clinical Solutions Last week Marty Cassavoy outlined strategies to reduce your Medicare conditional payment liability. Today I will focus on Medicare Set Asides, which are perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of Medicare Secondary Payer concepts. Believe it or not, Medicare issued its first policy memorandum on Medicare… [Read more]
Marty Cassavoy: The Horns of a Dilemma, Part 1: Conditional Payments and Mitigating Risk
By Marty Cassavoy, VP of MSP Compliance, ExamWorks Clinical Solutions Not too long ago, Medicare conditional payments were something that workers’ compensation practitioners only dealt with at the time of settlement. That all changed in October 2015 when Medicare flipped the script and introduced the concept of “rolling recovery.” What is rolling recovery? And, most… [Read more]