We know that Florida established a much needed Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, but left it unfunded and in danger of collapse. We know that the Florida legislature, in addition to not allowing state funds to be used, expressly prohibited pharmaceutical companies from contributing, despite the offer of $1 Million from the makers of Oxycontin for…
The Extraordinary Choice Between Right and Happy
I was helping my wife change the sheets recently when we got into a brief disagreement over a minor item. It was one of those critically important discussions involving what corner of the fitted sheet goes on which corner of the bed. You see, king size mattresses aren’t perfectly square, and if you start with…
Meningitis Scare Gives Workers Comp Back Pain Sufferers Bigger Concern
An outbreak of aspergillus meningitis that has sickened 30 and killed 5 people has been linked to spinal steroid injections, a common treatment for back pain. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reported that a vial of the steroid, called methylprednisolone acetate, was found to contain fungus. Most of the cases, and 3 deaths,…
Brown Vetoes Nanny State Nanny Bill
California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed legislation this week that would have made domestic workers eligible for a range of labor protections and benefits, as well as make it easier to qualify for workers compensation. A.B. 889 would have eliminated a requirement that domestic workers perform at least 52 hours and earn more than $100 in…
Florida Is Not Serious About Prescription Abuse – of Any Kind
Last fall the state of Florida created a prescription database so pharmacists could enter records pertaining to the buying and selling of most painkillers in the state. This Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, or PDMP, allows law enforcement to monitor and catch both doctor-shopping patients and physicians who sell high-powered medications to addicts or drug dealers. …
Happy Birthday to Us
Today, September 27, 2012 is a significant day for me. This date in 1999 is the founding date for our company. 13 years ago today I walked into completely empty offices and started work building WorkersCompensation.com. Holy crap I'm getting old. This explains all the sex related articles I have written lately. I am clearly…
An Arousal of Disgust Over Useless Sex Studies
You couldn’t make this stuff up. Ok, I actually could make this stuff up. But I didn’t. Really. I recently wrote about groundbreaking research that determined sex can make you smarter. Beyond those two studies, there are three more that deserve, at least momentarily, our undivided attention. These three separate sex studies recently crossed my…
Technology at the National Conference – Turns Out There is an App for That
I just downloaded the official App for the National Workers' Compensation and Disability Conference scheduled for November 7-9 in Las Vegas. Looking it over I can't help but think how much has changed over the last decade or so. The app, which is free, appears to be fairly robust, offering comprehensive schedules, speaker bios, maps…
Workers Comp Should Try Giving PTSD a Shot
An interesting story out this week about a new potential treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in military veterans could have significant impact on the workers’ compensation industry. Dr. Eugene Lipov, Medical Director of Advanced Pain Centers in Chicago, and Director of Pain Research at Northwest Community Hospital, is deploying a treatment called Stellate…
Dubious Decision Drives Disability Dilemma
How do you reconcile a court decision that generally helps a concept you believe in, yet is something with which you fundamentally disagree? That is my personal dilemma. John Murray, an attorney with Wisconsin law firm Lindner & Marsack, yesterday made an article available to our readers concerning a decision in the Seventh Circuit Court…