Trouble is brewing again in the PRND. This time, however, the controversy is tied to the use of Independent Medical Exams, or IME’s, by that states monopolistic carrier, Workforce Safety & Insurance. On some levels the debate sounds like what we hear elsewhere in the country. Those on the side of the Injured Worker claim…
Meet Joe Negron – Potential Roadblock to Florida Repackaged Prescription Reform
Wednesday the Florida Senate Banking and Insurance Committee approved SB 662, a bill designed to cap the exorbitant prices currently charged by drug repackagers and their dispensing physician allies. It passed 10 to 1, with only Senator Joe Negron voting against. It now moves to the Health Policy Committee. Assuming it clears the Health Policy…
Update: Florida House and Senate Panels Move Repackaged Drug Price Caps Forward
Update: 5:28PM, 3/20/13 – The Florida Senate Banking and Insurance committee passed SB 662, the companion bill to HB 0605. It passed 10 to 1, with only Senator Negron voting against. It now moves to the Health Policy Committee. Original Article: Hooray for the Florida House, or at least the House Health Quality Subcommittee of the…
Workers' Comp Industry Social Media Survey Project – Phase II Released
Today we are launching the second of two surveys exploring the access and use of social media within the workers' compensation industry. We ask all workers' compensation professionals to take a few minutes to complete this questionnaire. This survey is an in depth analysis created in part from the results of the brief initial survey…
Kicking the Office Bully Down the Stairs
A recent article in Insurance Journal tells us that “Workplace Bullying” may be the next great frontier of employer liability challenges in our country, and they may be right. Numerous states are considering legislation that would allow employees to sue for damages from an abusive workplace environment, including lost wages, benefits and medical expenses. It…
The Dark Side of Shark Wrestling Under Stress
Today we tell a tale that, at the outset, seems so pedestrian, so mundane, that it hardly even bears mentioning. It is a story of a man who physically grabbed a shark in the water off an Australian beach, dragged it away from nearby children, and lost his job in the UK as a result.…
The Homicidal Debate Over Suicide By Cop
There is a difference between homicide and criminal homicide. Homicide, it turns out, is defined as “death by the violent or reckless act of another”. While most of us think of homicide as an inherently criminal act, it appears not to be the case. Criminal homicide must include either the intent to kill or negligent…
I've Fallen, and I Don't Know Why!!
An article that appeared in our blogwire yesterday tells us of a court case in Alabama that resulted in an interesting determination. It appears that if the cause of a fall is unknown, the claim is not valid. The court found that injuries sustained in a fall were not compensable because an employee could not…
Raiding the Larder: New York's Shameful Workers Comp Cash Grab
It is as predictable as time itself. A state fund providing workers’ compensation insurance accumulates a significant cash surplus. Then politicians who see the money as a free resource to solve problems they are incapable of addressing try to take it. It happened recently in Colorado, although Pinnacol Assurance, the state fund there, successfully repelled…
Let's Face It, the Lion Had to Die
A very tragic tale out of California this morning tells us an animal park intern with only a few weeks on the job was killed yesterday by a lion in her care. 24 year old Dianna Hanson had entered the cage of the male African Lion, Cous Cous, by herself when she was badly mauled…