We’ve talked a great deal in recent years about the inherent ethical conflicts of physician dispensing; doctors writing and fulfilling their own prescriptions. I have defined arguments defending that practice as attempts “to scrub the indelible stain on the soul that prescribing for fun and profit undoubtedly brings.” The issue, of course, is that drugs…
Workers' Comp Hot Seat – The Tech Check Blooper Reel
Ok, it really isn’t a blooper reel, but it certainly may be a harbinger of things to come. We have been busy preparing for the inaugural episode of the “Hot Seat”, a webinar designed to provide valuable information for the workers’ compensation community in a lively and entertaining format. The Hot Seat will not use…
God Vacations in Sarasota, or, What I Learned from Hurricane Irma
I have joked about it, but am really beginning to believe it. I think God vacations in Sarasota. We say that because for at least the last 100 years, despite occasionally insistent predictions of the meteorological community, our area has avoided any significant impact of a major hurricane. While we had some minor flooding and…
Pinning Hope on a Rainbow
I have lived on the west coast of Florida for the better part of 33 years. During that time I have never been a person consumed with what I consider unreasonable fear regarding hurricanes. That doesn’t mean I do not respect them, or do not pay attention. It doesn’t mean we do not prepare for…
Are SAIF Reserves Safe from Oregon Pols?
It is an age-old problem. Government overpromises. Financial crisis follows. And politicians, instead of fixing the mistake, simply grab whatever cash they can get their grubby little mitts on. That is the feeling you get when you look at what is happening in Oregon right now. The state has what can be considered, by all…
Are Florida Appellate Fees Unappealing?
A decision issued late last week has largely skated under the radar, but has the potential for another big impact in the world that is Florida workers’ compensation. Florida Judge Mark Massey issued a decision on August 25th, in the case Napoles v. Kendall Regional Medical Center, that will maintain the status quo in the…
The Word Undocumented Still Doesn't Make It Legal
Last Thursday this site ran the first in a series of articles looking at how different states workers’ compensation systems handle injured workers’ who are not legally able to accept employment in the United States. The series, headlined “Undocumented and Unprotected?”, started with a look at California’s fairly liberal laws that provide specific protections for…
Goodbye, Mr. Gilliland
Last week marked the official final days of Robert Gilliland’s Chairmanship of the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission. It passed largely without notation or proclamation. For a select few people that was probably a good thing. For most of us, however, it is an event worthy of review, reflection and remembrance, as his service to the…
Coughing Our Way Through Medicinal Trials
I swear, my doctor is such a pansy. First, it seems my commitment to have my annual physical once every five or six years is not sufficient for him. Then he insisted on “fixing” my blood pressure. My blood pressure was showing signs of increasing numerous years ago, and when it reached the mid to…
Illinois Governor Vetoes State Fund Creation Bill
Ahhhh, sanity in a maelstrom. Or at least a hint of sanity in a maelstrom. It was reported yesterday that Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill intended to establish a state-sponsored fund to provide workers’ compensation insurance in Illinois. Taxpayers of Illinois can breathe a sigh of relief, or at least refocus their fears…