When a professional snake catcher comes across a professional people crusher, things can get a bit dicey. That is exactly what happened to a woman who makes her living catching and relocating snakes down under last week. Her experience provides the perfect example of the old adage, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” She had been called to “relocate” a…
The Medical Billing Shell Game and the Insufficient MSA
Recently we discussed what I referred to as the “medical billing shell game,” writing about what appeared to be the lack of correlation between confusing retail medical bills and what is ultimately paid by Medicare or a private insurer. The gist of that discussion was that the people least likely to financially cope with a…
Dude, Don't Dis My Ability
From Dictionary.com:dis- 1. a Latin prefix meaning “apart,” “asunder,” “away,” “utterly,” or having a privative, negative, or reversing force (see de-, un-2); used freely, especially with these latter senses, as an English formative: disability; disaffirm; disbar; disbelief; discontent; dishearten; dislike; disown. I’ve come to hate the word “disability.” It is a word used freely in our…
More Neanderthal Than You
My wife and I recently submitted our DNA samples for analysis by 23andme.com. I was mostly curious about the genetic makeup of my ancestry, while my wife, who was adopted and knows nothing of her genetic lineage, was interested in the various health reports that these tests can identify. Yesterday I got my results, and I…
Shot Cop’s Benefit Denial an Outlier in Workers' Comp Today
A 30-year veteran of the Norwalk, CT Police Department was accidentally shot last year by a fellow officer during a routine training exercise. The 9mm bullet is still lodged in his chest. Complications he has experienced include blood clots, a partial blockage of his heart and permanent nerve damage in his right hand. His doctors also say…
Restoring Humanity in Workers’ Compensation @IAIABC
Sometimes the simplest of stories can be the most impactful. There was no better example of that than comments made during today’s opening session of the IAIABC 104thAnnual Conference. In fact, it was one of the most impressive opening statements I have ever witnessed at any such event. The IAIABC (International Association of Industrial Accident…
Finding My Spirit Animal @IAIABC
Today in Williamsburg, VA at the 104th Annual Convention of the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC), a next generation of leaders took the stage to talk about what motivates their peers as well as the future of workers’ compensation. They were the recipients of the IAIABC NextGen Awards, a program that recognizes…
Lockton Study and the Biggest Surprise of All
Several weeks ago, Lockton published a study demonstrating that nationwide 67% of claims initially denied wind up being accepted within 12 months. Just as important in their findings is that these claims cost 55% more than those claims that are accepted from the outset. This news seems to have been a shock to many. I…
Headed to NWCDN and Minnesota Nice
I’m off to Minneapolis this morning, attending the annual seminar put on by the National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN). The NWCDN is a group of very skilled defense law firms, and they have produced these seminars for their clients and interested employers and insurance professionals for well over a decade. It has grown exponentially; I understand…
The Cure and Curse of Quantum Computing for Workers' Compensation
Quantum computing represents the next true frontier in computing power, and with its advance will usher in incredible opportunities in data analysis, artificial intelligence and augmented reality systems. That is the good news. The bad news, for the unprepared, is that quantum computing will have the ability to strip through today’s encryption processes like a…