As COVID-19 continues to challenge the nation, the workers’ compensation industry is busy grappling with its own questions regarding the impact and responsibilities surround the virus. Compensability for employees who claim they contracted the illness on the job remains a very big question. We have already seen a push in numerous states to extend presumptive…
From the Archives: Workers' Comp 20/20: Tethered by Wireless – The Future Office Without Walls
Note from Bob: This article first appeared on our site July 12, 2010, before the advent of this blog. It is a prediction of what the workplace would look like in the year 2020. Since it was written 10 years ago, I wanted to go back and see how my prognostications fared. While I clearly…
COVID Innovation: Keeping Essential Strippers Employed in a Time of Crisis
This is normally the type of article, tongue in cheek and not so serious, that may appear in this blog on a Friday. And for all I know, it is Friday. I have lost track of what day this actually is. All I do know is that the date of our self-isolation has been announced.…
Are We Saving Lives, or Hurting Them?
As the COVID-19 pandemic response prepares to move into yet another month, many of us are beginning to ask, are we saving lives? Or are we hurting them? The answer is becoming increasingly obvious. It is “yes” to both. But how do we balance the solution? Like most people around the country, I shifted to…
When the Comedian Laden Technology Bus Crashes and Burns
We don’t like to do anything halfway. When we commit to something, we are usually all in. So, when a scheduled webinar encountered problems yesterday, it wasn’t just a tiny meaningless glitch. It wasn’t just a fender bender. No, that webinar bus crashed and burned in a spectacular and fiery fashion. There were 620 souls…
Pandemics and Technology Adoption
It was highly apropos. The regulators were speaking in a virtual room and telling the audience that it was interesting that a pandemic could cause such a rapid adoption of new technologies, policies and procedures. They were right. Just a few weeks ago we would never have been able to pull off the meeting we…
An Opportunity to Interact with Your Workers' Comp Regulators
A very quick post this morning to remind you that we have a very rare opportunity this week. Thursday we will be hosting the “National Workers’ Compensation Regulators Virtual Town Hall” webcast discussing COVID-19 and its impact on our industry. It is being put together by the Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators (SAWCA). Regulators…
My First Telehealth Experience and the Do-It-Yourself Physical
This week I had my first ever telehealth experience. It went pretty much as expected, and in some ways was a very typical patient experience. That was mostly because I logged in at my appointed time and waited alone in a cold and empty room for over half an hour before my doctor came in.…
Insurance Companies are Businesses, Too
In the rush to protect businesses and consumers from financial disaster, state governors around the nation are enacting a variety of rules and requirements to help provide relief to people struggling with the economic impact of COVID-19. In some states, evictions and foreclosures have been ordered stopped. Others have enacted all sorts of moratoriums on…
Things I'm Thankful for in the Time of COVID
It sounds a bit strange, but as I approach the end of my 4th week of “hunkering down” in the era of COVID-19, there are things I have seen and experienced that make me quite thankful. In no particular order: I am thankful that my extended family is safe in this time of uncertainty. I am…