Business Insurance is reporting that an Australian woman has been denied a claim she says is related to an injury she suffered on the job. She claimed a work injury caused her to gain weight and as a result she is in need of breast reduction surgery to alleviate the pain she is experiencing. The…
Ft. Worth Police Shooting Highlights Communication and Perception Challenges in Workers' Comp
Timely response and clear communications are critical elements for handling workers’ compensation claims. However, when it comes to gathering information and managing a claim properly, “timing” might be just as important as “timely”. A story out of Ft. Worth, TX this morning highlights the fact that proper communication and timing should be part of a…
Can We Believe Anything We Read?
In this day and age of instant information, journalists, bloggers, researchers as well as the casual web surfer have at their disposal a plethora of information resources. For those who are interested in medical research and the latest in medical technologies, there are a multitude of prestigious medical journals offering the latest in advanced methodologies…
For Employers, Workers' Comp is but One Cross to Bear
I am in Clearwater Beach, Florida this week, speaking at the 24th Annual Health Benefits Conference & Expo. The event draws employers from across the country, and deals with a wide variety of employee management and benefit issues. As conferences go, this is a bit of a departure for me. It is not your usual…
And Now From My Standing Desk…..
Alas, the cluttered desk, the symbol of my personal style and intellectual mediocrity, not to mention the brand around which I built this blog, is no more. At least for this week anyway. It may not take long for my new one to become cluttered, but there is a lot less space on this one…
When a Disastrous Day at the Airport is a mAAgic Day to Fly
I remember seeing a photo in a magazine when I was a child. It was taken in a town that had been completely devastated by a tornado. Within the photograph was, as far as the eye could see, total and utter devastation; debris and remnants of peoples lives scattered about the landscape. Near the front…
The Cold Winds of Workers' Comp Reform Are Blowing in Wisconsin
I have it on excellent authority that major changes to the Wisconsin workers' compensation system will be proposed with the release of the state's budget bill on February 3, 2015. The rumored changes are said to be significant, with some viewing it as a complete dismantling of the current workers' comp system there. In the…
New Mexico Workers' Comp, This Bud's On You
The New Mexico Court of Appeals has ruled that medical marijuana should be classified as “reasonable and necessary medical care”, and therefore must be paid for under New Mexico workers' compensation laws. And as crazy as that sounds to someone like me, the reason the injured worker was on medical marijuana in the first place…
Walking the Walk: Proper Care is Essential at Ascential Care
I’ve spent a good deal of time the last couple of years talking about a needed culture change in the workers’ compensation industry. I’ve promoted changing the verbiage we use, including renaming the industry Workers’ Recovery. I’ve been very interested in converting what has become a “process and close” mentality to that of “recover and…
Florida Supreme Court Reinforces Exclusive Remedy. For Now.
The beleaguered Florida workers' compensation system got a shot in the arm last week when Florida's highest court ruled that workers' compensation law bars injured workers from seeking additional benefits in civil court. The Florida Supreme Court delivered the decision reinforcing the concept of workers' compensation as the exclusive remedy for workers' injured in the…