Andrew Sprung has posted Alternative Facts, Alternative Realities Edition of Health Wonk Review at his blog, xpostfactoid. It includes various perspectives on the usual alphabet soup topics – AHCA, ACA, CBO – and a grab bag of other timely issues – California expansion, opiods treatment, end-of-life care, value tools in managed care and more.
Andrew is one of the newer contributors and hosts of HWR so be sure to check out his blog too. He’s been blogging on various issues since 2007, with a recent focus on “the unfolding drama of Affordable Care Act implementation and health reform more generally.” If following health policy is on your agenda, Andrew’s blog should be a must-read. Here’s a sampling:
- Also undead: Cassidy-Collins
- A Sparer means to universal health insurance
- Medical Billing: The Ten Do-well Commandments (after Elisabeth Rosenthal)
- AHIP puts Medicaid first in “do no harm” plea to Republicans
And in other news we found noteworthy:
NCCI presentations – for those of us in workers comp, awaiting the spring NCCI reports is something like waiting for Santa. First is the NCCI’s State of the Line Highlights Key Indicators of the Workers Compensation Industry, widely regarded as the industry’s most extensive workers compensation market analysis. This year’s 57 page report is true to form. Here’s a headline – “As presented in this year’s State of the Line Report, the workers compensation Calendar Year 2016 combined ratio for private carriers was 94%. This is the second consecutive year the industry has posted a six-point underwriting gain. Total market net written premium volume remained steady between 2015 and 2016 at $45.5 billion.” But check out the rest of the report NCCI’s State of the Line Report (PDF) – a 57 page issue. Next up is NCCI’s Annual Issues Symposium (AIS), including videos and full presentations. Close your office door and catch up!
More research: Compounds in workers’ comp – Joe Paduda says: “CompPharma’s second research paper on compounds in workers’ comp was published last week. Authored by pharmacists and government affairs professionals from member PBMs, this paper builds on the ground-breaking research published in our first paper.”
More research: Returning to Work May Save Your Life – A recent study funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that in addition to fairly well-known negative outcomes, workers who suffer injuries that require days away from work are likely to die sooner than those who had injuries that required only medical treatment. Let’s take a look at this new study and then at some tips for getting your injured workers back to work faster.
More research: Workplace Injuries Are More Common When Companies Face Earnings Pressure
- OSHA Delays Workplace Injury Reporting Rule
- Helping Injured Workers Live Their Best Lives
- More Problems for Construction, Poultry Processing, Farms and Whistleblowers. So why doesn’t anyone want to work at DOL?
- Automation Has Mixed Impact on Workers’ Comp Claims
- Subcontractor’s Employee Can’t Sue General Contractor for On-the-Job Injuries
- Profits are booming at health insurance companies
- The anatomy of a drug website: 5 pharma tactics to be wary of
- NIOSH Presents: Research on Managing Fatigue in the Workplace, Lessons Learned
- Who is NOT covered by Workers’ Compensation?
- What Am I Doing Wrong?? Common FMLA Mistakes
- Here are the 66 programs eliminated in Trump’s budget
- Could Case Managers be Replaced by Robots?
- Summer Activities Could Cause Exposure to Hazardous Noise Levels
- How does your work culture stack up to EEOC’s guidance on harassment?
- 5 Deskercises to Keep You Active at Work
