Health Wonk Review: The Inauguration Edition is freshly posted by Chris Fleming at the Health Affairs Blog. Here’s a preview: 2013 predictions, healthcare spending, risky behaviors, nursing workforce projections and more. A good and substantive edition: Get your wonk on.
Electric car crashes could pose new risk for first responders – With the proliferation of hybrids and new technologies, emergency workers that respond to the scene of an auto accident could be subject to shocks from batteries that have not powered down. See our prior post on Electric Vehicle Safety Training for first responders.
Are the flu & Tamiflu overhyped? – At Managed Care Matters, Joe Paduda casts a skeptical eye on the hoopla over the flu and the media’s propensity to blow everything up into a crisis. If it’s not shark month or killer bee week, we need some fear-factor issue to fascinate, worry, and horrify us. Don’t miss his comments on Tamiflu. But if you do need some workplace guidance, see Influenza tools & tips for you & your employees at HR Web Cafe. Also of interest: NIOSH Research on Airborne Influenza Transmission
A Primer on Fee Schedules – Peter Rousmaniere’s most recent column in Risk & Insurance is a good bookmark. He offers an overview and a rundown on the status quo on this complex and important managed care issue of how doctors get paid.
Internet-Use Disorder: The Newest Disability? – There’s apparently a growing catalog of technology related maladies – we’ve previously discussed Blackberry Thumb, Cell Phone Elbow, IPod Ear. But this one is actually included in the DSM-5 – although as a condition that requires further research. Jon Hyman of Ohio Employer’s Blog thinks it bears watching because if it is deemed a psychiatric disorder, then employees who suffer from it may be protected by the ADA. See his post for more on this.
For Americans Under 50, Stark Findings on Health – “Younger Americans die earlier and live in poorer health than their counterparts in other developed countries, with far higher rates of death from guns, car accidents and drug addiction, according to a new analysis of health and longevity in the United States.” Access the full report.
Drugs & Guns: Arming Investigators – Dave DePaolo posts that the Texas Medical Board (TMB) has asked the state’s attorney general to rule on whether the board may authorize its investigators to carry concealed handguns as private citizens when investigating pill mills. Drugs are a big and dangerous business. Ohio recently approved such a measure so the request is not without precedent.
CT officials hope to change workers comp law for Sandy Hook responders – Some lawmakers are looking to extend benefits to first responders for PTSD related to incidents like Sandy Hook (although it is unlikely any legislation would be retroactive). Currently, state law extends workers compensation benefits only to those who had a serious injury/fatality but not PTSD. We’ve seen this issue before: (Uncompensable) Nightmare at Work.
News Briefs
- Where each state stands on ACA’s Medicaid expansion
- The Painful Subject of Progressive Disciplinary Policies for Drivers
- Doctor shortage? What doctor shortage?
- Why People Believe Weird Things and 8 Ways to Change Their Minds
- A day that shook Henderson: Grain elevator blew its top, killing three in 1988
- 13 Worst Interview Blunders of 2012
- Legal Avenues Exist for Dealing with Workplace Bullying
- Robert Hartwig – short video on Key Economic Issues of the Insurance Industry in 2013
- 5 Occupational Dermatitis Hazards and How to Stop Them
- CDC: 1 in 24 admit nodding off while driving
- Journalism is Among Top 10 Occupations to Most Likely Attract Psychopaths
