Posts Tagged ‘implants’

Health Wonk Review and other noteworthy news

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Fresh Health Wonk Review – David Williams has posted a packed & pithy edition of Health Wonk Review over at his Health Business Blog – get your biweekly fill of the best of the health policy blogs.
Social media – Peter Rousmaniere has a roundup of some of the best workers’ comp social networking on the web at Risk and Insurance – we thank him for including us – check out some of the other resources!
Surgical implants – As Joe Paduda is consistently excellent about pointing out, when it comes to work comp medical costs, the devil is in the details. In a recent post, Joe tackles the high cost of surgical implants – a cost that is far higher under workers comp than under group health – and explains payer approaches to resolving the problem, and why they fall short. His advice? “Don’t reimburse based on the invoice. Period.”
Oil spill safety resources

State comp agencies – Roberto Ceniceros posts about struggling comp agencies on his Comp Time blog, a followup to a more in-depth article about how states’ financial woes are squeezing comp systems that appeared in Business Insurance. The recession has decreased payrolls, adding further momentum to the drop in frequency and theoretically resulting in fewer claims to process. But some employers report that state work comp cutbacks are impacting their ability to resolve claims. Some risk managers say that the shortage of administrative judges means that claims take longer to resolve, hearings are delayed, and litigation costs are higher, among other effects.
EBT cards spark suit – In Ohio, the Bureau of Workers Comp is paying workers comp benefits via a Chase debit card. A class action suit has been filed by employees who say that Chase is charging fees if they make more than one withdrawal a month. Many state agencies are using such cards for food stamps and other social programs but we were unaware that they are being used for workers comp. As one of just a handful of monopolistic states, Ohio is the exclusive provider of workers comp, so it makes sense that the state would want to cut administrative costs. Check out the 2004 white paper by the California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation: the Cost/Benefit of Implementing Electronic Deposit for Unemployment and Disability Benefits in the State of California.
Heat wave – If the recent record high temperatures in the northeast are any indicator, it could be a long hot summer. The Texas Division of Workers Compensation reminds employers to prevent heat related injuries and offers a good check list of safety tips to prep for extreme heat.

News roundup: workplace cancers, medical costs, SC reform, ergonomics, photo of the week

Monday, April 30th, 2007

Workplace cancer – According to the World Health Organization, at least 200,000 workers die each year from cancers related to work exposures, such as asbestos, benzene, and second-hand smoke. Nearly half of those deaths – or 90,000 each year, are related to asbestos. Think that asbestos exposure is no longer a problem here in the U.S.? Think again.
Chlorine exposure – The Arkansas Court of Appeals reversed a denial of benefits for a city water department worker who had died after exposure to chlorine gas. Jerry Slaughter died one month after being spewed in the face by chlorine that escaped from a cracked cylinder. A doctor retained by the city suggested that his death was related to a parasitical infection commonly associated with HIV, so the state Workers’ Compensation Commission found that chemical exposure was “but one factor” contributing to Slaughter’s death, not the major cause. The Appeals Court found Slaughter’s treating physician to be compelling and sided with his opinion that the exposure was “the major precipitation event.”
Implants and pharma costs – Joe Paduda has a few interesting posts related to cost items that can add to a claim’s medical bill. First, he looks at the often all-too-cozy relationship between physicians and big pharma. In another post, he suggest taking another look at the invoice for implants used in spine surgery, bone and joint surgery. The price tag can be hefty – adding 11-33% to hospital bills in California.
South Carolina – does it seem like workers comp reform in South Carolina has been in the offing for an awfully long time? In the light of a recent NCCI recommendation that the loss cost level be increased by 23.7 percent, the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America is speaking out.
Shavers cramp – as the nature of the work we do changes, so do the risks. Jobs have changed considerably since 1923. Check out some of the occupational ergonomic maladies of yesteryear. (Thanks to Ergonomics in the News for the pointer.)
Photo of the week – from the Naval Safety Center – Eyewash Yikes and Eyewash Yuk.