05/07/21
WorkersCompensation.com
Oakland, CA (WorkersCompensation.com) – The California Workers Compensation Institute has issued a report on SB 335, a bill that would cut the amount of time claims administrators have to investigate most job injury claims from 90 days to 45 days and increase employers liability for medical benefits during the investigation period by 70%, from $10,000 to $17,000.
Investigating compensability of a claim depends on a timely and coordinated effort, not just by the claims adjuster, but by the employer, the claimant, physicians, attorneys, witnesses, and others. The length of an investigation also can vary depending on the types of injuries reported, the circumstances causing the injurious event, whether witnesses were present when the injury occurred, the cooperation and availability of the parties involved, the number of issues and medical conditions asserted, and the availability of documentation. To determine how long it takes to investigate
We are wedded to workplace safety news this week. Yesterday marked “
Go Orange Day,” a special way to remember those who have lost their lives to vehicle accidents in work zones. Let s vow to take extra precaution as we move into the spring months and roadway construction season.
UNTIL DEATH DO US PART
As part of
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reportsthat, “while large trucks make up roughly 5% of vehicular traffic, they continue to have a disproportional involvement (33%) in fatal crashes occurring in work zones. In 2019, 842 people died in crashes in highway work zones, an 11% increase from the year prior and the largest percentage increase of highway work zone fatalities this century.” In keeping with this year s NWZAW theme, let s promise to “
Friday, April 23, 2021 |
WorkCompCentral published a blog post by workers’ compensation defense attorney Gregory Grinberg critiquing AB 1465, a bill that would expand access to medical care by creating a statewide medical provider network.
Daniel Rosenberg
Ignoring Grinberg’s ad hominem attack on Sen. Lorena Gonzalez, his argument is that MPNs lead to higher quality and reduced costs, and therefore should be maintained without free-market competition. The problem is that his points are empirically false: MPNs increase costs for employers and lead to worse medical care for their injured workers.
The California Workers’ Compensation Institute did a comprehensive study of MPNs and found that they generated a negligible 2% in savings. Those savings were more than offset by added frictional costs to the system, as a Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine study concluded. Worse still, a recent study by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau de
Institute Analyzes Impact of California Medical Provider Network Option for Workers April 16, 2021
Legislation intended to increase injured California workers’ access to medical care by requiring the state to create a medical provider network as an alternative to private networks that render 90% of California workers’ compensation treatment would significantly increase medical costs and require millions of dollars in ongoing administrative and infrastructure expense, a California Workers’ Compensation Institute analysis finds.
Assembly Bill 1465 would require the administrative director of the state’s workers’ compensation system to establish a statewide medical provider network, called the California Medical Provider Network, and give employees the choice to treat within their employer’s MPN or the CAMPN.
CWCI Examines California Workers Comp Medical Dispute Resolution Trends and Outcomes workerscompensation.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from workerscompensation.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.