Payments for dermatological agents continue to increase while payments for opioids continue to decline, according to a report released Thursday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. WCRI said the increase in payments for such drugs applied to skin, usually for pain, is driven by the dispensing of higher-priced products from doctors’ offices and mail-order pharmacies. The report examined state trends…
A push to make staph infections a compensable, occupational illness is underway, with Illinois lawmakers passing legislation in 2021 and New York considering similar measures this year. Caused by the bacteria methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, staph infections are common in health care settings, where they are compensable under workers compensation law in many states. The latest trend, however, is…
Many COVID-19-related workers compensation claims are denied, according to recent data that shows a third to half are deemed to not involve workplace contraction of the virus. Often workers don’t press the claims after the initial denial and experts say questions over compensability have kept claim counts and costs low. “The trend is that most employers are denying claims because…
A former Belleville nursing home employee claims she was wrongfully terminated after filing a worker’s compensation claim. Kelnesha Nelson filed a complaint in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against St Paul’s Senior Community LLC, doing business as St. Paul’s Senior Community. According to Nelson’s complaint, she was an employee at St. Paul’s Senior Community in Belleville on Oct. 16,…
States that give injured workers control over selecting their medical providers are among those with the highest prevalence of chiropractic care, which data shows can lead to lower workers compensation costs, according to a report released Tuesday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based organization, as part of a long-term project studying physical medicine as an alternative to…
The workers compensation sector remains a relatively stable and profitable segment of the commercial insurance industry, but some claims are getting pricier and concerns over severity are rising. While a years-long focus on workplace safety and legislative changes has reined in workers comp costs, and the frequency of claims continues to decline, experts say a confluence of factors is driving…
Thirty-five percent of workplace injuries occur during a worker’s first year on the job, regardless of age or experience, according to a report released Monday by Travelers Cos. Inc. The Hartford, Connecticut-based insurer analyzed more than 1.5 million workers compensation claims over a five-year period (2015-2019). Some of the most common causes of injuries in the first year included overexertion,…
Prescriptions for opioid use disorder medications are on the rise in workers compensation, a trend worth watching, experts say, as most of the drugs being prescribed — buprenorphines — are still considered opioids in some cases. Enlyte Group LLC said in its most recent drug trends report that prescriptions for drugs to manage opioid use disorder saw a 7.4% increase…
Two new lawsuits were filed in Madison County Circuit Court against Amazon and the engineering and design companies that participated in the construction of the Edwardsville distribution center that partially collapsed during a deadly EF-3 tornado on Dec. 10. Attorneys Patrick King of MillerKing LLC in Alton and Benjamin O’Connor of Hilliard Martinez Gonzales LLP in Corpus Christi, Texas, filed…
A Waukegan, Illinois contractor – with a history of violating federal safety standards and ignoring safety citations – was cited again by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for exposing workers to deadly fall hazards at two separate job sites in October 2021. Joshua Herion – who does business as ECS Roofing Professionals Inc. –…
