Greetings!
Welcome to your weekly WCI Newsletter. We have selected the top stories that appeared on our website this week to help you stay up to date on what is happening in the world of workers' compensation and insurance. Enjoy.
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 Drug Deaths Down in Florida A report by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission shows that in 2012 drugs were either present or the cause of death in 8,330 Floridians. That's a decrease from the 9,135 deaths in 2011. Further analysis shows that deaths caused by Oxycodone plunged by 41 percent in 2012, but the drug was still one of the top causes of death by prescription. Read More
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 Is It a "Regular" Contagious Disease or a Compensable Injury?
In South Carolina, "ordinary diseases of life" are expressly excluded from the definition of an "occupational disease." Sick employees must demonstrate that their current illness results directly from conditions of their employment, and such exposures are in excess of those found in the general public. This can create an interesting scenario for employers in the medical profession. Read More |
 Westphal Saga Continues in Florida; Supreme Court Is Next
On Monday, a Florida Appeals Court issued a ruling in Bradley Westphal v. City of St. Petersburg, a much-watched workers' compensation case dealing with the constitutionality of part of Florida's workers' compensation statute. What happened? What does it mean? And what happens next? Read More |
 NCCI Issues New Drug Study
No surprise here. NCCI's new report shows that prescription drug costs in workers' compensation continue to grow, along with the share of Rx costs for physician-dispensed drugs. NCCI also found that narcotics account for 25 percent of drug costs, and more than 45 percent of narcotics costs are for drugs with Oxycodone HCL as an active ingredient. Read More |
 Handling Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries are complex, costly, and life-altering events for injured workers and their families. These claims require a specialized approach that combines compassion and clinical expertise. Here are 10 key considerations to keep in mind when handling these claims. Read More |
 SHARING IS GOOD
We're glad you enjoy our weekly newsletter, and encourage you to share it with your clients and others. If you want to post our newsletter on your website, just send us an email. Then each Friday, we will send you the URL and you can share all the news with your own website visitors. |
 WCI Briefs
We know you're busy. That's why we created WCI Briefs, a collection of workers' compensation and insurance news from across the nation and around the world. Each of these articles tells its story in 300 words or less. Read More |
 Find Your Perfect Job at the
WCI Online Career Center
We now have a Career Center available on the Workers' Compensation Institute's website. In partnership with GreatInsuranceJobs.com, this new free resource for job seekers is continually updated with thousands of solid employment opportunities. One of the jobs currently available: Quest Pro, a mono-line carrier in New Mexico, is seeking an underwriting manager for its Albuquerque office. Conduct Your Own Search |
