The centennial celebration of workers' compensation in California 1914-2014--coming as it does in the midst of the prolonged and difficult implementation of SB863--provides a convenient opportunity to take a long look back, a careful look forward, and ask some tough questions about the last 100 years of supposed progress and reform in the Golden State. So that's exactly what we did...We approached a diverse group of California workers' comp thought leaders (Pamela Foust, Julius Young, Suzanne Guyan, Barry Bloom, Melissa C. Brown, David Bryan Leonard, Barry Lesch, Mark Webb) to survey what they really thought about the performance of California's social bargain between workers and employers....read more.

eNewsletter subscribers can access the full survey responses here. 

Response to Richard Jacobsmeyer: As a QME psychiatrist who does active treatment and UR in the WC system, I think your article, though well-written, was unduly negative on two points.

1. Most WC patient records are electronically scanned by the treating docs, insurers, attorneys and UR companies. Thus, they can be instantly transmitted to the UR docs, which actually is done routinely by the companies for which I do reviews.

A failure to review the complete file clearly can, and often does, lead to erroneous decisions, not because of flawed medical judgement by the UR doc, but because of defects in the information provided. Incomplete, or worse still, biased records can actively mislead the reviewer, to the detriment of the patient and the treating doctor. The issue here is clearly what the WCAB addressed, namely a flawed process, for which judicial review is the proper remedy....read more.

Liens; Medical Treatment; Official Medical Fee Schedule. WCAB affirmed WCJ's finding that Official Medical Fee Schedule rates were applicable to treatment charges incurred by lien claimant for self-procured medical treatment provided to applicant/ultrasound technician who alleged industrial injuries to her back, neck, shoulders, wrists, psyche and in form of fibromyalgia during period 10/15/97 through 10/15/98, and held that, under present law, CNA Insurance Companies v. W.C.A.B. (Valdez) (1997) 62 Cal. Comp. Cases 1145 (writ denied) and Federal Mogul Corp. v. W.C.A.B. (1973) 38 Cal. Comp. Cases 584 (writ denied), are not persuasive authority to support lien claimant's assertion that...read more.