Vol. 5, Issue 47

Find Solutions & Strategies                   November 24, 2014

Specialty Drugs
 
An approaching tsunami in workers' comp costs?
In This Issue
- SPECIALTY DRUGS
- LARSON'S SPOTLIGHT: Rare Disease, Employer's Premises, Step-Down Injury
- DISFIGUREMENT AWARD, OUT OF STATE PROVIDER
- NATIONAL & STATE NEWS
- eNEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
Gobble Gobble
Join our community today. Sign up here for our free eNewsletter.   
 
Robin E. Kobayashi, JD
LexisNexis Legal & Professional Operations
Attn: Risk Managers, Insurance & HR Professionals, Attorneys

 

Purchase now at special discount rate of $79.50 + tax + shipping

 

specialty drugs: an approaching tsunami in workers' comp costs?
Earlier this year, myMatrixx, a company specializing in pharmacy and ancillary services for workers' compensation programs, forecast in a Webinar broadcast that drug treatment costs in these programs are poised to rise exponentially. Their projected acceleration of costs is attributed to acceleration in the development of new specialty drugs. Apparently these new drugs, which up to now have commanded only a very modest share of the marketplace, are about to muscle their way on to center stage. Over the course of an hour, panelists Phil Walls, R.Ph (myMatrixx Chief Clinical and Compliance Officer) and Jennifer Dragoun, M.D. (myMatrixx Vice President and Chief Medical Officer CompServices, Inc./AmeriHealth Casualty) brought into sharp relief the cost and efficacy of specialty drugs, and their likely use within workers' compensation programs. They project that expenditures to date with respect to these drugs is the proverbial tip of the iceberg; their use and resultant cost is apparently about to skyrocket...read more.
LARSON'S SPOTLIGHT ON RECENT CASES

Thomas A. Robinson, J.D., our Feature National Columnist, is a leading commentator and expert on the law of workers' compensation. 

 

Illinois: Death Benefits Awarded for Exotic Medical Condition Contracted on Trip to Brazil. A court has affirmed an award of death benefits to the widow of an executive who died after contracting Neisseria meningitides, apparently while on a business trip to Brazil...read more.

 

Georgia: Dangerous Railway Crossing Works to Extend Employer's Premises Beyond Leased Building. A court held that a worker's fatal injuries arose out of and in the course of his employment where the vehicle the worker was driving was struck by an oncoming train as the worker crossed railway tracks...read more.

 

Virginia: Unusual Height of Platform Means "Step-Down" Injury Is Compensable. In a decision that has not been designated for publication, a court affirmed an award of workers' compensation benefits to a worker who injured his right knee, back, and right hip when he allegedly slipped while stepping down from a platform about fifteen...read more.

lexisnexis legal newsroom blogs
CassandraShining Scars and a Pocket Dictionary: Delaware IAB Awards a Staggering 427 Weeks for Disfigurement, by Cassandra Roberts, Esq. Read it.
  
  
  
  
CassandraThe Turkey Gravy Post: Delaware Supreme Court Affirms VanVliet and Non Comp-Certified Providers Come Up Dry, by Cassandra Roberts, Esq. Read it.
national & state news

National & State-by-State News on the Free Web:   

 

Massey Energy Ex-CEO Pleads Not Guilty for 2010 Mine Accident.

Hearing Loss Prediction Study Questioned; Focus Should Be on Prevention.

CA: Injured Worker Appeals Dubon II Decision to 4th DCA.

CA: CalOSHA Updates Website With Ebola Virus Information.

CA: Trucker Strike Hits L.A. and Long Beach Ports.

FL: DWC to Hold Rule Workshop Dec. 10 on Penalty Calculations.

FL: DWC Adopts Amendments to FL WC Reimbursement Manual for Hospitals Rule.

ID: Insurance Director Deal to Retire End of 2014.

IL: Manufacturers Use of Temp Workers Raises Concerns of Discrimination.

IL: IWCC Announces 2015 Arbitration Territory Changes.

LA: WCRI: WC Medical Costs Per Claim Remains Higher Than Most States.

LA: NCCI Explains 2.4% Decrease in Loss Cost Filing.

MD: WCC Posts 2015 Specific Conversion Factor for Medical Fee Schedule.

MI: Accident Fund Reports One-Third of Accidents Due to Slips and Falls.

MN: Lawmaker Wants Harsher Penalties for Assaults Against Nurses.

MT: WCC Explains Filing Deadlines for Both Electronic, Original Petitions.

NJ: Commissioner Approves 2.9% Increase in WC Rates.

NC: Dept. of Insurance Approves 3.4% Decrease in Loss Costs for Voluntary Market.

ND: Ex-WSI Staffer Blasts the WC System's Lack of Concern for Employee Safety.

OH: BWC Investigator Quotas Under Attack.

OK: AG Finds Legislature's Appropriation from Workers Comp Fund Unconstitutional.

OR: WCD Publishes Final Rules on EDI Proof of Coverage Data.

SC: WCRI: Physician-Dispensed Drug Prices Still 30-40% Higher Than Pharmacy Prices.

SC: WCC Posts Procedural Changes for Employer's Request for Hearing.

TX: TDI REG Posts Proposed FY2015 Research Agenda.

TX: SB 155 Would Require WC Coverage for Construction Industry.

ENEWSLETTER ARCHIVES

ArchivesTake a deep dive into our past eNewsletters for 2014 and prior...warning - some links to articles may not work...report any linking problems to Robin.E.Kobayashi@lexisnexis.com.

Nov. 17, 2014: 2014 Workers' Compensation Emerging Issues

Nov. 10, 2014: Workers' Comp System Slammed for Poor Quality Healthcare, Failure to Innovate.

Nov. 3, 2014: Late-Term Compensation Care for Injured Workers.

Oct. 27, 2014: Employers/Insurers Who Treat Ebola as Occupational Disease Do So at Their Peril

Oct. 20, 2014: Patient Barriers to Effective Treatment and Recovery

Oct. 13, 2014: Temporary Workers and Their Unique Risks

Oct. 6, 2014: 75 Percent of Injured Workers Get Opioids

ACCESS 2010-2014 ARCHIVES AND ARTICLES LIST HERE.

LexisNexis and the Knowledge Burst logo are registered trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under license. Other products or services may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Privacy & Security Copyright © 2014 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.